9 Medical Tests Every Woman Above 40 Should Take Annually

40 is the new 30 for us women (yay!), but the reality is that after 40, the body starts showing visible signs of aging and slowing down. What seemed effortless a few years ago, now seems a teeny bit strenuous.

Getting a whole body check-up done annually is always a good idea once you cross 30, but absolutely imperative once the 40-year milestone is reached. As they say, prevention is better than cure.

Here are 9 medical tests every woman above 40 should get done annually.

The 9 tests:

g of 100 mg/dl or higher, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, indicates that you may be prediabetic, while a reading greater than 126 mg/dl indicates diabetes.

• Skin Examination
  

  Our skin changes as we age and reflects our state of health as well. Women over 40 should examine their skin all over their body to carefully check for any new moles or changes to existing moles, which could be an early warning sign of skin cancer. Talk to your dermatologist about how often you need an in-house exam.

• Dental Check-ups
  

  Trips to the dentist can be nightmarish, but, did you know? Dental health, especially gum disease (periodontists), is also linked to heart health? Bacteria from infected teeth are said to enter the blood stream and can affect the heart valves, causing heart-related problems.Ouch! Tooth loss patterns are typically connected to coronary artery disease. So, book that dental appointment now!
  The best way to get all these tests done at one go is to book combo packages. They are cheaper than tests done individually. Most health insurance policies cover annual body checkups that usually include all of these tests.

• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
  

  Wondering why that feeling of tiredness never seems to leave you, no matter how many hours you have slept the night before? The reason could be low haemoglobin levels. Something that a simple blood test, known as the Complete Blood Count or CBC, can easily spot. To give the scientific explanation, hemoglobin is the protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs.A normal range for women is 12.0 to 15.5 grams per deciliter.Anything below can be a potential red flag for anemia and related disorders.

• Blood Pressure Screening
  

  Find yourself flying off the handle too often or overreacting over trifles? A high blood pressure could be the culprit. High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart attack and stroke, so get yours checked regularly. (I have a handy BP checking battery-operated machine at home. It gives a good indication of whether my BP is high or low – b normal blood pressure reading is 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

• Blood Cholesterol
  

  If you want to steer clear of strokes and heart-related issues, make sure you don’t skip this test. There’s good cholesterol and there’s bad cholesterol. The latter is the one you need to watch out for, caused by consuming too much saturated fats (butter, cream, cheese). Your total cholesterol levels should ideally be less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl); a borderline high reading is between 200 and 239 mg/dl.This blood test is critical to gauge your heart health and take corrective measures if the cholesterol levels have spiked.

• Pap Smears
  

  To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Cancer can be cured if detected early and getting a pap smear is one way of ensuring that your cervix gets a clean bill of health. If you are still sexually active then getting a pap smear regularly is a must. They can be a tad uncomfortable but essential nevertheless.

• Mammograms
  

  Sadly, 1 in every 8 women in the USA is likely to get breast cancer during their lifetime.Which is why the American Cancer Society recommends that every woman should get yearly mammograms starting at age 45 and then every alternate year, starting at age 55, for early detection of breast cancer. Medical opinion varies on the age and frequency of this screening, but getting it done at least once after 45 years is essential.

• Bone Density Screening
  

  How strong are your bones? Will a fall snap them, leading to a fracture? A bone density test finds out exactly that. As women age, and especially after menopause when calcium levels go down, bones tend to start getting brittle. Osteoporosis is common in women with low bone density levels, especially after 55 years of age. Remain agile and flexible well into your sunset years.

• Blood Glucose Tests
  

  Diabetes in itself can create major health scares while also impacting other aspects such as complications during surgery, etc. If you have a sweet tooth and have been consuming sugary foods and drinks, then do go for a blood sugar test to determine if you are teetering dangerously close to the accepted diabetic or pre-diabetic levels. The range for normal tests can vary, but a fasting plasma glucose test reading.