What You Need To Know About Preventative Health Check

From 18 Onwards

Most of the problems that women start right at the beginning, from when you turn 18 and legally become an adult. From this point, you’ll have lots of adult responsibilities, including keeping up with your health checks. Here’s what you should be having at this point.

• Basic Measurements (from 18 up, at least every 2 years)

Keeping up with your basic measurements, i.e. weight, height and waist, is a good way to view your overall health. In the fight against obesity, keeping track of your measurements means you’ll be able to realise when you become overweight. These measurements can help you determine your BMI, as well as give insight into the possibility of you developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and others. Unfortunately, the bigger you are, the higher your risk is.

• Blood Pressure (from 18 up, at least every 2 years)

People with very high or very low blood pressure can find themselves suffering from a range of medical issues, so it really does pay to be prepared. If you’re found to have low blood pressure, you might find yourself experiencing light-headedness, dizziness, weakness, blurred vision, fatigue and even fainting. On the other side, those with high blood pressure have a greater chance of developing diseases like strokes, heart attacks, and kidney disease. In either case, get it checked regularly.

• Pap Smear (from 18 (or when you start having sex), every two years)

Pap smears inform doctors whether there are any abnormal cells in your cervix that might develop into cervical cancer. This check must be done for the first time between about 18 and 20, or around 1-2 years from when you first have sexual intercourse. Some cells will be removed from the cervix, and then tested, and if there are abnormalities, your health professional will be able to look into it further. Doing this every two years may just save your life.

• Skin Check (from 18 up, every 12 months)

Unfortunately, melanoma is a young person’s disease. It’s one of the more common cancers in young people, and in a sunny place like Australia, you need to be prepared. Getting a skin check from a doctor (or skin specialist) every 12 months is a must in keeping track of problem skin issues and moles. With continuous exposure to the sun, there’s a constant chance of developing skin cancer. Regular checks mean the cancers can be removed early, before they have a chance to spread.

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