Health Checks for Women: What to Have and When

It is common to feel unsure which checks apply to you, and normal for the list to change as you do. This folder gathers them in two ways: a page for each life stage and a card for each single check. You are welcome to start with the stage you are in, or the one you are supporting. For the teen years, there is health checks in puberty. For adult life before the transition, the reproductive years page sets routine checks beside questions about fertility by age. If you came looking for a perimenopause test, that page lays out the full set of checks for the transition, and the menopause test page does the same for the stage that follows. For the years after, the page linked from FSH after menopause covers the routine checks of postmenopause. The cards below open one check at a time.

HPV vaccine: When the HPV vaccine is given and who can catch up.
Ferritin and iron tests: What a ferritin test shows about iron stores and why it matters with heavy periods.
DEXA scan and FRAX: How a DEXA scan measures bone density and who may benefit from one earlier.
Mammogram and breast screening: How often a mammogram is offered, and how US and UK ages differ.
Colon cancer screening (bowel screening in the UK): Stool tests and colonoscopy, and when each is offered.
Pap smear and cervical screening: What a Pap smear involves and how the HPV test fits in.
Blood pressure: What counts as normal blood pressure for women and how a home reading can help.
HbA1c and blood sugar: What an HbA1c result says about blood sugar.
Waist measurement: How waist to height ratio works as a simple home check.
Cholesterol and Lp(a): What a lipid panel measures, and why high cholesterol often has no symptoms.
Well-woman exam (NHS Health Check in the UK): What a well woman exam usually covers and what is worth bringing along.
Family history and genetic testing: How family history can lead to earlier screening or breast cancer genetic screening.

Facts

HPV vaccine at 11–12 (can start at 9), with catch-up to 26: 2 doses if started before 15, 3 doses if started at 15–26. The UK gives 1 dose at age 12–13. 11–12 (from 9); catch-up to 26

CDC: About HPV Vaccine · 2026

Cervical screening: Pap test every 3 years from 21; from 30, HPV test every 5 years, continuing to 65. UK: from 25, every 5 years if HPV-negative, with invitations to 64. 21: 3 y; 30: 5 y

USPSTF, Cervical Cancer: Screening; NHS cervical screening: when you'll be invited · 2018

Mammogram every 2 years from 40 to 74. UK: every 3 years from 50 to 71. every 2 y from 40

USPSTF, Breast Cancer: Screening; NHS breast screening: when you'll be invited · 2024

Colorectal screening from 45 to 75 with a stool test (FIT) or colonoscopy. UK: from 50.

USPSTF, Colorectal Cancer: Screening · 2021

Bone density (DEXA) from 65, or earlier after menopause with risk factors. from 65 (earlier with risk)

USPSTF, Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: Screening · 2025

Common questions

Is the HPV vaccine only for teenagers?

No. The CDC notes that the vaccine prevents most cervical cancers, so the catch-up years are a good time to check vaccination records if doses were missed. Some adults aged 27–45 may choose it after talking with their primary care provider (UK: GP). When two doses are given, they are spaced 6–12 months apart.

Does family history change which checks I need?

It can. Breast, ovarian or bowel cancer in close relatives may mean earlier screening or genetic testing, so it is worth writing the details down once and updating them. Bringing them to a well woman visit gives your provider what they need to suggest a plan.

When should I see a doctor sooner than a routine check?

Noticing a change is common, and having it looked at is a normal use of a visit rather than something to save for a screening date. It is worth booking with your primary care provider or OB-GYN (UK: GP) for a new breast lump or any breast change, unexplained weight loss, symptoms that are getting worse, or, after menopause, any bleeding 12 months or more after your last period.

What if I have dense breasts or am 75 or over?

The USPSTF (2024) found too little evidence to recommend for or against mammograms at 75 and over, or an added ultrasound or MRI after a normal mammogram with dense breasts. That makes it a personal decision, not a fixed rule. A good place to start is asking your provider (UK: GP) whether your last mammogram report noted dense tissue, and what continuing would offer you.

When is blood sugar screening suggested?

The usual test is an HbA1c, a simple blood test your primary care provider (UK: GP or practice nurse) can arrange. It is commonly repeated every 1–3 years after gestational diabetes, and it is worth asking about if you have PCOS, since both raise diabetes risk. US guidance (USPSTF 2021) places screening at 35–70 for adults at higher risk, repeating every 3 years if the result is normal.

Next steps

A good place to start is the stage page that matches your life now, then the one or two cards that apply to you. Many women find it helpful to note the dates of their last screenings before a visit with their primary care provider (UK: GP), and to ask which checks are due this year and which can wait. US and UK programs set different ages and intervals, and your own history matters too, so health checks are not one size fits all: what to book, and when, is yours to decide.

Which health checks for women matter at each life stage?