How often should I get a physical?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
There is no universal calendar: MedlinePlus ties physical-exam frequency to your age, health, and risk factors. The useful rule of thumb: healthy adults under 50 do fine every one to three years; 50-plus, chronic conditions, or long-term medications mean yearly - the visit doubles as medication review and complication screening. Women layer on the well-woman visit and cervical schedule. The real value was never the ritual - it is the updated baselines, the checked-off screenings, the current vaccines, and the small questions asked early. If you never go, the first baseline visit matters more than the interval debate. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you plan what your next visit should cover.
What to do
- Under 50 and healthy? Every 1-3 years is fine.
- 50+, chronic condition, or daily meds? Yearly.
- Use the visit for the list: screenings, vaccines, baselines.
- Never been? Book the baseline: the first one pays for years.
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