This document provides health statistics and recommendations for women's health screenings and preventative care. It notes that 15.8% of women currently smoke, 36% are obese, and 33% have hypertension. It recommends regular screenings such as mammograms and Pap smears to monitor for diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Suggested lifestyle habits include a balanced diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and immunizations. Specific screening guidelines are provided for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and colon cancer.

2.  Number of residents (all ages): 158.3 million
(2011)
 15.8% of women age >18 currently smoke
 36% of women age >20 are obese
 33% of women age >20 have hypertension
 68% of women age >40 had a mammogram
in the past 2 years
 75% of women age >18 had Pap smear in past
3 years

3.  Heart Disease
 Cancer
 Stroke

5.  Balanced Diet
 Proper Exercise
 GetAdequate Sleep on a Regular Basis
 Decrease/Manage Stress
 Immunizations (seek advice from health
provider)*
 Screening Exams (seek advice from health
provider)*
 Approach Health Holistically (mind, body,
spirit)

6.  Health screening and immunization
recommendations may vary depending on
the source (Center for Disease Control,
AmericanCancer Society, National Institute
of Health,Your Insurance Provider, etc.)
 Specific health conditions or risk factors may
require earlier or more frequent testing than
discussed in this module.

8.  Yearly influenza vaccine – everyone aged 6
months and up
 HPV vaccine – age 9 up to age 26; the CDC
recommends that all 11 or 12 year old girls get
the 3 doses (shots) of either brand of HPV
vaccine to protect against cervical cancer.
Gardasil also protects against most genital
warts, as well as some cancers of the vulva,
vagina and anus. Girls and young women ages 13
through 26 should get HPV vaccine if they have
not received any or all doses when they were
younger.

9.  Meningococcal vaccine – for college students and
military recruits
 Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster every 10 years –
all ages
 Pneumococcal vaccine – Pneumococcal conjugate
vaccine (PCV13)is recommended for all kids younger
than 5 and for adults with certain risk factors. Children
2 or older who are at high risk should also receive the
pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23). All
adults 65 and older — and those 19 or up with risk
factors such as asthma, COPD, diabetes — should
receive the vaccine.

10.  PPSV23.Herpes Zoster (Shingles) vaccine –
The vaccine for shingles (Zostavax®) is
recommended for people 60 and up in order
to prevent shingles.

12.  Get tested at least every 2 years if your blood
pressure is normal (lower than 120/80).
 You should be tested once a year if you have
blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89.
 Discuss treatment with your doctor or nurse
if your blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.

13.  Your height and weight will be checked at
your annual wellness visit
 Ask your provider for recommendations if
your BMI (body mass index) suggests that
you are overweight

15.  Women over age 44 should be checked every
5 years.
 If you have diabetes, heart disease, kidney
problems, or certain other health issues, you
may need to checked more frequently.

16.  Elevated blood sugar is often asymptomatic
 Check at least every 3 years starting in 40’s
 More frequent and earlier testing would be
appropriate for those at higher risk such as
those with a family history, obesity, high
blood pressure, or certain other conditions

18.  Pap Smears should be done once every 2 - 3 years.
 Pelvic exams may be done more often to check for
other disorders.
 If your Pap smears have been normal three times in a
row, your health provider may tell you that you only
need a Pap smear once every 3 years.
 Women who have had a total hysterectomy (uterus
and cervix removed) may opt not to have Pap smears.
 Women who are sexually active should be checked for
chlamydia infection.This can be done during a pelvic
exam.

20.  Women 40 or older should have
a mammogram done every 1-2
years, depending on their risk factors, in
order to check for breast cancer.
 Consult your health provider if you have a
family history.

21.  20’s and 30’s at least every 3 years
 40’s and over, every year
 Between 10-15% of breast lumps are not
visible on standard mammogram.

22.  Being a woman
 Cigarette Smoking
 Obesity
 Never having had a child
 Family history
 Ethnicity

23.  Breast cancer diagnosed < age 50
 Ovarian cancer at any age
 Two primary breast cancers
 Male breast cancer
 Triple negative breast cancer
 Pancreas cancer with additional HBOC cancer
 Ashkenazi Jew descent with additional HBOC
cancer
 A previously identified BRCA gene mutation
in the family

25.  All women who have gone through
menopause and have fractures should have
a bone density test (DEXA scan).
 Women under the age of 65 who have risk
factors for osteoporosis should be screened.

27.  Begins at age 50
 Colonoscopy every 10 years until late 70’s
 Alternative study – Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
every 5 years with annual fecal blood test
 Annual fecal blood test alone

28.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Office ofWomen’s Health
 NationalCancer Institute at the National
Institutes of Health