12 Health Screenings Women Should Get

Regular visits to your doctor may seem like a chore, but for women, certain screenings and tests may add years to your life. Some tests, like a Pap smear or blood cholesterol check, are ones you’ve probably gotten for years. But others are recommended on the basis of age or lifestyle and may not be familiar to you.

For several tests, the recommended age to start screening has been lowered. And, because of women’s more complex reproductive biology, they have more screening tests than men. It's crucial to get all the tests you’re eligible for, says Janelle Duah, MD, clinic lead and healthcare provider at Luro Health based in New Haven, Connecticut. “Screenings allow us to diagnose an illness before it becomes more advanced and harder to manage,” she says.

So what screenings should you be getting? Here are a dozen essential screenings women should check in with their doctors about.

1. Check Your Blood Pressure

2. Test Your Blood Sugar

There are currently three blood tests available that are effective for diabetes testing. One is a nonfasting test called hemoglobin A1C, or A1C, which measures your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. Other screens involve testing blood sugar after an overnight fast or a glucose test that measures blood sugar after you drink a sugary substance.

3. Understand Your Cholesterol Levels

4. Screen for Cervical Cancer With Pap Smears

You may remember the days when women got annual Pap smears — a test in which a small brush is used to remove cells from around the cervix. But a better understanding of how cervical cancer develops and improved testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes this cancer mean annual screening is unnecessary now, Dr. Duah notes.

Updated guidance from the American Cancer Society allows self-collected vaginal specimens done privately in a clinic or at home, without a health care provider present, to serve as HPV testing as part of screening for cervical cancer.

5. Get Your Breasts Checked

A mammogram, which screens for breast cancer, involves compressing the breast between plates so that X-ray images of the breast tissue can be captured. There has long been disagreement about when and how often a woman should have this test, given that the risk for breast cancer increases as you age, and that false-positives from frequent screening can cause some harm.

If you have a family history of the disease, or other concerns, talk to your doctor about the right screening schedule for you.

6. Monitor Your Bone Health

A bone density screen is called a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA scan. You lie on a table while a low-dose X-ray machine captures images of your bones. Although X-ray levels are low, this test does expose a person to some radiation.

7. Colon Cancer Is on the Rise

The age was lowered because studies showed that the incidence of colorectal cancer “was increasing at alarming rates in younger people,” says Laura Marakoff, DO, the senior vice president of prevention and early detection at the American Cancer Society.

There are a number of ways to screen for colon cancer. No test is better than the other, Dr. Marakoff says, with choice primarily based on personal preference. Options include:

• Stool-based tests like the highly sensitive fecal immunochemical test or highly sensitive guaiac-based fecal occult blood test, done once a year
• Multitargeted stool DNA (such as Cologuard) every three years
• Visual exam of the colon and rectum with computed tomography colonography (virtual colonoscopy) or with flexible sigmoidoscopy that examines the lower colon, done every five years
• Colonoscopy, in which the entire colon is examined, once every 10 years

8. Test for Sexually Transmitted Infections

How often these screens should be repeated depends on a person’s risk. For example, HIV tests should be repeated whenever you have sex with someone whose HIV status is unknown.

9. Check in on Your Mental Well-Being

10. Smokers Should Screen for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer screens are done with low-dose computed tomography, where a specialized X-ray machine takes detailed images of the lungs.

11. Check Your Skin

Carefully inspect the skin all over your body, looking for any new moles, blemishes, or changes to existing moles, which can be early signs of skin cancer.

12. Get a Yearly Dental Checkup

How to Keep Up With Your Health Screenings

Thinking about 12 annual screenings may be daunting, but it’s now easier than ever to stay current on tests, thanks to electronic medical records, whose patient portals may alert you to tests you’re due for. You can also remind yourself to schedule annual tests by using a milestone every year, like your birthday or the start of a new year.

Your primary care physician should also inform you when it’s time, but that might not be the case if you use your gynecologist for primary care. “Things like the need for a colonoscopy and routine blood work that are outside a gynecologist’s scope can easily be missed,” Duah cautions. Let your gynecologist know you don’t have another doctor and request prescriptions for tests that don’t involve your reproductive organs.

Because screens are considered preventive, insurance coverage varies. It’s best to check with your insurance company before you make an appointment. You can also research whether your community offers any of these tests discounted or for free.

The Takeaway

• Due to the complex nature of women’s reproductive biology, there are certain tests to be aware of, including Pap smears, mammograms, and screens for osteoporosis.
• Taking time to check in on your mental and physical well-being throughout the year and annually with your healthcare providers can help you stay healthy.
• Annual screenings allow for health issues to be caught early and allow for early, and often more effective, treatment.