Top 10 Essential Lab Tests Every Woman Should Know About

Pap test is done to check cervical cancer. This test is similar to the test for Human papilloma virus (HPV).

At what age is it necessary -

It is necessary for women between 21 to 65 years.

How often should it be done -

If your age is between 30 to 65 years, then you should get this test done every three or five years. For this, you can get both the Pap test and HPV test done. In this, you do not need pelvic examination.

Why is it important -

Both these tests are done to check the changes in the cells. This tells about the need to do further necessary tests, such as biopsy, to confirm cancer.

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Colorectal cancer affects both the colon and the rectum. Colonoscopy is done to test for colorectal cancer.

At what age is it necessary -

It is necessary for women between 50 and 75 years of age. After 75 years, you have to consult a doctor about whether to get this test done regularly or not.

How often should it be done -

It is necessary to get it done once every ten years.

Why is it important -

Colonoscopy can easily detect colorectal cancer and its early symptoms. With this test, women can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Like breast and lung cancer, it is a common cancer in women. Women who have a family member who has previously suffered from colorectal cancer have a higher chance of getting it, so doctors recommend getting this type of test done in time.

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This cancer develops in the breast cells of women. Mammogram test is done to check it. It is an imaging test, in which the breast cells of women are checked.

At what age is it necessary -

It is necessary for women aged 50 - 74 years, because at this age women have more chances of getting many types of diseases. You should consult your doctor about getting this test done regularly or not.

How often should it be done -

If your age is close to the possible age of getting breast cancer, then you should get a mammogram test done every year. If any woman in the family has previously had breast cancer or ovarian cancer, then your doctor may ask you to get a mammogram test done even in less than a year.

Why is it important -

There are many other methods available for breast cancer detection. Therefore, apart from mammograms, you can also get other tests done to confirm breast cancer. With the help of mammograms, women can know about the changes in the breast cells in time. Not only this, with the help of this test, you can try to get rid of cancer in the initial stages itself.

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Blood pressure test is done to check the speed of blood circulating in the body. In this test, the speed of blood circulation is measured by putting a machine on the arm.

At what age is it necessary -

All women and girls above the age of 18 should get this test done.

How often should it be done -

There is a little controversy on how many times this test should be done. Still, some experts say that a healthy woman or girl should get this test done every six months or a year. Whereas if you are suffering from any kind of disease, you should get it done as per the advice of your doctor. 

Why is it important -

High BP is considered to be a major cause of heart disease in women. After checking BP, the doctor can give you many suggestions to stay healthy. If BP (blood pressure) is higher or lower than normal, then the doctor suggests diet and exercise to bring it to normal level. Apart from this, BP can also be normalized by taking medicines. If the BP level is low or high, the doctor checks it regularly, so that he gets to know about the effect of medicines and other suggestions.

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The cholesterol test in the body is also called lipid panel or lipid profile. Doctors use this test to check the level of triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood in addition to "good" cholesterol (HDL) and "bad" cholesterol (LDL). This test is done on an empty stomach. This is said because after eating food, there is an imbalance in the level of fat called triglycerides. This is why doctors advise not to eat anything for about 4 to 6 hours before doing this test.

At what age is it necessary -

Women aged 45 and above are at risk of heart disease. It is not that women younger than this age cannot have heart disease, but changes in cholesterol levels are seen more in women of this age. 

How often should it be done -

A healthy woman should get this test done once a year.

Why is it important -

High cholesterol is the main cause of some diseases, such as heart attack and stroke. By checking it, the doctor finds out the condition of your heart's health. In older women, in the case of menopause, the level of good cholesterol decreases. Due to which the chances of heart disease increase. Therefore, it is important to get a lipid panel done at the right time.

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The amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood is measured by blood sugar or glucose test. Glucose is a type of sugar (sugar) which is present in the blood. For this, the doctor can ask you to get a urine or blood test done. This checks the early stage of type 2 diabetes or diabetes.

At what age is it necessary -

Women aged 40-70 should get it checked. Apart from this, overweight and obese women should also get their glucose levels checked.

