8 Essential Health Screenings All Women Should Have Done

When it comes to your health, the best way to beat a disease is to take preventative measures. No one wants to spend more time in a doctor’s office than they have to, but going through the necessary screening significantly increases the survival rate when a disease is caught in its early stages. Preventative care is more likely to be covered by insurance than some forms of treatment. Call your doctor today if you have never undergone the following tests.
8.COLONOSCOPY

A colonoscopy is not how most people want to spend their afternoon, but it is a critical part of catching colorectal cancer before symptoms occur. As ninety percent of all colorectal cancer is treatable when caught in its early stage, most health professionals recommend having your first colonoscopy done at age fifty. If no one in your immediate family has been diagnosed with colon cancer and as long as no other digestive conditions exist, you will only need one every ten years to check for polyps.
7.SCREENING FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Screening for high blood pressure is used to detect hypertension, which increases your risk of stroke, renal insufficiency, premature death, and sudden death. Screening tests are done with a sphygmomanometer to detect blood pressure levels. Hypertension is defined by a reading of one hundred and forty millimeters of mercury or higher. Hypertension is usually diagnosed after two or more elevated readings during two or more visits over several weeks. Blood pressure medications are available, but diet and lifestyle interventions are also extremely effective in lowering blood pressure.
6.SKIN CANCER SCREENING

Approximately one in every five people in the United States will develop skin cancer. There are many different types of skin cancer, but melanoma is the most dangerous. When melanoma is detected in its early stage, it has a high cure rate. Skin cancer screens are done by dermatologists and should take no more than a few minutes in order for your doctor to determine if any blemishes, moles, etc. on your body may be an indication of cancer.
5.LIPID PANEL BLOOD TEST

A lipid panel blood test is used to check cholesterol levels which are associated with an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. Your doctor will check your cholesterol levels through blood tests. As your cholesterol and triglyceride levels may be affected by what you eat, you may need to fast or avoid eating or drinking for up to twelve hours before the test.
4.HEART EXAM

Heart attacks are the number one killer of women in the Westernized world. Because sixty-four percent of women do not experience symptoms before sudden death, it’s crucial to have your heart checked regularly. During a heart exam, your doctor will check your blood pressure, listen to your heart for irregular heartbeats, check for shortness of breath, and will ask you about your energy levels. A stress test and electrocardiogram may be necessary if you are overweight or are a smoker.
3.BONE DENSITY TEST

Of the ten million people affected by osteoporosis, approximately eighty percent are women. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become brittle. In the five to seven years following menopause, women can lose up to thirty percent of their bone mass. A bone density test is the only test that can detect osteoporosis before a fracture or break occurs. Bone density tests require you to lie on a table while X-rays scan your wrists, hips, and spine to measure vitamin D and calcium levels.
2.PAP SMEAR

Over the past fifty years, the death rate from cervical cancer has declined by more than seventy-four percent thanks to regular screening. A Pap smear entails a swab of cells from your cervix. Your first Pap smear should be at age twenty-one or sooner if you are sexually active. Women who undergo routine Pap smear tests and test negative for the human papillomavirus, which has been shown to cause cervical cancer, will only need one every five years.
1.MAMMOGRAM

A mammogram is an X-ray of your breasts intended to catch early stages of breast cancer, which is crucial for the survival of the disease. By the time you are forty, you should have a mammogram every year. Regular breast exams should be done once a year by your regular doctor. If the mammogram reports anything abnormal, your doctor may ask you to undergo an ultrasound or biopsy. Catching breast cancer in its early stages indicates a ninety-seven percent survival rate for five years from the time the disease is first detected.