Got a friend struggling to stay afloat right now? Pull her aside and ask when she last had a mammogram or a pap smear.

If she can’t afford it, pay for it for her. It may be the best gift she and her family may ever get. (You know, the gift of life.)

A new Gallup poll finds one in seven women has postponed their annual ob-gyn check-up because of the economy. Fifteen percent report having cut back or stopped taking some medications because of the cost.

“The economy is also hitting women hard in other ways, including how often they visit the doctor and whether they are taking their medications as prescribed, which is of utmost concern to ob-gyns, often the primary physicians for most women,” noted Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, ACOG vice president and senior vice president, chair, and residency director of the department of ob-gyn at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

When women are increasingly worried about their financial situation,  Dr. Hoskins says they are more likely to “skip much-needed routine health care and cut back or stop taking their medications.”

These are disturbing trends amid the tough economy that could have a negative impact on the long-term health of women.

The Gallup Organization survey was conducted for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Read it here.

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