This information is meant to help guide healthcare decisions. If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, seek emergency medical care immediately.

A real conversation about preventive care, mental health, and the symptoms women shouldn’t ignore.

Every May, Women’s Health Month shows up on calendars and social feeds. It’s easy to scroll past it. But when you actually listen to the conversations behind it, the message is simple and a lot more personal: many women are taking care of everyone else, while quietly putting their own health on hold.

In a recent “Cup of Joe” discussion, Dr. Huong Tong shared what she sees every day in her clinic:

“A lot of women come to me and they’re like, ‘I don’t have the time. I’m a mom, I’m a grandma.’ And sometimes they just kind of push it until things are getting really bad.”

Why Women’s Health Month Exists

Women’s Health Month isn’t just another awareness campaign. It’s intentionally tied to Mother’s Day, a time when we’re already thinking about the women who care for everyone else. The goal is simple: to remind women to take a moment and care for themselves, too, because too often, that doesn’t happen.

As Dr. Tong puts it:

“Sometimes women just don’t think about it.”

According to the Office on Women’s Health, routine preventive care is one of the most effective ways to catch health issues early and improve long-term outcomes.

Preventive Care for Women: What to Do and When

Preventive care changes as you age.

Dr. Tong explains:

“We can start as early as twenty one for Pap smears, at forty we start mammograms, and at forty five, colonoscopies.”

Key women’s health screenings by age include:

• 21+ → Cervical cancer screening
• 40+ → Mammograms
• 45+ → Colon cancer screening
• Ongoing → Annual checkups and preventive care

These recommendations align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The Most Overlooked Part of Women’s Health

When people think about women’s health, they often think about physical conditions. But one of the most commonly delayed concerns is mental health.

As Dr. Tong shared:

“One of the things that I see a lot is actually their mental health, they kind of wait till things that we can’t handle anymore.”

Many women push through stress, anxiety, or burnout until it starts affecting everything else.

“It’s affecting your sleep, your heart, everything, and it leads to a lot of bad cascading down.”

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, women are more likely than men to experience anxiety and depression, yet many delay seeking care.

Primary care often becomes the first step. It’s not always easy to bring up mental health, which is why screening questionnaires can help start the conversation.

Over time, that relationship with your doctor makes it easier to open up and get the support you need.

Heart Health in Women: Why Symptoms Are Often Missed

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for women, but it doesn’t always show up the way people expect.

“A lot of women actually don’t present with classic symptoms, they have what we call atypical symptoms.”

Symptoms can include:

• Jaw pain
• Sudden fatigue
• Dizziness
• Shoulder or upper back pain
• Acid reflux-like discomfort

Dr. Tong explained how easily these can be overlooked:

“We tend to be like, ‘Oh, that’s anxiety’ But I take it more serious.”

That experience isn’t uncommon. Research shows 93% of women feel their symptoms are dismissed or attributed to anxiety in healthcare settings.

The American Heart Association also notes that women often experience subtler heart symptoms, which can delay diagnosis.

Dr. Tong takes a different approach. She listens closely and investigates further when something doesn’t feel right, even in younger patients. That has led to identifying heart-related issues in women in their 20s that could have otherwise been overlooked.

Prevention Matters: Looking Beyond Symptoms

Another important part of heart health is identifying risk before symptoms ever appear.

Dr. Tong strongly supports coronary calcium scans:

“I’m actually a believer in the CT coronary calcium score, I’ve seen many cases where we were surprised how high the score came back.”

These scans can reveal early plaque buildup, even in patients who feel completely fine.

According to the Mayo Clinic, coronary calcium scoring can help guide prevention strategies, especially for those with risk factors like high blood pressure or family history.

Menopause and Women’s Health

Menopause is another area that often doesn’t get enough attention.

Dr. Tong explains:

“Hot flashes, mood swing, can’t sleep at night. It affects their brain and their concentration at work.”

For many women, it affects daily life more than expected. The good news is that support is available.

“There is evidence hormone replacements can actually help, not only make you feel better, it’s actually very good for your heart too.”

Dr. Tong offers hormone replacement therapy as part of her care, helping patients find the right approach for their symptoms and health goals.

Organizations like the North American Menopause Society also support individualized treatment plans.

Where to Start If You’ve Been Putting Off Care

If you’ve been delaying your own healthcare, you’re not alone, and you don’t need to do everything at once.

Start small:

• Schedule a routine checkup
• Ask about recommended screenings
• Bring up something you’ve been ignoring
• Talk honestly about stress or burnout

And if something has been bothering you, even if it seems small, it’s worth bringing up. It might not be nothing.

You know your body better than anyone. Advocating for yourself matters.

The Bottom Line

Women’s Health Month isn’t about adding pressure, it’s about paying attention.

Because taking care of your health isn’t extra, it’s essential.

And sometimes it starts with one simple step: schedule the appointment you’ve been putting off.