| Recommended Health Screenings And Prevention Steps For Women Ages 50-64 |
You may feel like you're in a constant state of transition — in the midst of menopause or just concluding this change of life. It's also pretty common to have to make decisions for parental care during this time. The stress of maintaining these dual roles can create depression and inattention to your own personal health.
Remember that taking care of yourself prepares you to care for others. So keep to your regular health care professional visits and make adjustments in your busy schedule. Spend some of your "me time" getting exercise at least three times a week for 20 minutes at a time.
While the likelihood of pregnancy at this age is statistically slim, you still need to be aware of the threat of sexually transmitted diseases to you and your partner.
Sleep patterns change as we age, but disturbed sleep and waking up tired every day is not part of normal aging. In fact, troubled sleep may be a sign of emotional or physical disorders and is something you should talk about with a health care professional or sleep specialist.
If you smoke, this is the time to quit. Smoking can lead to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
In addition to the recommended health screenings and medical tests listed below, remember to take a multivitamin with vitamin D. This contributes to prevention of osteoporosis.
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). Aspirin is recommended for women ages 55 to 79 when the potential to prevent an ischemic stroke outweighs the potential increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.
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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Mammogram
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Every 1 to 2 years — women 40 years of age and older
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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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Between 50-75 years of age — yearly screening with high sensitivity
fecal occult blood testing, OR sigmoidoscopy every
5 years with high-sensitivity fecal occult blood testing every 3
years, OR colonoscopy every 10 years. Talk with your doctor
about what type of screening is right for you and any benefits
of screening over 75 years of age.
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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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One dose — 60 years of age and older
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Every flu season — 50 years of age and older
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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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