Health Tests You Need

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OK! Magazine

May 7, 2006 By Racheal Rabkin Pechman

Bring this checklist to your next Doctor's appointment.

For help keeping track of your medical records, visit drsavard.com and click on "partnering with your doctor."

Do you know how often you should get your blood pressure checked? How often you need a chlamydia test? How about a diabetes screen? If you're like many women, you're not too sure and you may be putting your health at risk. "Data shows women are not getting all the tests they need," says Dr. Marie Savard, author of How to Save Your Own Life and The Body Shape Solution. "You can't assume your doctor is going to take care of everything. It's your responsibility to make sure you get what you need." To help you along, OK! talked with Dr. Davard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to come up with this handy checklist. Consult it to stay in control of your health.

If you're in your 20's, you need a Pap Smear annually unless your ob-gyn says otherwise. This test checks for infections and abnormal cervical cells. Is is a preliminary screen for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer. If Pap results show abnormalities, the sample will be further tested for HPV to reach a diagnosis. chlamydia test yearly, for a women 25 and younger who are sexually active. "this can be done at the same time as the Pap smear," says Dr. Savard. "It's an extremely common sexually transmitted disease [STD], but it doesn't have symptoms." Chlamydia can be treated readily with an antibiotic, but if left untreated it can lead to infertility. Pelvic exam yearly. Your doctor checks for signs of STDs or abnormalities of the cervic or uterus. Breast exam yearly from your ob-gyn or family doctor. Blood pressure test every two years to check on cardiovascular health. Lipid check (HDL and LD cholesterol and triglycerides) every five years or so starting in your 20s. This blood test screens for heart disease and stroke. Eye exam at least once in your 20s. If you have an eye condition, your doctor will need to see you more often. Dental checkup every six months. Skin check every year from a dermatologist, unless your doctor says otherwise. Regular checks from a doctor guard against skin cancer.

If you're in your 30's you need a Pap Smear and an HPV test every one to three years depending on the results and your doctor's recommendation. If a woman is diagnosed with HPV in her 30's, it is more likely to be a persistent strain that could lead to cervical cancer, says Dr. Savard. So every woman 30 and over should automatically ask their ob-gyns for the HPV test, which is more accurate than the Pap smear. Pelvic exam annually. Breast exam every year. Blood pressure check at least every two years. Lipid check every five years. Eye exam at least twice in your 30's. If you wear glasses or have an eye condition, you'll need to go more frequently. Dental checkup twice yearly. Skin check yearly.

Pap Smear and an HPV test every one to three years, unless your ob-gyn says otherwise. Pelvic exam annually. Breast exam every year. Mammogram every tone to two years (depending on your risk for breast cancer) starting at age 40. Blood pressure check at least every two years. Lipid check every two years between age 40 and 44, then every year starting at age 45. Eye exam every two to four years. If you have an eye condition, you may need to go more frequently. Dental checkup every six months. Skin check yearly from a dermatologist to screen for skin cancer.

What to look for at any age if you smoke, are overweight, or have a personal or family history of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or depression, you may need the following tests more often or earlier than they are generally recommended: Fasting blood glucose (sugar) test, which screens for diabetes. Blood pressure check to screen for cardiovascular disease. Lipid check to screen for cardiovascular disease. Mammogram starting earlier than age 40 to screen for breast cancer. Waist-to-hip ratio check, which "measures abdominal obesity, a more powerful indicator of heart disease and diabetes risk than overall body mass index," says Dr. Savard. Colonscopy to screen for colon cancer starting earlier than age 50. Depression screen; if you've felt down for two weeks straight, ask your doctor if she can screen you for depression, or get a referral to a therapist.