Screening & Tests- 01

1- Your 20s and 30s: Jumpstart Healthy Living

2- Medical Tests in Your 20s and 30s
3- Your 40s and 50s: Managing Health Changes
4- Exams for Women Over 40

5- Health Checklist for Women Over 40
6- Your 60s and Up: Healthy Body, Sharp Mind
7- Testosterone and Estrogen Levels in Women
8- Estrogen Test

9- Progesterone Test
10- Breast Biopsy
11- What to Expect From an Ob-Gyn Visit
12- Hysteroscopy

13- Pelvic Exam
14- Pap Smear
15- What If My Pap Test Results Are Abnormal?
16- Vaginal Wet Mount
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1- Your 20s and 30s: Jumpstart Healthy Living

Simple Health Steps for Women in Their 20s and 30s

When you're in your 20s and 30s, the right lifestyle and screening tests can go a long way to keeping you healthy.

1. Start a Heart-Healthy Diet-and-Exercise Plan

Skip the fried and fatty foods, and try to get at least half an hour of exercise every day. Eating right and keeping active are the gifts that keep on giving.

If you set up these habits now, the benefits will last a lifetime. And if you plan on having children someday, it's a good idea to take a multivitamin that gives you plenty of folic acid -- between 400 and 800 micrograms a day. Start taking folic acid at least 1 month before you plan to get pregnant, and keep it up during your first trimester.

2. Work on Your Relationship With Your Doctor

Find one you trust. Before your appointment, make up a list questions, such as: What contraceptive method is right for me? What's the best way to prevent STDs? What vaccines do I need?

3. Know Your Family Health History

Did your sister, mother, or grandmother have breast cancer or heart disease before they turned 50? Does diabetes run in the family? These are important questions to ask your family to help your doctor figure out your own health risks.

4. Don't Forget Key Screening Tests

Make sure you get a Pap test to check for cervical cancer every 3 years starting at age 21. If you're 30 to 65, you can keep getting a Pap test every 3 years, or you can get it along with an HPV test every 5 years. That other test is useful because most cervical cancers are caused by an infection with HPV (human papillomavirus).

If you're sexually active and have a higher risk for STDs, get tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea every year. Take an HIV test at least once, more often if you're at risk. Also consider tests for other STDs like trichomoniasis, syphilis, and hepatitis B.

Check your blood pressure every 2 years if it's normal (lower than 120/80). If it's high, or you're at risk for high blood pressure, you'll need more frequent checks and diabetes screening tests. Also, get your cholesterol tested, and ask your doctor how often that needs to be done. 

2- Medical Tests in Your 20s and 30s

Milestone Medical Tests in Your 20s and 30s

Going to the doctor may be the last thing on your mind right now, but regular check-ups may save your health -- and your life -- later.

Starting in your 20s and 30s, your doctor can perform or recommend a number of simple tests to look for problems that can rob people of their health. Here's a list of the basic tests you should ask for. (Note that your doctor may recommend additional tests based on your personal health profile.)

• Stepping on the Scales. We all hate to do it, but weight -- rather, too much of it -- puts you at high risk for developing a number of diseases later in life.
• Blood Pressure. It's simple, it's cheap and it's quick. Your heart (and arteries, brain, eyes, and kidneys) will thank you later.
• Cholesterol Profile. You do have to have blood drawn for a cholesterol test, but it's worth it. Everyone age 20 and over should know their cholesterol numbers, and get them checked at least once every four to six years.
• For Women Only: Pelvic Exam and Pap. You knew it was coming -- the pelvic exam, and Pap smear. 10 minutes of mild discomfort from the pelvic exam pays big dividends in protecting you from cancer and diseases that can cause infertility. Pap screen testing should begin at age 21. Routine screening is recommended every three years for women 21-65 years old. For women 30 to 65 years who have a normal Pap test with a negative HPV test, screening can be done every five years. Sexually active women 24 years old and younger also need to have a gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV screening.
• Protecting Your Eyes. You may not have considered this, but at some point before you're 40, visit an eye care provider for an exam. (Go more often if you have vision problems).
• Checking Your Immunizations. Be sure to ask your doctor to update any immunizations that you might need.

Each year around your birthday, give yourself a gift. Schedule a visit to your dentist and call your doctor to see if there are important tests you should take. With an investment of an hour or two, you may be able to add years to your life.

3- Your 40s and 50s: Managing Health Changes

Simple Health Steps for Women in Their 40s and 50s

When you're in your 40s and 50s, it's time to start giving some thought to the kinds of screening tests you need, what menopause will mean for you, and what nutrition is best. Check out these tips for managing your health.

1. Revisit Your Birth Control Methods

Talk to your doctor about possible changes. For example, if you take the pill, as you get older you may want to think about a switch to an IUD, estrogen patch, or other methods. That's because some birth control pills may raise some women's risk of heart disease and blood clots.

