Should every woman have preventative healthcare check-ups? | 3 min read

Every woman needs to have annual preventative healthcare. Preventive care is any health care that helps prevent disease or illness instead of treating a condition when it becomes a problem. Annual healthcare appointments include wellness check-ups, health screenings, and immunizations.

Must haves for every woman:

Routine Blood Tests
A routine complete blood count (CBC) checks for levels of 10 components of every primary cell in your blood: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.

Blood Pressure Screening
A blood pressure test measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps. It may be done as a part of a routine health check-up or as a specific screening for high blood pressure (hypertension).

Mental Health Screening
A mental health assessment often includes a physical examination and a standard set of questions to assess a person’s mood, thinking, behaviour, and memory. These questions help a healthcare provider check for signs of a mental disorder.

Pap Tests
The Pap test (or Pap smear) looks for precancers and cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if not treated appropriately.

Mammograms
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast to look for early signs of breast cancer. Regular mammograms can detect breast cancer early, sometimes years before one can feel it.

Colon Cancer Screening
Colon cancer screening can be done during a colonoscopy exam using a long, flexible tube (colonoscope) inserted into the rectum. Other tests to detect colon cancer are fecal occult blood tests, sigmoidoscopy, and DNA stool tests.

Bone Density Test
A bone density X-ray test detects osteoporosis, a disorder characterized by more fragile bones. The test measures the amount of calcium and other bone minerals packed into a segment of bone. The screening mainly focuses on the spine, hips, and sometimes the forearms.

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Screening
Women must be tested for three main STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea is done through a urine test, and HIV through a blood test.

Lung Cancer Exam
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, mainly because it’s rarely detected early. A chest X-ray is usually the 1st test used to diagnose lung cancer. Early-stage lung cancer has a better prognosis, making routine screenings potentially lifesaving.

Teeth Cleaning and Dental Exams
A dental exam allows the dentist to carefully examine your teeth, mouth, and throat to identify problems, such as cavities, gum disease, loose fillings, and oral cancer. Routine tooth cleaning is also needed to remove plaque and tartar from your teeth.

Diet counseling
A healthy dietary plan will enable you to find substitutes for meals that cause harm to your body; your dietician will assist you with a sustainable meal plan.

Making a Routine Plan
Consult a general medical practitioner and dentist to discuss your healthcare history, family history, and risk factors; to determine the frequency at which you need to do these routine health exams. Many of these conditions are treatable if detected early and can often be cured.