Health Screening by Age: A Practical Checklist for Women and Men
Many serious conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, cervical, breast and bowel cancer and heart disease, can be detected before they cause symptoms. Screening aims to find disease early, or to catch risk factors before they cause harm. Recommendations vary between countries and individual risk, so treat the following as a general guide and ask your doctor what suits you.
What screening is, and what it is not
A screening test is for people without symptoms. If you have symptoms, you need diagnostic assessment, not routine screening. No test is perfect: some produce false alarms, and some find slow-growing disease that would never have caused harm. Good programmes weigh benefit against harm and are backed by evidence.
In your 20s and 30s
- Blood pressure: at least every two years, more often if elevated
- Cervical screening: a Pap smear or HPV test usually starts at 21 to 25 and continues at regular intervals (every three to five years depending on the test and country)
- Sexual health: tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis according to risk; HPV vaccination if not given earlier
- Cholesterol and blood sugar: consider a baseline from 30s, or earlier with a family history, obesity or high blood pressure
- Skin: learn to check moles, and report changes in size, shape or colour
- Breast awareness: know how your breasts normally look and feel
- Testicular awareness in men
- Mental health: discuss mood, stress and sleep, and check immunisations such as tetanus and measles
In your 40s
- Blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks every few years, or annually if abnormal
- Cardiovascular risk assessment (many health services offer a formal check from age 40)
- Breast screening mammography begins at 40 to 50 depending on guidelines, repeated every one to two years
- Cervical screening continues
- Eye test for glaucoma and refractive changes
- Prostate: discuss PSA testing from 45 to 50 if at higher risk
- Colon cancer screening from 45 in some countries, earlier with family history
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In your 50s
- Colorectal cancer screening: faecal immunochemical test (FIT) every one to two years, or colonoscopy every ten years, or other approved tests
- Breast screening continues
- Prostate discussion on PSA benefits and harms
- Lung cancer screening with low-dose CT for current or former heavy smokers in some countries
- Bone health: discuss osteoporosis risk at menopause
- Hepatitis B and C testing at least once if not previously tested
- Shingles vaccine from 50 in many countries
In your 60s and beyond
- Blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and kidney function regularly
- Bowel and breast screening continue to about 70 to 75, individualised afterward
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound once for men at 65 in many countries
- Bone density scan for women at 65 and for men at 70, or earlier with risk factors
- Vision and hearing tests
- Memory and falls risk assessment
- Vaccinations: annual flu, pneumococcal, shingles, RSV and COVID-19 boosters as recommended
- Medication review annually
At every age
- Know your family history and share it with your doctor
- Keep a healthy weight, exercise regularly, avoid tobacco and limit alcohol
- Go for dental checks every six to twelve months
- Wear sunscreen
- Do not ignore new symptoms such as a lump, unexplained weight loss, persistent cough, blood in stool or urine, changing mole or unusual tiredness
Making screening work for you
Keep a record of your results and dates. Reply to invitations from national screening programmes. Ask your doctor about benefits and limitations, particularly for PSA, mammography and CT scans. Be wary of expensive full-body scans and unregulated test packages sold directly to consumers, which often produce incidental findings and anxiety without proven benefit.
The bottom line
Prevention and early detection are among the most effective things you can do for your long-term health. A short conversation with your doctor can turn a general list into a plan tailored to you.
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you are worried about your health or have symptoms, speak to a doctor or other qualified health professional.