Preventive Guidelines for Healthy Women

Hill Physicians recommends the following screenings and exams for healthy women. These guidelines are general in nature and the judgment and experience of your physician, informed by these standards of care and as applied to your specific case, are the final determinants of patient care.

Recommended Screenings

Screening/Procedure	Age Range	Frequency
Health assessment or “physical”	19 to 39 years	As needed
	40 to 64 years	Every 3 to 5 years
	65 and older	Annually
Blood pressure	All ages	Once every 2 years
Cholesterol	20 to 45 years	One time if no other risk factors for coronary artery disease are present
	20 to 45 years	Once every 5 years if other risk factors for coronary artery disease are present
	45 years and older	Once every 5 years or more frequently if family history of high cholesterol is present
Colorectal cancer screening	40-49 years	As needed based on personal health history
Colorectal cancer screening	50 years and older	Every 1 to 10 years depending on screening method (fecal occult blood test, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy)
HIV screening	19-64 years	As part of routine medical care
Clinical breast exam	All ages	Annually
Mammogram	40 to 50 years	Every 1 to 2 years
Mammogram	50 years and older	Annually
Cervical cancer screening	21-65 years	Every 2-3 years Screening schedule may be adjusted based on personal health history
Pelvic exam	All ages	Every 1-3 years depending on health status
Chlamydial infection	Up to 25 years	Annually
Osteoporosis screening	All women 65 years and older Younger women with one or more risk factors	Every 5 years

Recommended Vaccinations and Immunizations

Vaccination	Age Range	Frequency
Flu shot (Influenza vaccine)	All ages	Annually during fall months
Tetanus diphtheria, pertussis (Td or Tdap) booster	All ages	Td every 10 years; substitute one Tdap for Td
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine	Women up to age 26 who have not completed the multiple-dose series	One 3-dose series
Pneumococcal vaccine	65 years and older	At least once
Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine	Those without proof of immunity	Two doses at least one month apart
Zoster (shingles) vaccine	60 years and older	Once
Other vaccinations	All ages	As needed without proof of previous immunity or per risk assessment

Be a wise health consumer. Learn more about Making the Most of Your Appointment.