Top Ten Health Screening Tests Females Should Do

Bone Density Test

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, nearly 10 million elderly in the United States are suffering from osteoporosis (disease that causes decrease in bone mass or thinning of bone and thus the bones become more fragile and more likely to break), of which 80% of them are women.

After postmenopausal for 6 to 7 years, women will lost as much as 30% of the bone mineral. Postmenopausal women with weight less than 57kg, heavy smokers or those who had non-traumatic fracture during their adulthood or have experienced bone loss or bone trauma, have taken certain medications such as corticosteroids, prednisone, dilantin, barbiturates and thyroid replacement medication that may have led to bone loss as a side effect, women who have been on HRT/ERT (hormone replacement therapy) for prolonged periods, have a family record of osteoporosis, fracture(s), hyperthyroidism (a condition in which an overactive thyroid gland is producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones that circulate in the blood) and other related clinical conditions such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease, should have their bone density checked. This test is also recommended by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force for all women aged 65 and older to get their bones checked at least once a year.

Bone density, densitometry or DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) uses special X-rays to measure how many grams of your calcium and other bone minerals that are packed into a segment of your bone. The higher the mineral content, the denser and the stronger the bones will be and vice versa. The test determines if you have osteoporosis or are at risk of osteoporosis before your bones become fragile and break easily.

DEXA screening is considered the most accurate bone density check. It is painless and the patient is exposed to less radiation as compared to a standard chest X-ray. While lying with your clothes on the bed, your spine, hip and wrist will be scanned. If your bone density is extremely low, the doctor will suggest you to do a urine test in order to diagnose how fast your bone loss. This test requires you to do once a year. If your urine test shows that you suffer from osteoporosis, the doctor may suggest you to take at least 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 to 800 lus vitamin D for daily supplement.

Clinical Breast Examination and Breast X-ray

Breast Cancer Cells

Both examinations are important to diagnose whether you have a breast cancer or not. Approximately 97% who went through these examinations will not relapse for at least 5 years.

When females reach 20 years old, they should get their breasts examined. Normally, doctor will do a routine check by pressing around the breasts to see whether there are any anomalies. Females who are in their 40s and above should have clinical breast exam (CBE) and mammogram (a picture of the breast made with X-rays and it is also the best tool for doctor to detect breast cancer early) screening every 1 to 2 years. After the age of 50, females should receive a screening mammography every year. At the end of the menstrual period, the breasts tend to become harden which is also the best time to do the Breast X-ray examination. During a clinical breast examination, the doctor will look for differences in size or shape, dimpling, or other abnormal signs between your breasts. Your nipples may be squeezed to check for fluid. This thorough clinical breast examination may take you approximately 10 minutes.

Breast X-ray examination using a regular X-ray examination. If you have done this X-rays, you should bring along your previous mammograms or medical records so that the doctor can do a comparison with the newly taken mammogram. If your breast examination showed some abnormalities, such as a small lump or tumor, then the doctor will do a breast ultrasound or Magnetic Resonance Breast Imaging, MRI (a test help to distinguish between non-cancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant) lesions). Your breast is not exposed to radiation as this ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves instead of X-rays. These inspections are necessary to identify whether the tumor is hard enough for a biopsy (the removal of cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist). The biopsy is one of the methods to tell for sure if cancer is existed.

Colonoscopy Examination

Females should do this test before the critical symptoms of colon (the last portion of your digestive tract or gastrointestinal tract). The test is done to prevent colon cancer. Approximately 90% of the colon cancer is curable at the early stage.

Colon Cancer

Doctor recommends females who reach 50 years old to have a colonoscopy check. If your family has a record of colorectal cancer, chronic inflammatory bowel disease or certain hereditary syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis or FAP (an inherited colorectal cancer syndrome), people with a high risk of colon polyps before 50 years old, your risk of getting colon cancer is higher. In this case, you should get your colon checked every 5 years. If the initial check of your colon does not show any abnormalities, and you do not have a family member with a colon cancer's record, then you may do this test every 10 years.