If you are a woman between 40 and 64 years old and anything like me, your feeling about health screenings is that you could go the rest of your life without being poked or prodded again. You’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime. However, for continued good health and preventative care, certain health screenings continue to be necessary.
Health screenings are medical tests administered by doctors to check for diseases or health conditions. Before there are signs or symptoms, these tests can help find high blood pressure, certain cancers, and mental health conditions like depression. There are several types of health screens, including blood tests and other times just questions asked by a doctor. Some other screenings that women between 40 and 64 cannot avoid are:
Breast exam and mammogram
Breast exams can detect lumps or changes in your breast, making them essential for detecting breast cancer. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the easier that cancer is to treat. From 25 to 39 years old, women should get breast exams every 1 to 3 years. Once a woman is 40, those breast exams, including mammograms, should increase to every 1 to 2 years.
Breast exams happen in the doctor’s office during your yearly examination. Your doctor or nurse will look at the shape, size, and texture of your breast. Then, using their fingertips, the doctor will check your breast for lumps.
Although it is alarming, a lump can be several other things besides cancer. Lumps can be cysts or infections. Your doctor will send you for a mammogram if there is a lump.
A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. It is the best detector of breast cancer. Mammograms happen with the woman standing in front of a specialized x-ray machine. The technologist working to capture images of your breast will adjust your breast to sit flat on the plate and then flattened it by the apparatus for imaging.
When the film is ready, a doctor who specializes in reading radiology film will read your x rays, and you will have your results within 30 days.
Pelvic exam and pap
A pelvic exam is an exam of your reproductive organs. It checks your vulva, vagina, cervix, ovaries, uterus, rectum, and pelvis for abnormalities. A pap, also called a pap smear, is an exam that checks for changes in cervical cells, including cancer. This exam involves the doctor using a vaginal speculum to hold the vagina walls back to look at the organs and a cell sample. Together these exams take only a few minutes but are the most dreaded of all exams for women.
All women should get a pelvic exam yearly. The time between the pap considers many factors, including if a woman has had a hysterectomy.
Many women feel a particular vulnerability with this annual exam. However, having doctors who understand a woman’s experience during different stages of her life makes for an excellent partnership in your healthcare. There are offices for obgyn in Richmond VA, that are amazing at partnering with women in their health care needs, including those 40 to 64 with various conditions.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a health condition where the body doesn’t correctly process food for use as energy. Instead, the body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its insulin as well as it should. Diabetes leads to several health complications, including blindness, kidney failure, and heart disease. Screening should be done every three years for women over 40.
Some people are born with diabetes. However, the majority of the population with diabetes develops it over time. Symptoms include:
- Increased thirst
- Increased hunger
- Unintended weight loss
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores or cuts
- Frequent infections
- Darkened skin in armpits and neck
Diabetes screening is essential for detecting heart disease in women, which is on the rise.
Health screenings are medical tests administered by doctors to check for diseases or health conditions. These tests happen before there are signs or symptoms but can help find high blood pressure, certain cancers, and mental health conditions like depression.
Three tests necessary for women between 40 and 64 are breast exams and mammograms, pelvic and pap exams, and diabetes screening.
