As women age, health-test priority changes
By Mary Beth Faller
Arizona Republic
Routine screening is a good way to catch health problems at an early stage, when most conditions are curable.
As women age, different issues become a priority. Talk to your doctor about screening. In addition to age, your family and personal history can affect which tests you may need, as well as their timing and frequency. Here are some routine screenings women need:
20S: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Chlamydia, a bacterial infection of the genitals, is the most common sexually transmitted disease among men and women. Left untreated, chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility and an increased chance of HIV infection. Chlamydia usually has no symptoms.
Tests:
Fact: Both partners must be treated with antibiotics to be cured of chlamydia.
More information: See www.itsyoursexlife.com, sponsored by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, for a quiz on how much you know about STDs.
30S: EYE HEALTH
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that usually share the common symptom of high eye pressure. Women are more susceptible to a type called normal tension glaucoma, in which eye pressure is not high. The disease's cause is unknown, and a woman may not know she has it. All types of glaucoma are diagnosed during an eye exam, which is recommended beginning in the 30s.
Tests:
Fact: Presybopia, the condition that makes people hold a newspaper at arm's length, begins by the late 30s.
More information: Visit the Glaucoma Research Foundation, www.glaucoma.org, to read about treatments.
40S: BREAST HEALTH
Some health practitioners used to advocate mammograms at age 40, but the practice has come into question. If you have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, you may want to talk to your doctor about genetic testing.
Tests:
Fact: Women who have had breast implants must have mammograms done at a lab whose technicians are experienced in dealing with them.
More information: Visit the Women's Cancer Network, www.wcn.org, for a breast cancer risk assessment quiz.
50S: COLORECTAL HEALTH
The chances of getting colon cancer increase greatly after 50, and women are just as likely as men to get it. Colon cancer starts with small growths in the colon that are not cancerous; that is why regular screening to detect these growths is so important.
Tests:
Fact: People between the ages of 50 and 80 who take the fecal occult blood test every one or two years are 33 percent less likely to die of colon cancer than those who do not take the test.
More information: Visit the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org, to learn about the link between colon cancer and eating red meat.
60S+: BONE HEALTH
Women can lose up to 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, leaving them susceptible to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is called the "silent disease" because there are no symptoms of bone loss until a sudden strain or bump causes a fracture.
Test: Bone-mass measurement, usually an X-ray-type test, at least once by age 65. Younger women with significant risk factors, such as a history of medicinal steroid use or strong family history, might have the test earlier. A doctor should decide.
Fact: Exercise not only helps maintain bone mass but can improve balance and help prevent falls and possible bone fractures.
More information: Visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation, www.nof.org, for ways to prevent the crippling bone disease.
Sources: Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention, www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation; Glaucoma Research Foundation; Women's Cancer Network; American Cancer Society; National Osteoporosis Foundation
