Well-Woman Care
Well-Woman Exams & Pap Smears in Los Angeles
An annual visit is not a Pap test with a conversation attached. It is the hour each year when contraception, cycle changes, perimenopause, breast health and screening are looked at together — by a physician who knows your history.
Medically reviewed by David Seil Kim, MD, PhD, FACOG · Last reviewed
Your physician
Thirty years of knowing what is worth worrying about.
Most of what comes up at an annual visit is normal. The value of experience is not in finding more problems — it is in knowing quickly which findings need pursuing and which do not, so you are neither dismissed nor sent for tests you did not need.
- ExperienceNearly 30 years in obstetrics & gynecology
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center15 years · OB/GYN residency faculty
- American Board of Obstetrics & GynecologyOral board examiner
- Los Angeles Magazine Top Doctor2020–2024 · 2026
What this visit covers
Everything that belongs in one appointment.
A well-woman visit at Yunella is scheduled with room to talk. What follows is what it typically includes — though the point of the visit is that it bends around what you actually came in with.
The annual exam
- A review of your health history and whatever is on your mind — cycles, contraception, pain, mood, sleep, sex, fertility plans.
- A physical exam including breast and pelvic exam where appropriate for your age and history.
- Preventive screening review: cervical cancer screening, and referral for mammography and bone density when they are due.
- Appointments are long enough that you leave without the questions you arrived with.
Pap smears and cervical cancer screening
- Pap testing on the recommended interval — for most patients every three years from age 21, or every five years from age 30 when combined with HPV testing.
- Your history may call for a different interval, which Dr. Kim will explain rather than simply schedule.
- Abnormal Pap evaluation is handled here. Colposcopy and cervical biopsy are performed in the office rather than referred out — see in-office procedures.
- An abnormal result is common and is usually not cancer. What it means, and what happens next, is explained to you in person.
Contraception and cycles
- Birth control that fits your life rather than the shortest conversation. Options, side effects and reversibility are discussed before anything is chosen.
- IUD and implant placement and removal are performed in the office.
- Irregular periods are evaluated rather than managed around — thyroid, prolactin, ovulation and structural causes such as fibroids or polyps are all on the list.
- If you are planning a pregnancy, that changes the recommendation, so tell us.
Vulvar, vaginal and STI care
- Vaginal and vulvar conditions — irritation, discharge, dryness, recurrent infections, and skin changes that have not resolved with what you have already tried.
- Persistent vulvar symptoms are examined properly. Biopsy is available in the office where it is warranted.
- STI testing and treatment, done without a conversation you have to brace for.
- Testing can be arranged at a visit made for that purpose. You do not need to wait for your annual.
Due for your annual, or overdue?
Tell us roughly when your last visit was and what you would like looked at. We will schedule the right amount of time rather than the standard slot.
What to expect
How the visit runs.
- Before you comeBring photo ID, your insurance card if you are using insurance, a list of medications and supplements, and the date of your last period. Prior Pap results or recent labs from another office save repeating them.
- The conversation firstHistory and concerns before the exam, not after it, while you are still dressed and able to think.
- The examBreast and pelvic exam where appropriate, with cervical screening if it is due. Everything is explained as it happens.
- ResultsAnything sent to the lab is followed up. Abnormal results are discussed with you rather than left in a portal to interpret alone.
- What happens nextIf something needs further evaluation, most of it — colposcopy, biopsy, ultrasound — happens in this office rather than somewhere else.
This page is general information about care at Yunella and is not medical advice. Screening intervals and recommendations depend on your individual history.
Explained
Well-woman care in Los Angeles, item by item.
What each part of a well-woman visit is for, and when it applies to you.
Annual well-woman exams
An annual well-woman exam is a preventive visit rather than a problem-focused one. It covers your health history, a physical examination including breast and pelvic exam where appropriate, cervical cancer screening when it is due, and time to raise anything that has changed.
It is also the visit where referrals for mammography and bone density are made, and where contraception, cycle changes and perimenopause are discussed before they become urgent.
