5 Important Checkups Every Woman Should Do In Their Lifetime

5 Important Checkups Every Woman Should Do In Their Lifetime

By

There is nothing paranoid about having a check-up when you feel healthy and fine, because it’s important for every person to make time for health screenings regularly. You’ll never know, it may just save your life.

RELATED: Support Breast Cancer Awareness with These Pretty Pink Beauty Essentials

Early detection of a disease can prevent and even improve your lifestyle. No woman should be left in the dark about their illnesses, so it’s important to be aware of possible diseases early on.

If you’ve developed a healthy habit of exercising, balancing work and social life, and a good diet, then great! You’re on the right track. But you shouldn’t forget to do these health check-ups too, just to be sure.

Annual Physical Exam

To know the general status of your health, it’s important to show up for your annual physical exam. By having your primary care provider assess your overall health, it could potentially identify, prevent, and treat issues before they get worse. This examination will also help you keep track of your health goals.

Mammogram

According to the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, 1 in 13 Filipinas develops breast cancer in her lifetime. Detecting breast cancer early is when it is most treatable and a mammogram–which is a non-invasive X-ray used to check breasts for breast cancer or other abnormalities–is the most effective way to reduce breast cancer deaths.

But before you decide to randomly have a mammogram, a self-examination can increase the odds of early detection. Here are steps to an effective breast self-examination:

  1. Touch: With your body lying down, use the flat pads of your three middle fingers to move around the area of your breasts in little circles. Change the pressure to feel all the levels of your breast tissue. If you feel lumps, don’t panic. 80% of lumps are not cancerous but it’s best to visit your doctor for further evaluation.
  2. Look: Stand in front of a mirror to examine your breasts. Compare the size, shape, and texture of each breast. Check if there are sudden changes to your breast’s appearance: dimpling, rash, itch, swelling or nipple discharge.

Pap Smear

This is a test to detect cervical cancer in women. Doctors recommend having the test at the age of 21, every three years until you turn 65 years old. A cause of cervical cancer could be certain types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is a common virus that can be passed from one partner to another during sex. The earliest prevention of HPV is to get an HPV Vaccine at your early teens, before being sexually active.

Cholesterol Check

If you’re aged 20 years old or older, get your cholesterol measured once every five years. Getting your cholesterol checked could asses your risks of developing heart disease or stroke.

Depression screening

Adults starting by the age of 18 should be screened for depression, including pregnant and postpartum women. By having a routine screening for depression, it could lead to improvements in treatment f0r people diagnosed with clinical depression.

Every month, ask yourself two questions:

  1.  Have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless during this month?
  2. During the past month, have you often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things?

In the Philippines, Mental Health Week and Breast Cancer Awareness Month all happen in October. By simply raising awareness of these illnesses, you could help save a woman’s life.

As we shed light on the importance of having health check-ups, it is also comforting to know that you don’t have to go through it alone. On Saturday, October 19, Avon’s Pink Light Night Run and Walk for Breast Cancer event is happening at the Filinvest City Event Grounds.

Everybody who joins the annual initiative will be donating and providing assistance to the Philippine Cancer Society.

 

Join the Avon Pink Light Night Run and Walk for Breast Cancer by registering here.

Order your print copy of this month's MEGA Magazine:
Download this month's MEGA digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]