Health is wealth, or so they say. Even more so, women's health is much priceless.
By Afrina Ghazali | April 19th, 2024
Annual checkups are important for everyone especially those above 40, regardless the gender. But why is it especially important for women to get them regularly done will be elaborated further.
Did you know, that most women including you have the probability of 50% to question "Are annual checkups necessary since I am feeling fine?" The answer remains to be a yes. You should go for an annual checkup from time to time even if you are healthy. The checkups will help you to screen for medical issues, run risk assessments for future medical issues, update vaccinations as well as encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle.
When people say annual screenings may save lives, doesn't that just sound absurd? How is it so? Keri Peterson, MD, said, "When you detect a disease early you can prevent complications and improve quality of life." Apart from living a healthy life and practising a healthy lifestyle, scheduling routine health screenings are also important in keeping up to a healthy life.
From mammograms to pap smears and other screenings, it could sometimes be confusing and overwhelming, really, how should you know when is the right time for you to have them done? Is it a must to do it once every year? Guess what, we have summarised all the important screenings for you and this article will tell you if you need to get those screenings and how often should you get them.
If you have reached the age of 40, well it's time to get your first mammogram. Mammograms screen for any types of breast cancer including invasive lobular and ductal cancer. By going through mammography every year once you turn 40, you can reduce the risk of death due to breast cancer.
Sometimes called a pap test, is a screening done to detect any chances of cervical cancer. It screens out for any precancerous or cancerous cells on your cervical area.
If you have gotten yourself an HPV Vaccination, it's most likely that you have reduced the risks of human papillomavirus. But for those who had never taken the vaccinations, it is best to go for HPV tests and check for the presence of the virus that will trigger cell changes in the cervical area and lead to cervix cancer if left not treated appropriately.
Did you know that after the age of menopause, women's LDL (bad cholesterol) levels tend to develop sudden rise compared to men? Yes, and this is the reason why we recommend you check your cholesterol levels every year to have a better idea of how to manage a healthier lifestyle.
It's recommendable for those aged 45 to 50 to have their first colonoscopy. Colonoscopy will screen the images of your colons and help detect any polyps that can develop into cancerous cells. The results of your first colonoscopy will usually determine the next colonoscopy. If you have a healthy colon, well your next colonoscopy would probably be in another 5 years.
Especially for women who have diabetes, kidney issues, heart diseases or other critical conditions, it is best to check your blood pressure often or at least once every year. Or, if you happen to not have any of the conditions above but experiencing a systolic reading of more than 130 and a diastolic reading of above 80, then please seek advice from your nearest medical experts.
Eye exam such as Vision - Snellen Chart Test is not necessary for every woman to get once a year. However, if you are diabetic and beginning to develop sight issues or turning 60 of age, then it is recommended that you get your eyes tested every year.
If you happen to have any family history of skin cancer, then you might be at higher risk to have one. This is why skin examination is important to inspect even on your own. If you find any changes to the existing mole or start to grow new ones, that could possibly be the early onset of skin cancer and best if you could have it examined at your nearest local hospital.
Have you heard of osteoporosis? If you have, did you know that is it four times more common to happen to women than men? Yes, it's true. This is why we highly suggest that women aged 60 and above should start getting their bone density screened. How often should you be screening it depends on the results of the screening and other risk factors?
Your Body mass index indicates whether you are obese, normal or underweight. If you happen to be obese, there's a tendency that you may develop serious health problems like diabetes and heart diseases. We recommend you seek advice on how to manage your lifestyle and avoid all critical diseases at all costs.
At the end of the day, you won't entirely need to screen for everything at once. But often these health screenings come in packages so it's more affordable and making it easier for you to get all done at once. You can also look at the women screening packages on our website:
Health Screening Packages for Women
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