Pap smears and cervical cancer screening
A Pap smear samples cells from the cervix to detect changes that could become cancer if left alone. For most patients screening starts at 21 and is repeated every three years, or every five years from age 30 when the Pap is combined with HPV testing.
Screening intervals are guidelines rather than rules. A history of abnormal results, immune suppression or specific exposures may call for a shorter interval, which Dr. Kim will explain rather than simply schedule.
Abnormal Pap evaluation
An abnormal Pap result is common and is usually not cancer. Most abnormalities reflect changes caused by HPV, many of which resolve without treatment. What the result means depends on the specific finding and on your HPV status and history.
Where further evaluation is warranted, colposcopy and cervical biopsy are performed at Yunella rather than referred out, and treatment such as LEEP is also done in the office. See in-office procedures.
Birth control and contraception
Contraceptive options include combined and progestin-only pills, the vaginal ring, the patch, injections, hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs, and the contraceptive implant. Which suits you depends on your cycles, your medical history, whether you want to conceive later, and what you have already tried.
IUD and implant placement and removal are performed in the office, often at short notice. If pregnancy is in your plans, that changes the recommendation, so it is worth saying at the visit.
Irregular periods
Irregular cycles are worth evaluating rather than waiting out, particularly when the change is recent. Causes include thyroid disease, elevated prolactin, anovulation and polycystic ovary syndrome, as well as structural causes such as fibroids and polyps.
Evaluation typically combines bloodwork with a pelvic ultrasound performed by Dr. Kim in the office, so that hormonal and structural causes are assessed together rather than sequentially over several months.
Vaginal and vulvar conditions
Persistent irritation, discharge, dryness, recurrent infections and skin changes on the vulva are all common reasons for a visit, and all of them deserve an examination rather than another course of over-the-counter treatment.
Some vulvar skin conditions look alike and behave very differently, which is why biopsy is sometimes the fastest route to an answer. It is performed in the office under local anaesthetic.
STI testing and treatment
Testing for sexually transmitted infections is available at a routine visit or at a visit made specifically for that purpose. You do not need to wait for your annual, and you do not need to justify the request.
Which tests are appropriate depends on your history and on what you are concerned about. Results are explained to you directly, and treatment, including partner treatment guidance, is arranged from here.
Questions
What patients ask first.
How often do I need a Pap test?
For most patients, every three years from age 21, or every five years from age 30 if the Pap is combined with HPV testing. Your history may call for a different interval, which Dr. Kim will discuss with you.
Do I still need an annual visit if I do not need a Pap every year?
Yes. Cervical cancer screening is one part of a well-woman visit, not the whole reason for it. The annual visit is also when contraception, cycle changes, perimenopause, breast health and preventive screening are addressed.
My Pap came back abnormal. Does that mean cancer?
Almost always no. Abnormal results are common and usually reflect changes caused by HPV that resolve on their own or are easily treated. What it means depends on the specific result and your history, and the next step is often a colposcopy, which is done here in the office.
Can I have an IUD placed at Yunella?
Yes. IUD and contraceptive implant placement and removal are performed in the office.
My periods have become irregular. Is that something to look into?
Usually yes, particularly if the change is new. Irregular cycles can come from thyroid or hormonal causes, from anovulation, or from structural causes such as fibroids or polyps. It is worth evaluating rather than waiting out.
At what age should cervical cancer screening start?
For most patients, at 21. Screening before that age is not recommended even for patients who are sexually active, because cervical changes in adolescents usually resolve on their own.
Can I get STI testing without a full exam?
Yes. Testing can be arranged at a visit made for that purpose, and you do not need to wait for your annual exam or explain your reasons.
Do you see patients in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood?
Yes. The office is on San Vicente Boulevard at the edge of the Miracle Mile, and patients come from Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Hancock Park, Larchmont, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City and Santa Monica.
More on coverage and cost: Insurance & Payment. General questions: FAQs.
Start here
One appointment, with room to actually talk.
Book the visit you keep meaning to book. If something specific is on your mind, tell us when you call and we will allow the time for it.
Or call (424) 404-8832 · 6330 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 418, Los Angeles, CA 90048