5 Medical Tests for Women in Their 40’s

NuHealth Women's Care 

Nassau University Medical Center

2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY 11554

www.nuhealth.net     516-572-5809

When was the last time you went to the doctor? Between work, raising a family, taking care of a home and daily responsibilities, women often put their own health on the back burner. If you are in your 40’s, here is a list of basic tests you should schedule to ensure you are at your healthiest. 

Breast Exam and Mammogram. About 1 in 8 women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime (BreastCancer.Org). Checking your breasts regularly at home is important to detect signs, but make sure you schedule that annual exam. Doctors suggest adding a routine mammogram somewhere between 40 and 50. The most significant risk factors for breast cancer, according to breastcancer.org, are being a woman and growing older.

Blood Sugar. Starting around 45, be sure to get a blood sugar test.  There are several types you can opt for, including a fasting blood sugar test, 2-hour postprandial blood sugar test, random blood sugar test and an oral glucose tolerance test (diabetes.webmd.com/blood-glucose). The fasting blood sugar test, which checks for prediabetes and diabetes, as well as abnormalities within your blood sugar level, seems to be the most common according to various websites. After 40+ years of indulging in fast food, candy and cakes, your pancreas may be hurting!

Blood Pressure. As we grow older, our blood pressure rises. Unfortunately, this is more prevalent in women than men. According to the article “High Blood Pressure in Woman Over 40, What the Risks Are and What They Can Do About Them”, if your family has a history of high blood pressure or hypertension, your chances of having a similar problem increase. Also noted, if you have an existing medical condition such as kidney disease or diabetes, your risk of having high blood pressure also increases. Get yourself checked out!

Cholesterol. Every 33 seconds, someone dies from a heart attack or stroke (webmd.com/cholesterol-management/cholesterol-tests-understand-your-results). According to the article “Understanding YourCholesterol Results”, the process of atherosclerosis, when excess cholesterol in your body builds up on the walls of your arteries and eventually hardens, “actually narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to get to your heart.” Because high cholesterol doesn’t cause symptoms, having one simple test routinely could end up saving your life (and a lot of angina)!

Skin Exam. Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to the age 65 will have had skin cancer at least once so far (skincancer.org/Skin-Cancer-Facts/). After a few decades of laying out in the sun and being exposed to those harmful UVA and UVB rays, scheduling routine skin checkups are vital. Look for skin changes on your body and keep an eye on moles. Thankfully, most skin cancers are curable, especially if they are caught early enough, so don’t hesitate to get an exam!