3 Health Tests Every Woman Needs

According to health experts, every female who attains eighteen years is encouraged to take certain aspects of their health seriously. Women are more prone to certain medical conditions, and it is better to take precautionary steps than to be caught unawares, especially during pregnancy. It might be misleading to think that because only 15.6% of women in the US have poor health, the rest are better off. Here are some tests you may want to take more seriously going forward.

Pap and human papillomavirus (HPV) tests

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Between August and December 2021, 14,480 new cervical cancer cases were recorded, and the most prevalent group were women between the ages of 18 and 29. Although females aged 30 and 45 recorded high numbers, the findings among the younger group appeared more concerning. The reason is the younger aged group had theirs detected in advanced stages. Meanwhile, the 30 to 45-year-olds had early to mid-stage cervical cancers. For this reason, the pap smear test for HPV is a health screening you may want to add to other vital yearly medical checks.

According to health experts, when a woman between the ages of 30 and 65 tests negative to the HPV, the next check can be stretched to five years. However, that will also depend largely on other conditions. For instance, if a woman has several sexual partners, it may be advisable to do the pap smear test every two years. Indeed, it is better to detect cervical cancer in its early stages than advanced.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) tests

Formerly known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), it became necessary to know their health status regarding these infections. It is even more important for women largely because of reasons associated with the female’s physiology. For instance, women are less likely to show signs of an STI until it is in the moderate to advanced stages. Additionally, women are more likely to stumble upon their STI diagnosis only after the OBGYN requests for routine checks in connection with pregnancy.

The US encourages females aged 13 (and sexually active) and above to test yearly or twice every twelve months for STIs. Available data suggest that Chlamydia cases among women in the US are higher than the opposite gender, recording 1.16 million cases against 644,000. So, if you haven’t considered checking or you probably never have, now may be ideal to do so.

Bone density test

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Dense bones hardly break. For women, however, you may not be too lucky. Years of hormonal fluctuations brought on by puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can take a toll on the bones. This is why statistics indicate that women have higher risks of developing osteoporosis than men. If you are under age forty-five, it may not be much of a concern now. However, taking a bone density test becomes a medical priority from age fifty and above. The CDC, however, recommends testing for high-risk groups much earlier. Usually, these are women with a thin build, medical history of drastic hormonal imbalances, Asians, and Caucasians.

Lastly, mammograms also feature prominently on the health screenings list. Although breast cancer in the US has reduced by almost 40% since 1990, it is still good to take yearly tests.