Most of us are guilty of not visiting the doctor as often as we should. Prevention is the first step in taking good care of our health, and it is crucial not to postpone the annual check-ups. Most of the diseases can be prevented or treated a lot easier after being discovered on time. Screening tests can detect them before you even show symptoms. It’s important to know which ones you should take, and you can decide that based on your family history, previous medical history, your age, or other medical results.
Blood Pressure Increases with Age
Everybody has heard of blood pressure (BP) and that it has two numbers (usually around 120/80), but what do those numbers mean? Well, the first one represents the blood pressure in the blood vessels during a heartbeat, and the bottom one is the blood pressure between heartbeats. As we age, it increases, and younger people rarely have an issue with it. But BP is connected with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are both affected by your diet, so eating healthy can actually help. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Everyone over the age of 20 should regularly check their BP, as it can damage the eyesight, create kidney issues, and build difficulties with the function of other organs. Women with heart health risks should screen for BP abnormalities more often.
Vaginal Health Shouldn’t Be Taboo
Vaginal health is still being considered a taboo topic, and too often do women find it embarrassing to talk about, even with a doctor. Nevertheless, multiple conditions exist that can affect women’s everyday life, from painful sexual intercourse to bad urination habits. Luckily there are pain-free treatments that can solve those issues. During pregnancy, or after childbirth, affected by the use of different medications and other factors during a stressful period, estrogen levels may drop. That kind of drop may cause diseases like vaginitis, dyspareunia, and urinary incontinence.
Most women rely on laser vaginal rejuvenation to regain vaginal health after experiencing certain conditions that manifest in that area. By stimulating the process of neocollagenesis, this treatment helps with the production of new collagen in the female body and can help with vaginal dryness, burning, tightness, and other vaginal concerns.
Get Clinical Breast Exams
In general, if the tumor is smaller, it’s easier to treat. So finding out in the earliest stages can significantly enhance the chances of beating the disease and stopping it from spreading. The American Cancer Society (ACS) advises women ages 20-40 to get a clinical breast exam (CBE) done by a professional once every three years. That number increases to once a year for women over 40 years of age. A CBE is helpful and can save lives, but it does not replace mammography.
Mammograms Can Find the Smallest Malignancies
Because it’s a low-dose X-ray test, mammography isn’t something that should be done as often as possible. However, it can help find the smallest malignancies at the earliest stages of development, so cancer will be easier to treat. The ACS recommends a baseline mammogram at the ages of 35-40, depending on the woman’s health, previous history, and other factors. The ACS also suggests that women get mammograms once a year, after the age of 40. Despite the ACS’s opinion, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advises against yearly mammography screenings before the age of 50. In their belief, women between the ages of 50 and 74 should have this done once every two years, and the check-ups should stop after turning 74. Women with certain risk factors for breast cancer may get different advice regarding their commended screening schedule.
Consult Your Dermatologist about Skin Cancer
People with blue or green eyes, or with a lot of moles or freckles, are the ones at most danger of getting skin cancer. Detecting whether your moles are benign or malignant is crucial. A family doctor, or a dermatologist, will be able to tell whether it’s one way or another. Specialists advise you to track your moles’ size, shape, and color, considering that a change in any of those may be a reason to visit the doctor. Growth of a mole, and irregular borders, should cause concern, but your doctor can do a biopsy and check the suspicious growth to determine the mole’s nature. The same goes for a shift in color, as change is a suspected sign of malignancy.
Pap Smears Are Critical for Cervical Cancer Detection
The Pap smear looks for signs of cervical cancer, and women after the age of 21 should have a Pap smear done at least once every three years. With regular check-ups, it is easy to prevent the development of cervical cancer. The predominant cause of it is the human papillomavirus (HPV), and after three consecutive negative HPV tests, your doctor will advise you to have them less frequently. Depending on their sexual risks, women should also be tested regularly for other sexually transmitted diseases.
