1. Check Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the key risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s why the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends regular blood pressure screenings with a simple test using a cuff around your arm to measure the force of blood through your vessels.
This screening should start at age 20, the AHA recommends. If your blood pressure is below 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), which is the ideal reading, you can have it checked at least once every two years until age 40, then annually after that. If it’s higher, you may be asked to have it checked more often.
Because some people get nervous during an office blood pressure test, which may cause higher than average readings, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent group of medical experts, recommends confirming these readings with tests at home or other locations before determining whether treatment is needed.
2. Test Your Blood Sugar
According to the 2022 American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendations, adults without risk factors for diabetes should be screened for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes starting at age 35, instead of age 45 as was previously recommended.
The ADA also says women who are planning to become pregnant should get screened before they conceive or, for unplanned pregnancies, at their first prenatal visit. Pregnant women should additionally be screened for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
For people who are overweight or obese, and therefore at increased risk of diabetes, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that people from 35 to 70 get screened at least every two years until age 40. Those with readings indicating prediabetes should be referred for important lifestyle interventions.
Diabetes screens are blood tests, and there are three that are effective. One is a nonfasting test called hemoglobin A1C, or A1C, which measures your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. Other screens involve testing blood sugar after an overnight fast or a glucose test that measures blood sugar after you drink a sugary substance.