{"id":2544,"date":"2019-10-28T17:18:31","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T17:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitmotherproject.com\/?p=2544"},"modified":"2020-09-04T02:59:38","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T02:59:38","slug":"health-screening-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitmotherproject.com\/health-screening-for-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Screening for Women: 16 Important Checks Worth Having"},"content":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s no doubt about it, routine health screening for women saves lives. Why? Health screenings detect diseases early before they become problematic for your health.<\/p>\n
For example, treating chronic disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, help prevent you from experiencing a heart attack or stroke in the future.<\/p>\n
Use the health screening for women checklist below to optimize health and wellness and live a long, healthy life free from disease!<\/p>\n
Body mass index (BMI) screenings help establish your risk of developing chronic diseases and their complications. <\/p>\n
During routine wellness exams, your doctor weighs you and uses your weight and height to calculate a BMI number. <\/p>\n
Use an online BMI calculator<\/a> or the following formula to calculate BMI yourself:<\/p>\n An optimal BMI that keeps chronic disease risks low is between 18.5-24.9<\/strong>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Your doctor checks your BMI annually or more often when necessary. If your BMI is high, weight loss helps lower chronic disease risks.<\/p>\n Waist circumference is another important health screening for women. <\/p>\n You can use a tape measure to determine your waist circumference. Place it around your midsection, right above your hip bones.<\/p>\n Treatment for excess abdominal fat is weight loss, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and following a healthy diet.<\/p>\n Try the Fit Mother 30X (FM30X<\/a>) program, specifically designed for weight and fat loss in women. <\/p>\n Alternatively, you can sign up for the FREE 3-day jump start kit<\/a> today!<\/p>\n Hormone imbalance in women is common with age, especially right before, during, and after menopause. <\/p>\n Routine hormone screenings, including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormone screenings, help restore your quality of life and prevent negative health effects associated with hormone imbalance. <\/p>\n Examples include:<\/p>\n Have your hormone levels checked at least once a year<\/strong> if you\u2019re at risk of hormone imbalance, have a history of it, or experience symptoms. <\/p>\n If you've had thyroid problems in the past and your thyroid gland is misshaped or enlarged, your doctor might recommend imaging procedures to rule out thyroid cancer.<\/p>\n To balance hormone levels and restore your quality of life, your doctor might treat you with oral medications, skin patches, gels, creams, sprays, subdermal pellets, or vaginal applications.<\/p>\n Blood pressure is an important health screening for women. It is non-invasive, fast, and painless, and save lives by detecting high blood pressure before serious heart or blood vessel problems arise.<\/p>\n They let you know if your blood pressure is within a normal, healthy range.<\/p>\n According to the American Heart Association, a desirable blood pressure reading is less than 120\/80 mm Hg<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Have your blood pressure checked at least once every 1-2 years,<\/strong> or more often if you have a history high blood pressure or are at risk of developing it. <\/p>\n Blood pressure treatment involves making lifestyle changes, taking medications, or both.<\/p>\n Like high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol increases your risk of developing a heart attack or stroke in the future. <\/p>\n Cholesterol health screening for women involves simple blood tests that detect levels of:<\/p>\n Your doctor lets you know if your levels are high and how often you require cholesterol screenings based on your age and risk factors. <\/p>\n If your cholesterol is within a normal, healthy range you might not need another screening for five years<\/a>.<\/p>\n Treatment for high cholesterol usually involves making lifestyle changes, taking medications or dietary supplements, or multiple treatments.<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 100 million adults<\/a> in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes, a condition that often leads to diabetes when left untreated.<\/p>\n Early detection and treatment is the key to avoiding diabetes complications<\/a>, such as heart disease, nerve problems, kidney damage, eye damage, dementia, and skin problems.<\/p>\n Blood sugar screening involves a simple blood test. Your doctor recommends it if you have diabetes risk factors or after you\u2019ve reached a certain age. <\/p>\n Pre-diabetes treatment usually includes making healthy lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, healthy eating, and getting regular exercise. <\/p>\n If you have diabetes, your doctor recommends healthy lifestyle habits, medications, insulin injections, or combinations of these treatments.<\/p>\n Breast cancer is common, affecting 1 out of every 8 women<\/a> in the United States at some point during their lifetime. <\/p>\n They let you know when to begin mammogram screenings, which is usually when you\u2019re in your 40s<\/a> and every 1-2 years after that.<\/p>\n During a clinical breast exam, your doctor examines breast tissue for lumps or other signs of breast cancer. A mammogram uses X-ray imaging to detect breast cancer. <\/p>\n Cancer treatment typically involves breast surgery, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted drug therapy (with medications), immunotherapy, or multiple treatments.<\/p>\n Cervical cancer is highly treatable when detected early, which is why routine cervical cancer screenings are so important for women. <\/p>\n Your practitioner completes cervical cancer and\/or HPV screening as part of a pap smear and pelvic exam. <\/p>\n They insert a special instrument through your vaginal canal to take a sample of cervical cells for a lab to analyze. The procedure is fast and painless.<\/p>\n Your doctor might recommend a pap smear every three years<\/strong> or more often if you\u2019re at risk or have a history of cervical cancer. <\/p>\n Personalized cervical cancer treatment<\/a> plans are based on how advanced the cancer is, but often involve removing cancerous tissue, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or multiple treatments.<\/p>\n As a woman, your lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is about 1 in 24<\/a>, according to the American Cancer Society. <\/p>\n Most women should have colon cancer screenings beginning at age 50 and 1-10 years<\/a> after that, depending on the type of screening your doctor uses. <\/p>\n They might recommend a colonoscopy or stool test, for example.<\/p>\n During a colonoscopy, your doctor offers you a sedative and inserts a scope through your colon to view the inside of it. <\/p>\n They may remove polyps or other suspicious-looking tissue during the procedure, which might last 30-60 minutes. <\/p>\n You'll be asked to take a bowel prep prior to the screening to clean out your colon.