2. Manage Menopause

Talk to your doctor before symptoms of menopause kick in. Discuss what you might want to do to ease any discomfort.

Short-term hormonal therapy (HRT) may be a choice for you if you have moderate to severe effects from menopause and you're at low risk for breast cancer, heart disease, strokes, and blood clots.

HRT can help with symptoms like hot flashes, mood changes, and vaginal dryness.

3. Keep an Eye on Your Calcium

If you haven't already started to watch your bone health, do it now. As you move into menopause, it's an important time for you to prevent osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones.

If you don't get enough dairy in your diet, take a supplement with calcium and vitamin D.  Vitamin D is the key that unlocks the calcium in your body so it can use it.

Ask your doctor whether you should have a bone density scan to check for early osteoporosis. If you're under 65 but past menopause, you may need one if you're at risk for the condition because you've had a fracture, take steroid medicines, smoke, have a low weight, drink a lot of alcohol, have rheumatoid arthritis, or have a parent who's had hip fractures.

4. Don't Forget Key Screening Tests

Make sure you get regular mammograms to check for breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about when you should start and how often to get them, because experts disagree. Also ask about when to get diabetes tests and a colonoscopy to check for colorectal cancer.

Thyroid disease is common in older women, so ask your doctor whether you should consider a screening test for it.

Also make sure to get tests to check for cervical cancer. When you're 30 to 65, you should get a Pap test every 3 years. Or, if you prefer, every 5 years you can get a Pap test along with an HPV test. That other test is useful because most cervical cancers are caused by an infection with HPV (human papillomavirus).   

5. Immunizations

Make sure you get a flu vaccine every year. It's also recommended that you get a pneumococcal disease vaccine if you're at medium risk for the disease because you smoke, have long-term heart or lung disease, diabetes, are a heavy drinker, or have long-term liver disease. If you're over 50, ask your doctor about getting a vaccine to prevent shingles.

4- Exams for Women Over 40

Medical Tests for Women in Their 40s

How healthy are you? Your 40s are a great time to assess your current health state, correct past indiscretions and prepare your body for many more decades of your life. Your doctor can help by checking you for problems that can rob you of your health. Here's a list of the basic tests women should ask for. (Note that your doctor may recommend additional tests based on your personal health profile.)

• Blood sugar. Decades of eating the wrong food (think soda, hot dogs, fries -- you get the picture) plus weight gain (often due to hormone changes) may have overworked your pancreas. It can't keep up and that can lead to diabetes. By the age of 45, everyone should get a fasting blood sugar test and then have another at least once every three years. Your doctor may recommend earlier or more frequent checking depending on your risk.
• Breast exam and mammogram. You may be checking your breasts at home regularly and having your doctor do an exam annually, but most experts recommend adding a mammogram to the mix somewhere after age 40.  The American Cancer Society puts the age at 45. Not all breast cancer experts agree. When to start? Work with your doctor to decide.
• Blood pressure. Don't be surprised if your blood pressure starts rising now -- that's common. Fortunately, you can lower your blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medication. It's worth the effort. Lower blood pressure is a key factor in longevity.
• Cholesterol profile. Take heart: this simple blood test can save your life. More than 31 million adults in America have high cholesterollevels, a condition that can lead to heart attacks or strokes -- diseases that claim a life every 40 seconds! If you have high cholesterol, protect yourself by changing your diet and taking medications such as statins.
• Stepping on the scales. You blissfully enjoyed chips and hamburgers while ignoring your expanding waistline, but the scale doesn't lie. Pay attention to the results: being overweight puts you at high risk for developing a number of diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
• Pelvic exam and pap. Yes, you still need these -- especially if you're sexually active. A few minutes of mild discomfort pay big dividends in protecting you from cancer and sexually transmitted diseases. Your doctor can tell you how often you need a Pap test.
• Looking for moles. Those years of getting "a healthy tan" can lead to something not so healthy -- skin cancer. Luckily, most skin cancers are curable. So don't forget to ask your doctor to check your skin if you find any moles or skin changes.
• Protecting your eyes. Having trouble reading or working at the computer? It's not unusual. Be sure to get your eyes examined regularly -- every 2 to 4 years until age 60 -- to check for common problems like presbyopia, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. Go more often if you have vision problems or risk factors for eye problems.
• Checking your immunizations. Ask your doctor if you need a tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) booster shot, or pneumonia vaccine. Almost all adults should also get the flu shot each fall.

This year, give yourself the gift that keeps on giving. Schedule a visit to your dentist, and call your doctor to see if there are important tests you should take. By investing an hour or so with the doctor now, you may be able to add years to your life.