With all the life responsibilities that are thrust upon us in our daily journey, we tend to overlook taking some preventive measures to better take care of our health. As the old saying goes: Prevention is better than cure, and a healthy woman can take better care of herself, is better able to realise her potential, and is definitely much more capable of taking care of her family.

Therefore the American college of obstetrician and gynecologists recommends that each healthy woman should visit her primary care physician once a year for an annual examination. This annual exam provide an excellent opportunity for physicians to counsel their patients about preventive care and to provide them with suitable services and/or to refer them to recommended specialists.

The annual exam usually includes a comprehensive review and a physical examination aiming at identifying any risk factors for malignancies or chronic diseases.

The American college of obstetrician and gynecologists recommends specific tests for each age group. Additional tests might be ordered if risk factors such as family history and other diseases, like diabetes, hypertension, etc. are identified.

For example: A woman with a family history of colorectal cancer will start having screening tests several years before a woman that doesn’t have such history. Also women who are overweight need to be tested for diabetes earlier as well.

In this article we will focus on the recommendations for healthy women who don’t have any risk factors

Women age 19-39 years

The only recommended screening test for this age group is:

1. Cervical cytology (Pap smear): which is a screening test for cervical cancer. Pap smear is recommended every 3 years between the age of 21 -39 years and every 5 years with HPV testing.

Recommended immunization for this age group:

1. HPV (Human papilloma virus) vaccine for women under the age of 26 years to prevent cervical cancer.
2. Diphtheria, tetanus and a cellular pertussis to be taken once every 10 years.
3. Influenza vaccine to be taken annually

Preventive health care is important in preventing chronic disease and in avoiding complications, which will save you and your family a lot of time, effort and heartache.

Women age 40-64 years

The recommended screening tests for this age group are:

1. Cervical cytology (Pap smear) which is a screening test for cervical cancer. Pap smear with HPV testing is recommended every 5 years.
2. Colorectal cancer screening, beginning at the age of 50 years with a colonoscopy procedure to be done every 10 years.
3. Diabetes screening, beginning at the age of 45 years, along with glucose tolerance test every 3 years.
4. Breast cancer screening, beginning at the age of 40 years with a mammogram done annually.
5. Lipid profile assessment (blood tests to assess the level of lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides), beginning at the age of 45 years and repeated every 5 years.

Recommended immunization for this age group:

1. Influenza vaccine to be taken annually
2. Diphtheria, tetanus and a cellular pertussis to be taken once every 10 years.

Women above 65 years

The recommended screening tests for this age group are:

1. Colorectal cancer screening, beginning at the age of 50 years with a colonoscopy procedure to be done every 10 years.
2. Diabetes screening, beginning at the age of 45 years, along with a glucose tolerance test to be done every 3 years.
3. Breast cancer screening, beginning at the age of 40 years with a mammogram done annually.
4. Lipid profile assessment beginning at the age of 45 years and repeated every 5 years.
5. Osteoporosis screening, beginning at the age of 65 years with a bone density scan which needs to be repeated every 2 years.
6. Thyroid disease screening, beginning at the age of 65 years, along with a test for the thyroid stimulating hormone testing (TSH) which needs to be repeated every 5 years
7. Urinary tract infection screening, beginning at age 65 years, along with a urine analysis that needs to be repeated annually.

Recommended immunization for this age group:

1. Influenza vaccine repeated annually.
2. Diphtheria, tetanus and a cellular pertussis repeated once evert 10 years.
3. Pneumococcal vaccine once at age 65

Additional tests might be ordered if risk factors such as family history and other diseases, like diabetes, hypertension, etc. are identified.

With this information in mind, you can easily know when you need to schedule appointments for the recommended tests and examinations. Preventive health care is important in preventing and managing chronic disease at an early stage and helps in avoiding complications, which in its turn will save you and your family a lot of time, effort and heartache.