7 Health Screenings All Women Need
A smart woman would ensure she's up to date with all her health checks.
Being a woman is so much more than just keeping a healthy body and also looking her best for herself. Once you're at a certain age, you have to start to seriously think about your health because let's face it, your health really is going to be your greatest wealth. How else are you going to keep up with your busy schedule and lifestyle if you're tired and feel haggard most of the time?
Eve Writes | 25 January 2019
Health & Wellness: Get Healthy
Any smart woman would know her health is her greatest asset and she should everything she could to maintain a healthy body, mind, and soul. While there's so much we can do holistically, there's no denying the importance of medical checkups because as much as we can ensure a healthy diet and active lifestyle, there are certain things only medical advancement can help.
To help you stay on track with your health and maintaining it for many years to come, we take a look at the 7 top health screenings all women need.
Note: These are the basic health screenings to help you be aware of the state of your health. They are not professional and/or expert opinion. Always get your doctor's advise and opinion to fully understand your individual health needs.
1. Blood Pressure Screening
If there's one thing any woman know about being a woman is stress. Whether you're a single career woman or homemaker or a businesswoman, stress comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes. We're not just talking about external stress such as busy schedules, domestic chores, or that deadline you're trying to meet - we're talking about the stress your body goes through because of this external factors.
Our body reacts differently to stress and this has effect on our blood pressure. This is why certain days we don't feel like getting out of bed even though we have slept like a log the night before. When in stress, our hypothalamus tells our adrenal glands to release hormones and cortisol. These hormones increase your heartbeat and send blood to your body because your brain recognizes the stressful situation as our primordial fight or flight instinct (1).
The more stressful your body is, the more of these hormones are released. Such situation can be harmful if it happens at an extended period of time because your body will take a long time to return to its calm state. Stressful body can lead to many harmful side effects such as headache, chest pain, muscle tension, changes in sex drive, upset stomach, and sleep problems (2).
Having your blood pressure checked is important to make sure you're not prone to its side effects. If you constantly wake up with a headache or you suddenly feel faint while you're going about your day, it's a good idea to go to the doctors and check your blood pressure.
2. Pap Smears
This is perhaps one of the most commonly discussed health screenings for women. Experts recommend a woman to have a pap smear at least once every three years*. Women beginning from the age of 21 up to 65 years old should have pap smear test regularly done.
Pap smear is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. This test allows a doctor to detect precancerous changes in our cervix and subsequently treat them.
Did you know?
Cervical cancer was once a leading cause of death for many women.
This changed when pap smear tests became widely available.
If you never had a pap smear test, the procedure is brief and relatively painless. The doctor will gently collect cells from your cervix and have them examined for any abnormal growth. To conduct this, the doctor will insert a speculum to widen your vaginal canal and then collect the cells from your cervix with a small cytobrush or a cervical spatula. For some women, this procedure can be a little uncomfortable, but because the procedure is brief and fairly simple, it will be over before you know it.
*If your pap smear test came back negative for 3 consecutive times, it is recommended you get tested once every 5 years.
3. Mammograms
Many women are familiar with this term, but not that many women have gone for the screening. A mammogram can help to detect breast cancer. This procedure involves compressing the breast between plates so an X-ray images can be captured. According to American Cancer Society, women from the age of 45 should start their mammogram screening (3).
However, there have been conflicting opinions on how often a woman should get mammogram. The best is to speak to your doctor to find out the best time and frequency for your mammogram test. Furthermore, if you have a family history of breast cancer, then it's best to see your doctor to discuss about starting annual screening. It's also a good idea to give yourself a breast self-examination from time to time.
Courtesy: HC Marbella
4. Thyroid Test
Weight management is one of the things many of us are concerned about. For some of us, we can manage our weight through diet and lifestyle while some of us might be unable to do so. However, unexplained weight gain can also be a cause of worry, especially if we have done as much as we could to watch our weight.
One of the most common reasons for weight gain is an under active thyroid. Our thyroid glands releases hormones that are responsible for controlling our metabolism. Many women are prone to under active thyroid or Hypothyroidism due to our hormonal changes namely during pregnancy, delivery, lactation, and also menopause. It is recommended for women to get thyroid test done once every 5 years after turning 35.
5. Bone Density Test
For women, osteoporosis is common at various age stages. This condition causes our bones to lose its density and thus become weaker and more brittle. It is caused by various factors such as diet, lack of exercise, and also medication. Just like the hormonal changes that occur that can cause thyroid, changes in our body due to pregnancy, lactation, and menopause can also lead to osteoporosis.
Bone density test will scan your body to obtain a specialized X-ray scans of the spine, hips, and wrists. This procedure also measures the bone strength and determines your risk of fracture. Previously, this test was recommended for women who have reached menopause or at menopausal age. However, recently, many women are unaware that they have osteoporosis. Experts recommend to get the bone density test once every 5 years once a woman turns 35.
6. Diabetes Screening
You may have heard how people say processed sugar is the culprit of many things. This is frighteningly scary because diabetes is becoming more common than it was before so much so that there were 108 million people who suffer from diabetes in 1980 and the number skyrocketed to 422 million in 2014 (4).
Due to our modern diet and lifestyle, it's easy to consume sugar without us knowing. Diabetes is the major cause for blindness, heart attacks, stroke, and amputation of lower limbs.
Having your blood sugar level tested is a good way to diagnose diabetes or pre-diabetes condition. You will need to go through a blood glucose tolerance test in order to detect your body's ability in metabolising glucose. The procedure requires you to drink a sugary drink after a 9-10 hour of fasting.
7. Lipid Profile Test
This is a good test to check your good and bad cholesterol level. High cholesterol can affect your heart, blood vessels, and brain as cholesterol is a form of fat molecule that can accumulate in your blood vessels. If you have a family history of heart diseases, diabetes, and blood pressure, it's advisable for you to get this test and also other specific tests.
In order to conduct this test, you are required to fast for at least 12 hours. Then your blood will be tested to determine the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Everyone should get this test done, but specifically if you're overweight, physically inactive, and have family history of heart diseases, you definitely should speak to your doctor regardless of your age.
These various tests are often recommended for women depending on their age groups, but experts agree that it doesn't hurt for you to get them done because we can never be too careful. And of course, you will also have to ensure a healthy diet and lifestyle to further help you in maintaining a healthy body, mind, and soul.
It's highly advisable for you to find a doctor who understands your needs. Sometimes a highly recommended doctor may not be the best fit for you so it's important for you to keep looking until you find one who suits you that you can stick with for a long time. We at About Eve love the doctors at Andorra Women & Children Hospital because the doctors are attentive and compassionate in examining us. Furthermore, the hospital is one of the most comfortable environments we've been to. Why not schedule your appointment today to get these checkups to ensure you're in the best of health.
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