Her Body: Women's Health Check

You know you should eat right, watch your weight and get adequate exercise. But just as important are regular visits to the doctor and tests to monitor your health and to screen for various diseases. In women, that also means watching out for your reproductive health. Your doctor should ask about your personal and family medical history in order to find out if you are at high risk for conditions like heart disease, breast cancer or thyroid disease. You should also be ready with a list of any new symptoms or physical problems that have developed since your previous visit. Here's an overall rundown of what women need:

Teeth: Starting at age 18, visit the dentist at least once a year for an exam and a cleaning.

Eyes: If you have vision problems, have an eye exam at least every other year. At age 40, you should have an eye exam every other year even if you don't have any trouble seeing. After age 45, you should be tested for glaucoma.

Hearing: After age 65, you should have your hearing tested every year.

Blood Pressure: Your blood pressure should be checked at least every two years; some doctors advise annual checks.

Physical exams: In your 20s, you should have at least two physicals. Your height, weight and cholesterol levels should be checked at both. If your cholesterol level is normal, it should be checked every five years until age 65, when it should be checked every three to five years. Abnormal results require more frequent testing. From 30 to 65, you should have a physical every one to five years, depending on your overall health. After 65, you should have an annual exam. The tests you get during this exam depend on your health history but would generally include a blood pressure check, a blood test (through which your doctor can check for various health problems, depending on your medical history), and urinalysis.

Breast self-exam: Although many health groups now say this is unnecessary, a significant number of women detect early signs of breast cancer by checking themselves every month. The American Cancer Society's Web site offers a detailed explanation on the best way to do this.

Mammograms: Women over 40 should have an annual mammogram to check for breast cancer. Women at risk for breast cancer should get mammograms even earlier. Try to schedule your exam at the same testing center and, if possible, the same machine to get the most accurate results. If you're taking menopausal hormone therapy, talk to your doctor about temporarily discontinuing your medication just before the test to get a better picture of what's going on in your breasts. (Hormone therapy makes your breasts denser, which can make it harder to read the mammogram.)

Pelvic exam and Pap smear: Starting at age 18, you should have a yearly pelvic exam and Pap smear to check for cervical cancer and other disorders. If your Pap smears are negative for three consecutive years, talk to your doctor about how frequently you should have this exam. Some may advise checks only every other year. After age 65, you should have a Pap smear every one to three years if your test results are negative for three years in a row. You should also talk to your doctor about the new human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, now recommended for girls and young women from ages 9 to 26. HPV is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer.

Thyroid: At age 35 and every few years after that, you should test your level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Women with a personal or family history of autoimmune disease who have a normal TSH should also have further tests to check levels of two thyroid hormones, free T4 and free T3, as well as thyroid antibodies. If you do have thyroid disease, you need to get your thyroid hormone levels tested regularly—probably twice a year.

Type 2 diabetes: You're at risk for this metabolic disorder if you are overweight, have a family history of Type 2 diabetes or had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy). High-risk women should get a fasting blood sugar test by age 35 and every three years after that.

Sexually transmitted diseases: If you are sexually active, you should have a test for chlamydia. You should also talk to your doctor about tests for HIV/AIDS and other STDs. The tests you would need depend on your particular medical history.

Colonoscopies: You should have a test for colorectal cancer at age 50 if there is no family history of the disease. High-risk women should have a test earlier. Your doctor will tell you which test you need: a fecal culture, a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy.

Bone-density scan: Women are twice as likely as men to develop osteoporosis, a condition that results in thinning bones, and caucasian and Asian women are more at risk than African Americans and Hispanics (although the latter are significantly vulnerable as well). The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that all women over 65 get a baseline bone mineral density test (the most common is called DEXA for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). Postmenopausal women in their 40s or 50s should also be tested if they have one or more risk factors (other than being white and female).

Skin cancer: The best way to prevent skin cancer—the most common form of the disease in the United States—is to wear sunscreen. Women under 40 should have a head-to-toe skin exam by a doctor every few years. For women over 40, that check should be annual. If you have a family history of skin cancer or lots of freckles or moles, you should be examined more frequently.

If you're like most women, you probably have a long to-do list, and you've put regular medical tests at the bottom. But you need to take your own health as seriously as you do all the other items on that list. So pick up the phone and make an appointment. It will be time well spent.