Annual health checkups can be scary for women, but they are essential to take care of your body and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Essential Annual Checkups for Women And Why They’re Necessary
1. Dental Checkup
Dental issues like tooth decay and infections can affect other parts of your body, such as your heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain. These chronic diseases also require medications that could interfere with other medical treatments (ex: antibiotics). Also, when you don’t use dental services, it leaves spaces between visits where bacteria can grow and lead to worse problems down the road.
2. Mammograms
Regular mammograms help detect breast cancer early on in its stages, which reduces mortality rates significantly. Roughly 1 in 8 ladies in the United States will develop breast cancer, but early detection by annual mammograms decreases the risk of death from breast cancer.
The American Cancer Society recommends that women aged 40 to 44 get a mammogram every two years. Women over the age of 45 should start getting them yearly.
3. Cholesterol Screenings
This test measures your blood cholesterol levels to help detect if you have high amounts of bad cholesterol. High levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol can lead to a higher risk for coronary heart disease or stroke.
A low-fat diet and regular exercise are key to maintaining good health and reducing your risk for high cholesterol, along with regular screenings.
4. Hearing Test
Hearing loss is caused by many environmental factors such as noise from work, home, or recreational activities. Regular screenings can determine if someone has hearing loss, and working with an audiologist for treatments can be helpful.
5. Gynecological Exams
These exams are necessary to check the health of a woman’s reproductive organ systems. They help detect diseases and infections early on to reduce your chances of infertility.
The types of gynecological exams women receive are different depending on their age group (ex: annual exam vs. pelvic exam). Still, each test helps detect any problems that may arise affecting female fertility and overall health.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women aged 21-65 go for a well-woman visit every year. Healthy lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise and enough sleep can also prevent many diseases and decrease risks for abnormal health problems.
Annual Checkups for Women
Annual Checkups are important because they help maintain your routine healthcare needs. Talk to your doctor about what tests they recommend for your age group. Also, try to find a doctor you are comfortable with because your relationship with them will help promote better health.
Tell your doctor about any changes in your body so they can treat you accordingly. Avoiding annual checkups robs you of early detection and it’s dangerous because these disorders can escalate quickly.
Very important reminders to get checked out for all these things you’ve listed — it’s so easy to put them off or forget so I am sure this will help prompt those who need it (which includes me)!
Thank you!! I needed the reminder myself! It’s hard to remember everything.