Eight Medical Tests Which No Woman Can Afford to Skip

There are now over three thousand medical tests available for various purposes and diseases. Some are so specific that it's hardly worth your knowing. Physicians, nonetheless, agree that these eight tests are essential for every woman. We'll start with the least obvious so you won't forget the frequently ignored tests

1. Vision Screening

Besides the obvious purpose to protect your eyesight. Vision screening has other benefits. Glaucoma can be detected before visual impairment. Early diagnosis of diabetes and high blood pressure is sometimes made on examination of the fundi (back of the eye balls).

Recommendation:

Adults above age of 40 and below 64 should have their eyes checked every 2 to 4 years. People below the age of 40 should have a comprehensive eye examination once and when required.

2. Skin Cancer Screening

Recommendation:

This should be performed once every year by your family physician from the age of 18. If doubts arise, this should be repeated once every three years by a dermatologist.

3. Fasting Blood Sugar Test

This is done after an eight hour fast. Elevated levels can alert one of the possibility of undiagnosed diabetes.

Recommendation:

Every adult age 45 and above should be screened. If the results are normal, this should be repeated at 3 year intervals. People with family history of diabetes or other risk factors should get tested at a younger age and have the test repeated yearly.

4. Lipid profile

This is a measurement of the total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol) and triglycerides (another blood lipid), the low-density lipoproteins (the bad cholesterol) is calculated.

Recommendation:

Children with family history of high cholesterol should be checked yearly from the age of 7. Most people should be checked at least once every 5 years even when this is normal of when risk factors are absent.

5. Electrocardiogram (EKG)

This test can be the first clue to heart conditions, even before symptoms appear. Even though women are less frequently struck by heart disease, heart disease is still the number one cause of death in women.

Recommendation:

Everyone above the age of 30 should have a baseline EKG.

6. Bone-Density Test (DEXA)

This is a quick X ray of the spine and hip and the gold standard for detecting osteoporosis which affects half of all American women.

Recommendation:

This should be done in a woman over the age of 40 and earlier if risk factors are present. If normal, this is to be repeated one year after menopause.

7. Pap Test

This test can be life-saving in detecting cervical cancers at their early stages.

Recommendation:

This is for all women under 18 who are or have been sexual active and for all women over 18.

8. Mammogram

This is an essential component to aid early detection of breast cancer.

Recommendation:

Women without family history, in their forties, should get a mammogram every year. An earlier start is recommended in women with family history.

Your doctor's views regarding these tests may vary. You may have to ask before these are ordered. With some insurance plans, they might not be fully covered. Nonetheless, do ask for these tests even if you have to pay for them. Otherwise, you may still need to pay, even much more, in terms of health, wealth and time lost.

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Bone Density Tests Without a Radiation Dose

Many people who want to know the status of their bone health don't want to undergo a DEXA test (bone density scan) for a number of reasons. One is the expense, but even more significant is that the DEXA test creates exposure to ionizing radiation. Even though it's reported to be a low dose, more and more people are becoming uncomfortable with being exposed to any more radiation than they absolutely have to be, especially after the Japan nuclear site leaks, which are spreading radiation across the planet on the prevailing winds.

And then, there's the uncertainty about what the DEXA scan results actually mean and whether or not the test results are accurate and therefore can be relied upon. Questions about accuracy is a pertinent concern, because if the test is conducted on a different machine than was used previously, scores can be higher or lower. Therefore the reading results are not directly reflecting the actual density of bones, but rather also include influences from equipment that measured them.

Then, there's the T score Z score issue. Many people question the validity of comparing an older woman's bone density score to the average bone density of a 35 year old woman, which is what the T score evaluates. Better, they say, to use the Z score, which compares bone density of the patient with that of others her own age. After all, you wouldn't expect to compare the vision of a 65 year old with that of a 35 year old - some decline is expected with age and is not in that case cause for aggressive treatment with medications.

These and other reasons are why many people want a different test. Do such things exist?

The short answer is, 'yes', some other tests do exist. That said, it's important to know that these other tests are going to give a different answer than a DEXA answers because each of these tests asks a different question.

A question answered by DEXA scan results is "how dense are my bones?" A DEXA scan result, when compared to a previous one on the same equipment, can also address, "Does it appear that I have gained or lost bone since my last scan?"

Two alternative tests answer different but relevant questions, which are:

"Does it appear that I am I breaking down bone right now, and

"If so, how much?"

To answer that question, by-products of bone breakdown can be measured in the urine. These tests have several advantages:

1. They have the possibility of uncovering a bone loss process in its earlier stages;

2. They carry no risk of exposure to x-rays or photons; and

3. They are far less expensive than DPA or DEXA.

Before interpreting the results, however, you should know that measurements can vary by up to 40 or even 50% from one day to the next - not because the tests are inaccurate, but because bone loss rates can vary that much from day to day, and even hour to hour!

One such test measures the level of calcium excretion in the urine. However, if the test shows a higher rate of calcium excretion, that still doesn't mean the calcium is being taken from the bone. For example, the body could be dumping calcium due to high protein intake where the body is attempting to get rid of some calcium to balance phosphorus ratios, and the high score has nothing to do with bone loss at all.

Also, a great deal depends on when in the course of the bone breakdown process the tests are taken: urinary calcium is increased in the initial phases of bone depletion, normal later, and low when the bone bank calcium deposits are drained.

Another urine test measures pryidinium crosslinks, which are metabolic products that show up in the urine when bone type I collagen is being broken down. Again, this is a test that takes a 'snapshot' of the bone loss process at the moment the test is taken.

Normal laboratory values for these test people are still being determined to discover normal levels for people of different ages.

Therefore, interpreting these results remains a matter of opinion.

Still, for a variety of reasons, such alternative test results can be valuable in attempting to discover status of the mineral density of your bones - and doing so without a radiation dose!

You can bolster your physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being with free expert, insider tips to guide you. You're invited to subscribe and request your topic at http://www.betterhealthbytes.com/Ask-About-Health.html.

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