Staying in proper health is only possible if a woman can maintain a healthy lifestyle through stress management, healthy food, regular exercise, and besides that routine health checkups and screening. So, the following is the screening test that a woman must undergo:
Find out which screenings women should have and when to have them
- Blood pressure:
High blood pressure or hypertension is the key risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Screening for it should start at the age of 20 years annually if found to be at risk then it can be done more often.
- Blood sugar
If a woman is pre-diabetic and is exposed to the risk of having diabetes, then the screening should begin at 35 years which is to be done every 2 years.
- Thyroid function test
The thyroid gland helps in regulating the metabolism of the body and produces two main hormones which are T3 and T4. lower levels of these can cause either hypothyroidism with increased fatigue, weight gain, and irregular menstrual cycle whereas higher levels cause hyperthyroidism with symptoms like anxiety, rapid heart rate, and weight loss.
Women being more prone to it than men should get it checked regularly.
- Lipid profile test
This includes cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels. These should be checked once every 5 years from the age of 20 years. But if predisposed to diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity and dietary patterns exposed to the above-mentioned diseases, this test should be done more frequently.
- Vitamin deficiency testing
The most common vitamin deficiencies found in women are vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, whereas vitamin D is mostly found to be deficient in older age group of women and test should be performed as bone health and calcium absorption deteriorates with age so does vitamin D levels.
Whereas vitamin B12 is less in pregnancy so its levels should be checked then.
- Cervical cancer screening
Cervical cancer screening includes checking for the signs of cervical cancer through pap smears and HPV virus testing. So, it should be checked once every 3 years after 21 years of age. Also getting tested for diseases of reproductive organs and getting a pelvic examination done if any abnormal symptoms related to it appear then it should be done regularly.
- Breast cancer examination
Screening for breast cancer includes self-breast examination, mammograms, and clinical examination. After the age of 40 years, mammograms should be done annually till 54 years of age. After 55 years mammograms should be done after a gap of 2 years.
For more information, you can visit WebMD and Healthline.
