Health screenings are a vital part of preventive healthcare. Being proactive with the screenings enables you to detect potential health conditions as early as possible, ensuring prompt and effective treatment.
This article guides you through the recommended health screening tests for women on every life stage.
Breast cancer is the most typical cancer among women in Singapore. Similar to most cancer types, breast cancers’ exact cause is unknown. Breast cancer cells typically develop a tumour that patients can typically feel as lumps or can be seen through an x-ray.
All women are at risk of breast cancer, and the risk of developing it increases as she grows older. Women at the age of fifty or older and those who have a family history of breast cancer have a higher chance of developing breast cancer. Fortunately, early detection can increase patients’ chances of survival.
Since breast cancer symptoms are subtle, most women tend to be unaware of having the condition during the early stages. Therefore, women, particularly those fifty years old and above, should go for a mammogram every year. Women should also do a self-examination regularly to check for the presence of any lumps. Early detection prevents the tumour from developing further, resulting in severe complications and becomes harder to cure.
Cervical cancer is the cancer of the womb’s neck known as the cervix. This condition is caused by the HPV or Human Papillomavirus infection, a typical virus that everyone will get at some point in their life. The infection can spread via skin-to-skin contact like sexual intercourse.
This cancer type is a slow-progressing condition which typically takes up to fifteen years to develop. Up to 90% of cervical cases are curable in the early stages. Hence, women should protect themselves against cervical cancer by getting screened regularly or taking the vaccine in reputable women’s clinic Singapore, even though they do not show any signs or symptoms.
The Singapore Health Promotion Board proposed girls within nine to twenty-six years to take HPV vaccination. Ideally, every female should get the vaccine before becoming sexually active.
On the other hand, women within the age of twenty-five to twenty-nine years old are recommended to go for a Pap smear every three years, whereas women within the age of thirty should opt for an HPV test every five years.
Sexually active women should get screened for STDs or sexually transmitted diseases in recommended women’s clinics in Singapore. People commonly contracted STDs through unprotected sex. While symptoms of STDs may vary, many STD carriers do not show any symptoms.
Common sexually transmitted infections include HIV or AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes, syphilis and genital warts. STDs may lead to fertility issues if left undetected and untreated. Therefore, treating STDs early is critical to mitigate complications and prevent the spread of infections to others. However, while some STDs are curable, AIDs has no cure.
Aside from mammogram and Pap smears, women should also regularly take general health screenings to detect any possible medical problems early. Below are some essential general health screenings women should take:
This test is vital to ensure the arteries are in good shape since damaged or weakened arteries may clog up and become less elastic, increasing the individual’s risk of getting a stroke or heart attack. Women aged eighteen years old and above should get blood pressure measurement once every two years or more regularly as advised by their physician.
This test is usually used to screen for type 1 and 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes. Occasionally, it is used to detect hypoglycemia. Although most cases of diabetes are not treatable, the condition is manageable, and patients can take certain precautions to limit further complications. People who are forty years and older are advised to take the test once every three years.
This test is used to check the cholesterol level. Maintaining a healthy level of cholesterol helps lower the risk of heart diseases and strokes. Women with no risk factors should get their cholesterol checked every three years once they reach forty years old.
BMI is the most popular and simplest way to measure body fat. Women at the age of eighteen and above should get a BMI test to screen for obesity once every year.
Women should make time to get regular health screenings to detect potential health issues early. Early detection would not only increase their chances of getting cured, but they can also prevent further complications. Essential women’s health screening every woman should get
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