Planned Parenthood Celebrates National Women's Health Week

Chicago, IL — Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is celebrating National Women’s Health Week, May 10 -16, 2009, by encouraging women to visit their health care provider for regular checkups and preventive screenings.

A recent survey conducted for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that women are delaying their annual exams as a result of the economic downturn.

Roughly 16.7 million women are uninsured, and thus likely to postpone care and delay or forgo important preventive care such as cancer screenings, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“The health care crisis is disproportionately affecting women, particularly women of childbearing age, who already pay 68 percent more in out-of-pocket costs than men,” said Steve Trombley, PPIL President & CEO. “Planned Parenthood is committed to providing affordable access to basic health care, such as breast and cervical cancer screenings and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing.”

The best way for women to protect their reproductive health is through preventive screenings. STIs continue to pose a serious public health threat in this country, particularly to young women who are more vulnerable to infection than men due to biological factors. Without detection and treatment, STIs can lead to serious short- and long-term health consequences, including infertility.

Regular cancer screenings can identify precancerous or abnormal cells and treat them before cervical cancer develops. Routine administration of Pap screening has led to increased detection of pre-invasive lesions of the cervix and decreased mortality rates.

National Women’s Health Week, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, empowers women to make their health a top priority. The 7th annual National Women’s Checkup Day will be observed May 11, 2009.

PPIL will offer also be offering $5 off to new patients during National Women’s Health Week. Coupons are accessible on the PPIL website, www.ppil.org through Saturday, May 16 and are valid through July 31.

As Illinois’ most trusted provider of reproductive health care services, more than 80,000 clients annually depend on PPIL for quality, affordable health care.