World Health Day 2022: STDs to Mammogram to BP; 12 health checkups that every woman must do
We spoke to Dr. Darshana R, Consultant Internal Medicine, Altius Hospital, who explained how women should make time for healthy habits like regular exercise, stress management, and eating the right foods. One of these habits is arranging regular health exams to detect any problems early on.
FollowWomen are the masters at multitasking, work-life balance, but they procrastinate when it comes to their health. Early signs of major diseases can be missed without adequate, timely health screening. Regular health screening helps early detection of a potential health problem, its treatment, prevention of or halt the progression of complications, improves the quality of life, and even saves a life.
Below are the 12 health screening tests that every woman needs to undergo:
Body mass index (BMI)– BMI is calculated with the help of the height and weight of a person. A BMI of 25-29 indicates overweight and that above 30 is obesity. Obesity increases the risk for heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Blood pressure (BP) – women are at risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy (pregnancy-induced hypertension) or any time after pregnancy. High BP leads to heart, brain, eye, kidney ailments. Regular BP monitoring can prevent complications due to high BP.
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Eye check – certain eye conditions like dry eye syndrome, cataracts, glaucoma and macula degeneration are common in women. Those with hypertension and diabetes require annual eye checkups for assessment of the retina of the eye. Regular screening for vision detects early refractive errors like short or long sightedness that can be corrected using spectacles or contact lenses alone.
Hearing test – hearing loss is on the rise and affects a person's quality of life and mental health. Hearing test is recommended once in 10 years in women above 50 years of age.
Skin checkup – after 18 years of age for skin patches, moles, change in size, shape, colour, increase in number of moles, especially in fair-skinned women is recommended. Cumulative sun/UV light exposure is a risk for skin cancers in women above 40 years of age. Hence annual whole body skin checkup should be advised.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)- Per vaginal examination, blood tests for STDs is recommended for sexually active women of any age as STDs can be transmitted to the partner or the offspring without any symptoms in early stages.
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Pap and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) tests - Pap and HPV screening is recommended for women between the age of 20 to 30 years for early detection of cervical cancer and HPV virus at the initial stage. Those between the age of 21 and 29 years should undergo a Pap test every three years and for ages between 25 and 29, HPV testing alone can be considered, although Pap tests would be preferable.
Mammogram – an X-ray study of the breasts is recommended annually in women above 40 years of age for early detection of breast cancer.
Thyroid test – thyroid disorders are common in women. Thyroid screening test in all beginning at age 35 years and every 5 years thereafter, noting that more frequent screening may be appropriate in high-risk, symptomatic individuals.
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Cholesterol test – increased blood cholesterol ratios means increased risk of heart diseases. Women with poor diet choices, sedentary lifestyle, thyroid disorders are prone for high cholesterol. An annual check would be beneficial.
Bone density test – older, post-menopausal women are at high risk of osteoporosis and fractures following trivial injuries due to weak bones. All women aged 50 and above and younger women at higher-than-normal risk for a fracture must undergo this test.
Colonoscopy – a test to diagnose colon cancers is recommended in all adults above 45 years of age. The test may be conducted every ten years thereafter if there have been no signs of cancer during the first screen.
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Women must undergo the tests mentioned above as recommended for a healthy, disease-free life.
