(WKBN) — Sunday marks the start of National Women’s Health Week. The theme for this year is Women’s Health, Whole Health: Prevention, Care and Wellbeing.

Each year Mother’s Day kicks off Women’s Health Week. It’s to encourage women and girls to make sure their health and well-being is a priority.

The CDC says you can take simple steps to improve physical and mental health. Those things include staying active, eating a balanced diet, finding ways to best cope with stress and getting regular checkups.

Doctors say it’s even more important as a reminder to those who may have missed routine checkups throughout the pandemic. Routine checkups for women typically include an overall wellness exam, in addition to a breast exam and pelvic exam.

“A lot of women do get caught up in everything and they think, ‘Oh, I’ll deal with it when I have a problem,’ and I think it’s important to talk about these checkups because the way to prevent disease and increase survival for people is to catch it early or to be able to talk about these preventative measures,” said Dr. Salena Zanotti, an OBGYN at Cleveland Clinic.

She says these yearly checkups are important for women of all ages.

“It’s important to come talk about it because there may be something going on that we need to diagnose and fix and there are definitely ways we can help manage it so these things don’t affect your quality of life,” Zanotti said.

Zanotti says these appointments are essential for prevention and identifying issues that may not be apparent. During these checkups, other tests may also be ordered depending on the person’s medical history and age.

Doctors say it’s also beneficial for women to know their family history so they’re aware of any health issues they could be at risk for.