The following recommendations are general guidelines on screening procedures for healthy women. The guidelines were developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, unless otherwise noted. Your doctor may recommend a different screening schedule based on a variety of factors, particularly your personal health history, age and family medical history.

What is it?
An inflatable cuff, wrapped around your upper arm, measures the amount of pressure your heart generates when pumping blood out through your arteries (systolic pressure) and measures the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between beats (diastolic pressure).

Why?
For early detection of high blood pressure (hypertension). Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the resistance to blood flow in your arteries. Narrowed arteries limit this blood flow. In general, the more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the harder your heart must work to pump the same amount of blood. The longer high blood pressure goes undetected and untreated, the higher your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney damage.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends an initial test at age 18, then at least every two years. If your blood pressure is borderline, your doctor may recommend more frequent screening.

What is it?
A simple blood test that measures total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) and triglycerides.

Cholesterol is a form of fat carried in your blood by lipoproteins. LDL deposits cholesterol in your artery walls, and HDL carries cholesterol away from your arteries and to your liver for disposal. Problems occur when your LDL deposits too much cholesterol in your artery walls or when your HDL doesn't take enough away. This can lead to a buildup of cholesterol-containing fatty deposits (plaques) in your arteries (atherosclerosis).

Why?
To evaluate the level of cholesterol in your blood. Undesirable levels of cholesterol raise your risk of heart attack and stroke.

How often?
Starting at age 45, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends having your cholesterol measured every five years. Your doctor may recommend more frequent measurements if your levels are abnormal. If you're at high risk of coronary heart disease, your doctor may begin screening at an earlier age.

What do the numbers mean?
Results from a blood-fat test show a set of numbers in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) indicating the levels of total, LDL and HDL cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels. The National Cholesterol Education Program, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, has developed a set of guidelines to help determine which numbers are acceptable and which ones carry increased risk.

What is it?
A physical examination of your breasts and armpits. Your doctor looks for color changes, skin irregularities and changes in your nipples. He or she also feels your breasts and armpits for lumps and enlarged lymph nodes.

Why?
To detect suspicious changes and to exclude breast cancer.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends a clinical breast examination in conjunction with screening mammography every one to two years, beginning at age 40. The USPSTF doesn't recommend for or against using clinical breast exams alone to screen for breast cancer.

What is it?
A radiology technician compresses your breasts between plastic plates while he or she takes X-rays of your breast tissue.

Why?
To detect breast lumps or suspicious changes or calcifications when they're too small to be detected by physical examination. These small lumps can be the first finding of early-stage breast cancer.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a screening mammogram every one to two years after age 40, depending on your risk. After age 50, your doctor may recommend annual mammograms. However, little evidence shows annual screening to be more effective than screening done every other year.

What is it?
Your doctor inserts a speculum into your vagina to observe your cervix. Then using a small spatula and a brush or cotton swab, your doctor gently removes cells from your cervix and the canal that enters your uterus. The procedure generally takes only a few minutes. Your doctor places the cells on a glass slide or into a fluid-filled bottle and sends them to a laboratory for microscopic examination.

Why?
To detect cancer and precancerous changes of your cervix. You're at increased risk if:

• You have a history of sexually transmitted disease, particularly human papillomavirus
• You have multiple sex partners
• You have a history of abnormal cells in your cervix (cervical dysplasia)
• You have a history of vaginal or vulvar cancer
• You're a smoker

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for cervical cancer within three years of your first sexual encounter or age 21, whichever comes first. You should have a Pap test at least every three years.

You no longer need routine screening for cervical cancer if:

• You're age 65 or older, you've had three normal test results in a row, you've had normal Pap tests over the past 10 years, and you aren't at high risk of cervical cancer.
• You've had a total hysterectomy — surgery that removes your uterus and cervix.

A Pap test is only one part of the pelvic examination. You may benefit from annual pelvic examinations even if a Pap test isn't needed.

What is it?
Your doctor examines your external genitals to make sure they look normal and checks for discoloration, swelling or sores, for example. To see the inner walls of your vagina and cervix, your doctor inserts an instrument called a speculum into your vagina to hold the vaginal walls apart. He or she will then look for sores, lumps, inflammation or signs of abnormal discharge. After removing the speculum, your doctor inserts two gloved fingers inside your vagina. While simultaneously pressing down on your abdomen, he or she physically examines your uterus and ovaries.

Why?
To detect any abnormalities, such as cysts, tumors, infections or other problems such as muscle weakness that can cause the uterus or bladder to sag. If you have an abnormal discharge, your doctor can obtain a sample to identify the cause.

How often?
Although the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force doesn't provide a specific recommendation, experts at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., agree that it's a good idea to start pelvic exams at the same time as your first Pap test. For subsequent pelvic exams, follow your screening schedule for having Pap tests done — within three years of beginning sexual activity or by age 21, whichever comes first. If you're at high risk of gynecologic cancers, such as cervical or ovarian cancer, your doctor may advise that you be examined more frequently. Talk to your doctor to see which screening approach is best for you.

