It’s important that we don’t become overly scared to every possible change in health, or to overreact to potential symptoms. Health anxiety is a real problem for those who are a little bit more sensitive to such things. However, to make sure that we’re taking the right care of our health, there are a few health checks that are important to schedule.
Breast Scqreening
Breast cancer awareness has come a long way in recent years and women are becoming a lot more cognizant of the risks, which is a good thing. Learning how to self-examine your breasts is important. However, regular breast screenings can help you catch any growths even earlier than getting hands-on. From the age of 50, in particular, a screening every three years is recommended.
Cervical Screening
A somewhat lesser-known type of cancer that affects biological women is cervical cancer. With a cervical screening, you can not only catch this cancer early, but you can also test for the high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV). When left untreated, both can cause damage to your reproductive health, and in the case of cancer, there‘s always the risk of death. The sooner you deal with it, the better. The only way to do that is to make sure you’re asking your doctor about when you should get tested.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH CERVICAL CANCER:
**I had cervical cancer in 2009. I tested positive for high-risk HPV and had to have a LEEP done. My surgeon cut out part of my endo-cervix because that’s where the cancer was. Note that 1) there is only about a 4% chance of death with CC, and 2) to prevent some strains of HPV (there are at least 100), you can get the Gardasil vaccine (both women and men). It’s a series of 3 shots (in your arm) over the span of 6 months or so. Even though I already had HPV, I wanted to prevent the other strains, so I received the vaccine even after the cancer was gone. So even though getting an HPV test is scary, there isn’t really a reason to have major health anxiety!
Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
Traditionally, men are slightly more prone to angina, heart disease, and heart attacks as they get older. However, women aren’t safe either, and certain risk factors, such as weight, activity levels, and age put us at more risk. It’s important to arrange an annual physical with your doctor. The physical includes tests for both of the major indicators of heart health changes, and it can also check for a range of other chronic illnesses, such as diabetes.
Your Hearing Health
Over one-tenth of all people will experience hearing loss at some point in their life and, what’s more, it’s preventable in a lot of cases. If you haven’t had a benchmark test for your hearing, it’s important to get one now so that any additional hearing loss can be easily detected. A hearing loss guide can help you cope with the hearing loss that is likely to affect us as we get older, too. Even if you do have hearing loss, it’s important to do what you can to prevent it from worsening in the future.
Bone Density
Women are particularly susceptible to issues related to bone density, such as osteoporosis, especially as we age. These conditions can be managed, but it’s important to arrange a bone density screening session to make sure you’re aware of your risks ahead of time. Lower bone density means we’re more prone to damage due to falls and other accidents.
As we get older, women are particularly susceptible to a few additional health issues that most men are not. Because of this, it’s our responsibility to be vigilant and ensure we’re taking every precaution, including taking the routine tests that we need.
Thank you for reading!
