Sun
19
Apr
Health screenings for women
by Amy Scholten, MPH
Prevention is key to living long and living well. Getting regular check-ups and preventive screening tests are among the most important things you can do for yourself. Take time to review these guidelines for screening tests. Use the chart below to remind yourself of when you need to see your health care provider based on your personal health profile. Make an appointment today!
Prevention is key to living long and living well. Getting regular check-ups and preventive screening tests are among the most important things you can do for yourself. Take time to review these guidelines for screening tests. Use the chart below to remind yourself of when you need to see your health care provider based on your personal health profile. Make an appointment today!
| Test | Frequency |
| Blood Pressure Measurement | Every one to two years |
| Breast Exams | Monthly self-exam; annual exam by a physician |
| Mammography | Every one to two years after age 40; see your doctor for your personal risk needs |
| Cholesterol Levels | Every five years after age 18 |
| Pelvic Exams/Pap Smears | Every one to three years after age 18, or when sexually active |
| Rectal Exams | Annually after age 50; earlier if you have inflammatory bowel disease or a first-degree relative with colon cancer |
| Blood Sugar Levels | Varies depending on family history and risk factors for diabetes |
| Skin Exams | Annual mole checks; check yourself for suspicious growths or changes. |
| Dental Exams | Twice a year for checkup and cleaning |
| HIV Test | If you had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985; have injected illegal drugs, had multiple sex partners, or had sex with another man |
| Tests for Sexually Transmitted Disease | If you have had multiple sexual partners or any sexually transmitted disease; recommended for all pregnant women at their first prenatal visit |
| Eye Exams | Every one to two years; yearly |
What to expect with preventive screenings
Blood pressure
Your provider will wrap a rubber cuff around your upper arm and inflate it. He or she will slowly release the air from the cuff, listening to the pulse beats in your arm with a stethoscope to measure when your heart contracts and when it relaxes.
Clinical breast exam
Your provider will look at your breasts for dimples, inverted nipples, or lumps. Then, he or she will manually examine your breasts using a circular motion, checking for lumps. Remember: You should also check your own breasts monthly.
Mammogram
The day of the exam you should not wear powder, cream, or deodorant on your upper body. You will undress from the waist up. Your breasts will be pressed between glass plates and x-rays will be taken.
Blood tests
Since your blood travels throughout the body, blood samples can offer a wide range of information about your health. Usually blood is drawn from your arm with a needle connected to a tube. Less often, a finger prick test will collect drops of blood. Common blood tests are used to measure the levels of calcium, cholesterol, triglycerides (a form of fat), blood sugar, thyroid hormones, or other chemicals in your body. A test of your complete blood count (CBC) can indicate if you have anemia, lack iron, have lost too much blood, have an infection, or a serious illness like leukemia. Some diseases, like hepatitis, syphilis and AIDS, can also be detected through a blood test.
Pelvic exam and Pap test
During the pelvic exam, you lie on your back with knees bent and feet in stirrups. The doctor or nurse will feel your pelvic organs and use an instrument called a speculum to look inside your vagina. He or she will also scrape a few cells with a cotton swab that will be sent to a lab to check for signs of cancer, disease, or infection.
Colorectal exams
These important exams screen for colorectal cancers--the third leading cancer killer of American women--and other possible problems in your digestive tract such as an ulcer or infection. Usually recommended after age 50, the most common are: fecal occult blood (looks for blood in a stool sample), flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy (both inspect the colon with a light on the end of a flexible tube inserted through your rectum as you lie on your side, lightly sedated).
Urinalysis (urine test)
An analysis of a urine sample can indicate possible problems such as diabetes, kidney problems, liver problems, or bacterial infection. You will be asked to urinate in a special container.
Skin exam
Your dermatologist will examine your whole body, looking for moles or uneven borders, more than one color, asymmetrical shape or a size larger than a pencil eraser. Remember: You should do a self-check of your skin monthly.
Eye exam
Tests will depend on your age, medical history, and date of your last exam. You may need to read letters on a chart in the distance or at reading distance. You may get eye drops to numb your eye or dilate your pupil, to test for glaucoma and check your retina. Your ophthalmologist may test how your eye moves and responds to light.
Your provider will wrap a rubber cuff around your upper arm and inflate it. He or she will slowly release the air from the cuff, listening to the pulse beats in your arm with a stethoscope to measure when your heart contracts and when it relaxes.
Clinical breast exam
Your provider will look at your breasts for dimples, inverted nipples, or lumps. Then, he or she will manually examine your breasts using a circular motion, checking for lumps. Remember: You should also check your own breasts monthly.
Mammogram
The day of the exam you should not wear powder, cream, or deodorant on your upper body. You will undress from the waist up. Your breasts will be pressed between glass plates and x-rays will be taken.
Blood tests
Since your blood travels throughout the body, blood samples can offer a wide range of information about your health. Usually blood is drawn from your arm with a needle connected to a tube. Less often, a finger prick test will collect drops of blood. Common blood tests are used to measure the levels of calcium, cholesterol, triglycerides (a form of fat), blood sugar, thyroid hormones, or other chemicals in your body. A test of your complete blood count (CBC) can indicate if you have anemia, lack iron, have lost too much blood, have an infection, or a serious illness like leukemia. Some diseases, like hepatitis, syphilis and AIDS, can also be detected through a blood test.
Pelvic exam and Pap test
During the pelvic exam, you lie on your back with knees bent and feet in stirrups. The doctor or nurse will feel your pelvic organs and use an instrument called a speculum to look inside your vagina. He or she will also scrape a few cells with a cotton swab that will be sent to a lab to check for signs of cancer, disease, or infection.
Colorectal exams
These important exams screen for colorectal cancers--the third leading cancer killer of American women--and other possible problems in your digestive tract such as an ulcer or infection. Usually recommended after age 50, the most common are: fecal occult blood (looks for blood in a stool sample), flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy (both inspect the colon with a light on the end of a flexible tube inserted through your rectum as you lie on your side, lightly sedated).
Urinalysis (urine test)
An analysis of a urine sample can indicate possible problems such as diabetes, kidney problems, liver problems, or bacterial infection. You will be asked to urinate in a special container.
Skin exam
Your dermatologist will examine your whole body, looking for moles or uneven borders, more than one color, asymmetrical shape or a size larger than a pencil eraser. Remember: You should do a self-check of your skin monthly.
Eye exam
Tests will depend on your age, medical history, and date of your last exam. You may need to read letters on a chart in the distance or at reading distance. You may get eye drops to numb your eye or dilate your pupil, to test for glaucoma and check your retina. Your ophthalmologist may test how your eye moves and responds to light.