What is it?
Your doctor may recommend tests to examine your colon and rectum to detect colon cancer before symptoms occur. The exams are:

• Fecal occult blood test. This test chemically checks your stool for hidden (occult) blood, which can only be detected through chemical testing. This test may be done in your doctor's office, or you may be given a kit to take the stool sample at home. You usually obtain a stool sample for testing and store it in a supplied container or use an applicator stick to smear it on a chemically treated card. You may be asked to collect more than one sample. You then return the container or card in person or by mail to a lab or your doctor's office for analysis. At the lab, a chemical is applied to the specimen. The chemical reacts with the stool sample and appears as a different color if it comes in contact with blood. If blood is found, you'll need additional tests to determine the cause.
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy. Your doctor will examine the lower portion of your colon by inserting a thin, flexible tube called a sigmoidoscope into your rectum. This procedure usually takes about 15 minutes. Sigmoidoscopy may be done in conjunction with a colon X-ray.
• Colon X-ray (double contrast barium enema).Your doctor injects liquid barium, a solution that looks bright white on X-ray images, into your colon by way of a slender tube inserted into your rectum. The barium outlines the inner surface of your colon, allowing the X-ray to detect any irregularities. This test typically takes about 20 minutes and can cause abdominal cramping. It may be done in conjunction with flexible sigmoidoscopy.
• Colonoscopy. Your doctor will examine the entire length of your colon using a thin, flexible colonoscope inserted into your rectum. The procedure is similar to a flexible sigmoidoscopy, although the instrument is longer so that your doctor can view your entire colon. This procedure takes about a half-hour and can be uncomfortable, so you typically undergo conscious sedation — a type of sedation that uses pain relievers and sedatives to minimize discomfort.

Why?
To detect cancer and benign growths (polyps) on the inside wall of your colon that may become cancerous. Getting polyps removed may reduce your risk of colon and rectal cancer.

How often?
For women age 50 or older, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends regular screening for colon and rectal cancer. Screening frequency will vary depending on which type of test you have done. Your doctor may recommend one of the following screening schedules:

• Fecal occult blood test every year
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years
• Double contrast barium enema every five years
• Colonoscopy every 10 years

Talk to your doctor about which screening approach and frequency are best for you based on your particular health issues.

Not everyone needs to be tested for precancerous polyps and colon and rectal cancer. Your need for screening depends on your level of risk. Three major factors put you at higher risk of developing colon and rectal cancer:

• Age 50 or older
• Family or personal history of colon or rectal cancer or adenomatous polyps
• Personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease

What is it?
A quick, painless scan of your lower back, hip region, wrist or heel. This test measures the density of your bones, indicating your risk of fracture at the most common sites affected. Several different types of scans are available, including ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scans of the lower spine and hip region are the best standard for deciding when treatment is needed and for assessing the effects of treatment for osteoporosis.

Why?
To detect osteoporosis — a disease characterized by a loss of bone mass, which makes bones more fragile and likely to break. Osteoporosis especially increases the risk of fractures of your hip, spine and wrist.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women age 65 and older be screened routinely for osteoporosis. However, if you're at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, the USPSTF recommends that you begin routine screening five years earlier — at age 60. Certain factors put you at increased risk of osteoporosis, such as a low body weight, a history of fractures or a family history of osteoporosis. Factors associated with a risk for rapid bone loss include menopause or discontinuing estrogen therapy.

What are they?
Screening tests to detect infections spread by sexual contact (sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), gonorrhea, genital herpes and chlamydia.

Why?
These diseases can damage your reproductive system and, in the case of HIV, can lead to life-threatening disease.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all teenagers and adults:

• Be advised about what places you at risk of an STD.
• Be counseled about ways that you can reduce your risk of infection.

Your doctor will determine whether you need STD screening tests based on your personal risk factors.

In particular, STDs can be harmful to a pregnant woman and fetus. If you're pregnant, your doctor may screen you for the following STDs, depending on your level of risk:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis B
• HIV infection
• Syphilis

The screening tests you have done may be based on state laws as well as your doctor's recommendation. For instance, many doctors offer HIV screening to all pregnant women, and some states require screening for syphilis during pregnancy.

What is it?
Your dentist examines your teeth and gums with a probe and small mirror. He or she will usually check your tongue, lips and soft tissues.

Why?
To detect cavities within your teeth and problems with your gums, tongue and mouth.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that you visit your dentist on a regular basis.

What is it?
You read eye charts and have your pupils dilated with eyedrops. The ophthalmologist or optometrist checks your eye movement, side (peripheral) vision, color vision and the sharpness (acuity) of your eyesight. He or she also views the inside of your eye using an instrument called an ophthalmoscope and, using a painless procedure called tonometry, measures the pressure inside your eyeball.

Why?
To determine if you need glasses or contacts and to identify new vision problems. Common vision problems with aging include:

• Glaucoma. This disease is characterized by increased pressure in your eye, which can lead to vision loss.
• Macular degeneration. This condition results in deterioration of retinal cells, which gradually decreases vision.
• Cataracts. A cataract refers to a clouding of the clear lens of your eye, which blurs vision.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force doesn't recommend for or against having routine eye exams if you're a healthy adult. However, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the following screening schedule for having your vision checked:

• At least once between ages 20 and 39
• Every two to four years between ages 40 and 64
• Every one to two years beginning at age 65

What is it?
This test measures the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood after an eight-hour fast.

Why?
High glucose levels can be an indication of diabetes.

How often?
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force doesn't recommend for or against routine screening for diabetes in women who don't have any symptoms. However, if you're 45 years of age or older, the American Diabetes Association recommends that you have your blood glucose level checked every three years. If you're at risk of diabetes, your doctor may test you at a younger age or more frequently. Also get tested if you have signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or slow-healing cuts or bruises.

What is it?
Your doctor examines your skin from head to toe, looking for moles that are irregularly shaped, have varied colors, are asymmetric, are greater than the size of a pencil eraser, or have grown or changed since your last visit.

Why?
Suspicious lesions on your skin can be an indication of skin cancer.

How often?
Although the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force doesn't provide a specific recommendation on screening for skin cancer, the American Cancer Society recommends that beginning at age 20, a skin exam should be part of a routine cancer-related health checkup.