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re sexually active and at risk of a sexually transmitted disease (STD), your doctor might recommend STD screenings, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia tests, annually or more often in some cases. <\/p>\n Such screenings might involve a urine test, blood test, cervical swab, or physical examination. <\/p>\n STD treatment often includes taking oral medications to cure the disease or manage its symptoms.<\/p>\n With age and hormone fluctuations associated with menopause, your risk of developing osteoporosis increases. \u00a0<\/p>\n Done density screening involves DEXA, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, scans that determine how dense your bones are or diagnoses osteoporosis. <\/p>\n If you have low bone density, your doctor might recommend medications and lifestyle changes as a treatment.<\/p>\n Eye exams not only help detect vision problems, but they also let your eye doctor know if you have an eye disease<\/a>, such as cataracts, macular degeneration, or glaucoma. <\/p>\n Your doctor might recommend an eye exam at least once yearly if you have diabetes or a history of eye diseases, or every 1-4 years depending on your age and risk factors. <\/p>\n They complete a comprehensive eye exam and vision tests during your appointment.<\/p>\n Common treatments for vision or eye problems include glasses, contact lenses, eye drops, vision correction surgery, or other types of eye surgeries.<\/p>\n Skin cancer is the most common form of skin cancer in the United States, reports the CDC<\/a>. <\/p>\n During an annual checkup, your doctor completes a visual skin exam or takes a biopsy of suspicious-looking tissue.<\/p>\n If you notice an area of your skin that changes in appearance or looks abnormal, schedule an appointment with your dermatologist to have it removed or for a biopsy. <\/p>\n Skin cancer treatment often includes removing the affected tissue and chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy, or targeted therapy (drug therapy).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a smoker or have smoked in the past, your doctor might suggest lung cancer screening when you reach age 55 using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT<\/a>). <\/p>\n This screening tool uses X-ray technology to scan your body and take detailed pictures of your lungs. <\/p>\n Lung cancer treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or drug therapy.<\/p>\n Dental exams are an important health screening for women, too. Taking care of your teeth not only keeps them white and beautiful, but it also affects your overall health and wellness. <\/p>\n That\u2019s why important health screening for women includes dental checkups. <\/p>\n Your dentist lets you know how often to schedule dental cleanings and exams, which is usually every six months or more often if you have gum disease or other dental health issues. <\/p>\n Your provider cleans your teeth and treats you for gum disease, cavities, or tooth infections \u2013 and cosmetic dental issues, such as staining and misalignment.<\/p>\n Believe or not, women are twice as likely<\/a> to develop depression than men and more likely to attempt suicide<\/a>. <\/p>\n Depression is often a debilitating medical condition without proper treatment. <\/p>\n If constant sadness prevents you from enjoying life or you think about harming yourself, see a healthcare professional right away.<\/p>\n They ask you questions about your symptoms and examine you or use blood tests to check your hormone levels. <\/p>\n Treatment might include medications, support groups, counseling, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), or combinations of treatments.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re at risk of or already have a chronic disease, there are several things you can do to reduce your risk or properly manage the disease and prevent complications associated with it. <\/p>\n Examples include:<\/p>\n If you struggle with weight loss, the experts at The Fit Mother Project can help! <\/p>\n The Fit Mother Project 30X (FM30X) program is a weight loss plan specifically designed for busy moms of all ages.<\/p>\n It has helped thousands of people get excess weight off and keep it off using proven strategies, fat-burning meal plans, weight loss workouts, social support, health coaching, and much more.<\/p>\n Try FM30X<\/a> today or sign up for the FREE 3-day jump start weight loss kit<\/a> to get on the road toward a healthier life free from disease and its complications.<\/p>\n And don't forget to schedule a routine annual health screening for women to maintain optimal health and wellness!\n
#2 Waist Circumference Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI<\/a>) notes that your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes increases if your waist circumference is greater than 35 inches<\/strong> in women and more than 40 inches in men. <\/p>\n
#3 Hormone Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Additionally, women are 5 to 8 times<\/a> more likely to develop thyroid hormone problems than men.<\/p>\n
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#4 Blood Pressure Screening<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Your doctor uses a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope or a machine to determine the pressure of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. <\/p>\n
#5 Cholesterol Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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#6 Blood Sugar Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Routine blood sugar screening lets your doctor know if your levels are higher than normal. If so, you may have diabetes or pre-diabetes. <\/p>\n
#7 Breast Cancer Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
When left untreated, breast cancer can be deadly. Your doctor screens for breast cancer using a clinical breast exam during your annual wellness checkup or with a mammogram. <\/p>\n
#8 Cervical Cancer\/HPV Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a virus that causes cervical cancer, other forms of cancer, and genital warts.<\/p>\n
#9 Colon Cancer Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
As with most types of cancer, early detection the key to making a full recovery.<\/p>\n
#10 Sexually Transmitted Disease Screening <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
#11 Bone Density Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Your doctor might recommend bone density screenings beginning at age 50<\/a> if you have fractures or are at risk of osteoporosis.<\/p>\n
#12 Eye Exam<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
#13 Skin Cancer Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Fortunately, skin cancer is highly treatable when detected early. <\/p>\n
#14 Lung Cancer Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
#15 Dental Exam<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
For example, poor oral health is associated with heart problems, diabetes, osteoporosis, and pneumonia, according to Mayo Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n
#16 Depression Screening<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Due in part to hormone fluctuations after pregnancy, post-partum depression is common too, affecting almost 15% of women<\/a> after giving birth.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m at Risk for Chronic Diseases: What Should I Do?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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