What should I get checked at 40?

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Forty is when screening gets real, because the cancer checks join the silent numbers. The silent numbers carry over from your thirties: MedlinePlus notes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol have no early symptoms, so regular checks stay on the list, with more frequent monitoring if you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, excess weight, or a first-degree relative with high blood pressure. The additions: for women, mammograms, because MedlinePlus says mammograms work best at finding breast cancer in women ages 40 to 74, with the every-1-to-2-years schedule set with your provider; cervical screening continues, with women 30 through 65 screened with either a Pap test every 3 years or the HPV test every 5 years. For everyone at 45: colorectal cancer screening begins, with several test options available, and earlier if you have a strong family history of colon cancer or polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. Men 55 to 69 get the prostate-specific antigen conversation with their provider about pros and cons rather than an automatic test. The rest of the forties list: blood pressure and cholesterol on schedule, diabetes screening given the risk factors above, dental and eye exams, and vaccines current. Family history remains the wildcard that pulls any of these earlier.

What should I get checked at 40?

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