A prevention-first approach to women’s health
By Dr. Leslie Saltzman, Vice President of Consumer Health Solutions and Medical Discipline Director at Labcorp
As women, we’re often so busy juggling work, family, and life that it’s easy to miss the signals our bodies are quietly sending. Fatigue lingers, sleep is interrupted, or blood pressure is steadily increasing. I see these types of changes often as a practicing physician. Part of my work is to help patients understand what these signs may mean and how acting on them now could prevent serious health problems down the road.
One of the things that sets Ovia Health by Labcorp apart from other women’s health solutions is our focus on integrating general and preventive women’s health into every aspect of our approach. This allows us to provide a path toward better outcomes for all, whether a woman’s journey includes wanting to have children or not. In fact, integrating preventive health with reproductive health is significantly more effective than providing these services separately.
A new focus on general women’s health
Earlier this year, Ovia released new general women’s health programming that supports women through the areas and conditions that uniquely and/or disproportionately affect them throughout their lives.
The Ovia Health clinical team and I worked to make prevention a thread that recognizes not every woman will have a reproductive health journey, but they will need to know about breast health, menstrual health, pelvic floor health, bone health, and more.
Putting prevention front and center
These critical health programs are designed to help women understand how their body’s needs and risks evolve over time, such as having children, living with co-existing conditions, or how aging can affect our hormone levels and trigger changes in our breasts, cycles, bladder control, and more.
For example, we help women learn when to start and what breast cancer screening is recommended for them depending on their risk factors, or how their pelvic floor health will change before, during, and after pregnancy.
Our goal is to promote health literacy and help each individual understand their body, now and throughout their lives. Key clinical contents areas include:
- Know what’s typical versus concerning during your period
- Navigating PMS or PMDD with practical guidance
- Tracking your cycle without technology
- Make sense of cramps and common cycle terms
- Exploring breast anatomy and changes over time
- Understanding breast density and screening recommendations
- Recognizing changes that may prompt clinical attention
- Understanding factors that influence breast cancer risk
- How your pelvic floor functions and why it matters
- Understanding the relationship between pelvic floor health and bladder and bowel health
- Strategies for bladder retraining and managing incontinence
- Addressing concerns before they become more complex
With additional new topics on the horizon, like bone health, you’ll have even more support to prevent future complications.
Preventive health is women’s health
As women, we’re often taught to push through discomfort and just keep going. I’ve felt it too, thinking I could handle it all. Learning to pause, check in, and respond with care has been one of the most valuable investments I’ve made in my health. I encourage you to do the same and be patient with yourself. Prevention isn’t about perfection; it’s about awareness, confidence, and showing up for yourself every day.