Women’s Health Checklist: 5 Health Screenings That All Women Should Have

Every woman should focus on creating healthy habits. They should choose the right food and do regular exercise. Routine health screenings will help you in detecting problems in the early phase. You should try to make this a habit also. Regular health screening can even save your life. If you detect some disease in its early stage, then you can easily prevent complications. It will help you in improving the quality of your life. In this article, we are going to talk about health screenings that you should have.
- BP Screening
Your blood pressure should be below 120/80 mm of mercury. This is the ideal reading that you should have. Make sure that you are checking your blood pressure at least twice every year if you are 20-30 years old. If you are 40 years old, then you will be vulnerable to conditions like obesity and hypertension. Regular blood pressure screening will help you in avoiding these problems in the early stage.
2. Mammograms
A mammogram test is used to detect breast cancer. In this, your breast will be compressed between the plates. This will help doctors in capturing the X-ray image. The risk for breast cancer increases with your age. Also, the false positives in this test can sometimes be harmful to you. According to guidelines from the USPSTF, women who are more than 50 years old should have a mammogram test every two years. Some doctors believe that you should have regular screenings at the age of 45. If someone in your family has this disease, then you can start annual screening earlier also.
- Cholesterol Check
This tool will help you in checking the risk of heart stroke or disease. If your age is more than 20, then you should get your cholesterol checked once every 5 years. This is recommended by the National Institutes of Health. Your cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dl. If you are at risk for heatstroke or disease, then you should consult a doctor first. They will tell you how often you should do this test.
- Bone Density Screening
You should start annual screening for osteoporosis once you are 65 years old. If you have low body weight or fracture, then you should get screened earlier. DEXA scan is a simple test. All you need to do is lie on your table. A low-dose X-ray machine will help you in capturing the images of your bones. It is difficult to decide on the frequency of this test. The frequency will ultimately depend on your bone density and other factors. Thus, you should consult a doctor for deciding the frequency.
- Blood Glucose Tests
You should go for a blood glucose test every 3 years. This will help you in checking for prediabetes or diabetes. The range of this test will vary. However, if your reading is above 100 mg/dl then you might be prediabetic. If your reading is above 126 mg/dl, then you might be diabetic. It is important to take this test regularly as it can help you in avoiding diabetes.
Conclusion
These tests will help you in avoiding diseases. They are very important for your health. You should consult Walpole OB/GYN physicians before you start taking these tests. They will help you in ensuring that you are perfectly healthy.