Health Checklist for Women Over 40

Nobody enjoys visiting a doctor and doing dozens of different tests every year or even every six months. However, people who have regular checkups have greater chances of discovering a disease at an early stage when the recovery is much more certain. This is especially important when we reach our forties since that’s the time when we are at a greater risk of suffering from various diseases including high blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer, etc. Therefore, we’ve prepared a comprehensive health checklist for women over 40. Let’s take a look and discover why these checkups are so important.

Diabetes screening

When a woman hits her 40s, she is at a greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it’s crucial that, as soon as you reach this age, you contact your doctor and undergo a diabetes screening. This may sound like something complicated and scary, but it’s actually a completely routine procedure.

All you need to do is get a blood test which will show your average blood glucose levels. Based on it, your doctor will know whether you’re at high risk of getting diabetes and how often you should repeat this test. Finally, keep in mind that no matter whether you’re more or less likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes, you should make sure to eat healthy and be physically active.

Breast exam

Unfortunately, breast cancer is very common among women nowadays and the older we are, the chances of suffering from it are greater. Therefore, it’s vital that you have regular breast exams. Additionally, self-exams are important as well, so make sure to pay attention to how your breasts look and feel down to the smallest detail since this will help you notice even a slight change immediately.

However, if you fall into the high-risk category for breast cancer, consult your doctor about having a mammogram. Finally, we understand that these exams can be a true drudgery and even feel as a waste of time, but don’t forget that once the cancer gets into stage 4, there is nothing much that can be done.

Pap smear

Pap smear is the test introduced by George Papanicolaou M.D. and has been shown to be extremely effective in detecting cervical cancer. Therefore, it’s vital that women of all ages take this test regularly, but once we are in our 40s, the risks of getting this type of cancer are significantly higher.

Therefore, consult with your doctor and determine how often you should take the test. Finally, if you’ve had a lot of sexual partners in your life so far, make sure to test yourself for sexually transmitted diseases as well since some of them like HPV and HIV can also influence the frequency of necessary checkups.

Comprehensive eye exam

More and more women in Australia are taking their health seriously and having their eyes regularly checked. According to this study, there will be more than 800,000 Australians who are blind or have vision loss by 2020. That is why Australian ladies make sure to visit an experienced optometrist in Sydney and do all the necessary checkups.

So, if you are a woman in your 40s, you should schedule an eye exam as well. Owing to these comprehensive eye exams, you’ll be able to find out in time whether you’re possibly suffering from certain conditions like glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration. Finally, if there is a history of eye diseases in your family, don’t forget to mention it to your doctor since based on it, they’ll determine how frequently you should come in for an exam.

Depression screening

So far, we’ve only discussed physical diseases; however, as we’re getting older, the chances of suffering from mental ones like depression can increase significantly. Therefore, we advise you to opt for a depression screening no matter whether you believe that you’re suffering from it or not.

After all, it often happens that people are trying to deceive themselves about how they’re really feeling. Additionally, once you’ve decided to do a test for depression, make sure to answer the doctor’s questions honestly since only that way they’ll be able to help you overcome the issue.

Anxiety screening

Another mental issue that many women in their 40s are facing is anxiety. Keep in mind that this is nothing you should be ashamed of since at this age we are exposed to a lot of stress and face various responsibilities including raising our children and building a career.

Having this in mind, don’t hesitate to do the anxiety screening as soon as possible, especially since it won’t take you much time. Most often the test contains a list of questions that you should answer honestly so that the results are as reliable as possible.

As you can see, a health checklist for women over 40 can become quite long. However, remember that it’s most important to do all these checkups regularly since the majority of diseases can be cured if discovered in time.

Scarlet is a passionate writer and regular contributor at highstylife.com interested in fashion, lifestyle, and health. She loves traveling, you could say that she is a real travel addict, especially when she has a chance to visit some exotic destinations. She would tell you that inspiration can be found in the most unexpected places.