Do you know when is the right time to consult your doctor and have a medical check-up? This question has a wide range of possible answers since it lies in different categories like gender, age, genetics, etc.
Therefore, it is important to make time for a visit to your doctor so that you would be updated on your current health condition. The majority of the population may think that it is necessary to have an annual medical check-up.
However, only half or a third of the population only needs to do it. Continue reading this blog if you want to know more about how often you should get a medical check-up.
According to Age
For most adults, there are assigned periods of time wherein you have to get a medical check-up for every age group. For ages ranging from nineteen to twenty-one (19-21), it should be done once in every 2-3 years.
For ages ranging from twenty-two to sixty-four (22-64), it should be done once every 1-3 years. And for those who are older than sixty-five (65), it should be done annually.
Keep in mind that these are only the recommendations of the experts and the schedule may change depending on the result of your initial check-up with your doctor. In cases that your doctor has confirmed that your health condition is in a good state, do everything that you can to maintain a healthy life.
When you reach the age of forty (40) years old, it is highly suggested to have a cholesterol screening every 3 to 5 years. You may also want to test and have a screening for colorectal cancer as well as a fecal occult blood test annually.
Lastly, colonoscopy is also important to have every 10 years. For those of you who are ages fifty-five (55) and above, and you consider yourself as a smoker or someone who has already stopped smoking 15 years ago, it is recommended by experts for you to have regular lung screenings.
After this, an annual shingles vaccination when you reach the age of sixty (60), and then a pneumococcal vaccination at the age of sixty-five (65).
Also, make sure to schedule a visit to your doctor whenever you are feeling worried, depressed, or if you want to ask anything about your current health condition. For those of you who want to lose weight, you must have a full medical check-up before you make a diet or workout routine.
By Gender
In most cases, women are required to have a few additional screenings like breast and pelvic screening and examination together with the general screenings. For women who are between the ages of eighteen to twenty-nine (18-29), do not neglect the HPV vaccination. And then once you have this, you may also want to get a pap smear and check if you are a candidate for cervical cancer every three years.
For women who are between the ages of thirty to forty-nine (30-49), a pap smear should be acquired every 5 years and ask your doctor if a mammogram is also required. For women who are fifty years old and above, mammograms should be done annually until you reach the age of seventy-five (75). Pap smears should also be done every 4 to 5 years and can be stopped by the time you are already sixty-five or seventy years old. (65 or 70).
Men usually maintain a good health condition by following the general guidelines up until they reach the age of fifty (50) year old, This is one of the reasons why they do not have a hard time passing medical exams.
However, you may also want to follow these tips for your medical check-ups. First, have a bone density scan. Then check your personal records and see if your family has a history of having prostate cancer so that you can also know if you need to test yourself.
By the time that you reach the age of sixty-five (65) and you are currently or had a history of smoking, you need to have an ultrasound to screen and check on your abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Always remember that these are only suggestions on how often you should get a medical check-up and it is not fixed since the aforementioned tests and screenings will still depend on your current health condition.
Key Takeaway
For medical packages that are offered as an annual service, are you informed about the specific inclusions it comes with during the one year period? Or should you go for the ones that are done every two to three years?
That is why medical check-ups are so important and that as a consumer, you have to be aware of the services that you are currently availing and its significance to your life.
