| Recommended Health Screenings And Prevention Steps For Women Ages 30-39 |
It's easy to get distracted from continuing the healthy lifestyle of your 20s as work and family responsibilities become more time consuming.
If you have gained weight, work with your health care professionals to develop a weight-loss program. If your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar is high, review the many options for improving your health. Take advantage of community resources that offer health and fitness programs for women.
If you are thinking about pregnancy, partner with your health care professional to learn the best way to manage any likely problems, such as gestational diabetes. During this age, your risk of birth defects increases with a pregnancy after age 35. Begin drinking orange juice or find other sources of folic acid, which has been linked to lower birth defects. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that you take a supplement with 0.4 to 0.8 milligrams (400 to 800 micrograms) of folic acid daily If you are planning or capable of getting pregnant.
It's also important to keep aware of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, which can affect not only your fertility but your and your partner's health.
If you smoke, this is the time to quit. Smoking can lead to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend aspirin for stroke prevention in women younger than 55 years or for preventing heart attacks (myocardial infarction).
The following screening and preventive steps should be followed in consultation with your health care professional:
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Test/Vaccine
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How Often
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Blood Pressure
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Every two years — 18 years of age and older
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Periodically — 18 years of age and older
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Cholesterol
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Every 5 years — men 35 years of age and older; adult women if at risk for coronary artery disease
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Every 1 to 2 years** — Beginning at 21 years of age or earlier if
sexually active; if 30 years of age and older, either a Pap smear
every 2 to 3 years after 3 consecutive normal results or HPV
DNA test plus a Pap smear every 3 years if results of both tests
are negative. Women 70 years of age and older may stop
screening. Talk with your physician to discuss the method of screening that is right for you.
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Routinely — 18 years of age and older
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Routinely — 18 years of age and older
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Routinely — 18 years of age and older
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Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Td/Tdap)
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One dose Td every 10 years — 19 years of age and older; for
19-64 years of age, substitute a single dose of Td booster
with Tdap
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*Cervical cancer screening recommendations are based on the American Cancer Society guidelines as of 3/13/09.
**Every two years when using newer liquid-based Pap test.
The preventive health screenings are based on the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) as of 3/13/09. The
vaccine recommendations are based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as of 3/13/09. Recommendations change often. A full list of the most current recommendations may be accessed at these websites.
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