Our body goes through immense changes from birth until old age. As we turn older, our metabolism decreases and it gives rise to several health conditions. This makes it important to undergo regular health checkups.
What can you read in this article?
- 7 recommended medical tests for women aged 30 and above
- Advice for women
These female screening tests can help detect a health anomaly even before it begins showing symptoms, helping you take the necessary precautions.
The 30s are a crucial time when most women are often juggling work stress, managing children, and handling other countless responsibilities. All of these can have a negative impact on health.
The only way to prevent diseases is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and by undertaking yearly female tests. Here’s a list of essential tests that you must undergo if you’re in your 30s. The health screening tests cover everything from your blood pressure to dental exams.
7 recommended medical tests for women aged 30 and above
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
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A CBC is a blood test that evaluates the overall health and detects disorders including anaemia, infections, and in rare cases, even blood cancer.
If you get a complete blood count test done, it will help you measure several components of your blood, including red blood cells and white blood cells, platelets and haemoglobin.
This test is important for Asian women, as studies have proved that they tend to suffer from iron deficiency and may need supplements.
- Lipid Profile
This test is an accurate indicator of your heart health. It measures the total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels.
The LDL and the triglycerides should be less that 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and HDL levels should be more than 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
For people with normal readings, this test should be done once in two years and obese patients and those with a heart disease should get it done annually.
Knowing the results of this test can help you to modify your eating habits, stress, diet and make the required changes.
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Blood sugar
According to Dr Geeta Aurangabadkar, more than one in 10 women who are between the age of 35 and 49 year suffer from diabetes. If you have diabetes, then it can lead to a tremendous increase in your blood sugar levels as your body is unable to produce insulin properly.
This test is done after a 12-hour long fasting period and it helps to detect diabetes.
Reading of less than 99 mg/dL is normal, 100-110 mg/dL indicates pre-diabetes and if it is more than 110 mg/dL, you are diabetic.
An additional test, HbA1C is done in cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes in patients. If your readings are normal, then annual testing is recommended.
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Dental cleaning
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A beautiful smile is a secret weapon to happiness and confidence, and the best way to maintain this is through consistent dental visits.
Dental checkups at 30 are important because dentists can examine your mouth for cavities that can lead to oral health problems later in your life. A dental cleaning will also help to screen for non-oral health conditions like diabetes.
- Pap Smear Test
It is an important female test that involves a simple screening procedure for cervical cancer and can detect problems at an early stage.
Pap smear is a recommended medical test for those aged 30, to detect changes in cervical cells. That may turn cancerous later on and need to be monitored further.
If three consecutive, yearly test results are normal, then the test can be repeated every three to five years. Ideally, it should be combined with the Human papillomavirus (HPV) test.
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Urine Analysis and Kidney test
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A urine analysis will detect the presence of proteins, sugar and blood in the urine sample. This can indicate kidney disease, among other conditions. If the reports are normal, then you should get them tested every year.
A kidney function test is also recommended when you cross the age of 30. A high reading of serum creatinine will indicate impaired kidney function.
Even though a reading of 0.3-1.2 is considered normal. But the size of an individual also needs to be taken into account.
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Thyroid test
The thyroid is a very common issue among women in Asia. For instance, almost one in 10 women in the country have underactive thyroid issues.
Initially, the symptoms may be quite slow for you to take note of, and this means it can go unnoticed for a long time. Hence, it is important to screen yourself for thyroid problems.
As Dr Geeta tells Indian Express, “Most commonly reported symptoms are irregular periods, unexplained weight gain, hair loss, or infertility.” A simple blood test will help to detect an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) and underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). In the case of normal readings, once a year testing is recommended.
We often want to lead a healthy long life, but are we laying a strong foundation for it? Along with looking after your physical health, undergoing regular screen tests is must to care for your well-being.
Republished with permission from theAsianparent Singapore
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