Lifesaving Healthscreening for Women

Women are so used to caring for their families and taking care of the home that managing their own healthcare can be their undoing. There are five very important and lifesaving screening tests that women need to consider as a part of their routine lives. Healthcare is one thing women can’t afford to skimp on. They need to have a regular doctor and follow the guidelines below in order to prevent unnecessary disease and death.

Heart disease evaluation—this involves screening tests that can claim thousands of lives each year. In the US, about a half million women die of heart disease each year. Screening for cholesterol is an important tool for knowing who’s at risk for heart disease and who isn’t. A cholesterol blood test includes a total cholesterol, the LDL or “bad” cholesterol, the HDL or “good” cholesterol and a triglyceride level. Those older than fifty should get a C-reactive protein, a homocysteine level and a lipoprotein a level. Any problems with the heart should be evaluated with a stress echocardiogram, which picks up areas of poor circulation in the heart.

· A pap test should be done every year until the age of thirty. If the woman has had three normal paps in a row, she can have a Pap test done every three years. An exam of the uterus and ovaries should still be done every year. A human papilloma test can be done to see if a woman is at risk for cervical disease. It can be done at the same time as a pap test.

· A mammogram—this test can be done starting at the age of 40. Every one to two years is sufficient for women aged forty to fifty. After aged fifty, a woman should have a mammogram every year. If a woman is at high risk for breast cancer because of strong family history, she should have mammograms earlier than age 40, perhaps as young as 25. Breast cancer is very treatable in its early stages so there is no excuse not to have screening mammograms. In fact, if the cancer is found at stage I, 97 percent of these women will be cured of the disease.

· Colon cancer—it affects women as much as men. Colon cancer is the second most common cancer killer in both men and women. A colonoscopy, beginning at age 50, is an excellent screening and preventative test for colon cancer. It is preventative because it looks for colon polyps that can be removed before the polyp becomes cancerous. Early cancers of the colon can be excised using a colonoscope with no further treatment required in many cases. Colonoscopy is recommended every 5-10 years, depending on what’s found on the initial screening test.

· Have your skin checked—the most common cancer of all time is skin cancer. It is a hundred percent curable if found in its early stages. You should check new or changing moles yourself for increase in darkness and irregularity. An annual exam by the dermatologist should be performed so that areas of your body you don’t see regularly can be examined by a professional. Skin melanoma makes up about 4 percent of all cancers but it is deadly if not found early. The incidence of melanoma is increasing due to increased sun exposure at an early age.