How often should it be done -

Healthy women should get their glucose tested once a year, while women with early stages of diabetes should get this test done from time to time as per the doctor's advice. 

Why is it important -

Type 2 diabetes is a major cause of heart disease, but diabetes does not put you at risk of stress and eating disorders. Stress and eating disorders are commonly faced by women. By checking the level of glucose in the blood, women can reduce the risk of diabetes. Apart from this, doctors are also able to understand the correct condition of diabetes.

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In osteoporosis the bones become weak and the chances of their breaking increases. In this, a bone density test is done.

At what age is it necessary -

In developed countries, women aged 65 or above are advised to get a bone density test done. But in India, due to many reasons, women get osteoporosis at a younger age than this. So you can get this test done only after the age of 40.

How often should it be done -

If you do not have any chances of getting it, then you can get this test done once every ten years. But if any other woman in your family has ever had osteoporosis, then in such a case the doctor can suggest getting this test done every year.

Why is it important –

Bone density test helps doctors understand the exact condition of bone density of women. Not only this, with the help of this test, the effect of osteoporosis can be reduced to a great extent. In osteoporosis, there is a high possibility of bone breakage, and in this disease, walking also becomes difficult.

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In this, women do not need any special kind of test. Depression is a disorder occurring at the mental level. In this, psychologist doctors check the state of mental health.

At what age is it necessary –

It is necessary for women and girls of all ages.

How often should it be done –

If you feel the symptoms of depression, you should consult a doctor.

Why is it important –

By testing it, depression of women can be reduced, depression is a common problem in women. Due to depression, women can also suffer from many other disorders. Women can reduce depression by talking to people. In this, the psychologist asks some questions to know the state of mind of the woman, after that the treatment to remove depression begins.

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Thyroid function test is done to know whether the thyroid gland is functioning properly or not. T3, T3RU, T4, and TSH tests are available for this. The thyroid mainly produces two types of hormones, triiodothyronine and thyroxine.

At what age is it important

Generally, women of all ages should get this test done. However, some women should also get the test done from time to time based on the symptoms.

Why is it important

If the thyroid does not function properly, then suddenly some symptoms appear like weight gain, fatigue, depression. This condition is called hyperthyroidism. If thyroid function test is done on time, then this type of problem can be avoided.

During the test

For this test, first blood is taken out from the hand, for which a suitable vein is searched. This process is done by a nurse or specialist in the lab. If you are pregnant or taking any kind of medicine, then it is necessary to tell the specialist about this during the thyroid test. Actually, the report of thyroid function test can be affected due to taking medicine or being pregnant. Therefore, it is necessary to give information about this in advance. Usually the doctor asks for T4 or thyroid stimulating hormone for thyroid test. If these tests come abnormal, then you may also be asked for other tests.

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The 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test is the best option for testing vitamin D. In a healthy person, its level is 20 nanograms/milliliter to 50 nanograms/milliliter. If its level is less than 12 nanograms/milliliter in someone, then it is believed that he has vitamin D deficiency.

Why is it important

This test is done when the bones are weak and abnormal. It shows whether the bones are weak due to vitamin D deficiency. This usually happens in case of osteoporosis. Apart from this, it is also known whether you have any such disease, which harms the body's ability to use vitamin D. This is usually done in case of a weak digestive system, inflammation in the intestine, celiac disease, kidney problems, liver disease and pancreatitis. This means that vitamin D test is done when symptoms of any such disease are seen.

At what age should this test be done?

This test should be done by women, girls and young girls of all age groups. It is also necessary in the situation when the woman is less exposed to sunlight, increasing age, obesity, and infants dependent on breast feeding only. Women who have undergone gastric bypass surgery should also get this test done.

During the test

For vitamin D test, blood is taken from the arm like a normal test. This process is done by experts. Blood is collected and kept in a jar. This process is completed in a few minutes. However, some people may face some problems during the test such as extreme pain during blood extraction, excessive bleeding, dizziness due to fainting, blood clotting under the skin and spread of infection.

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Regular health tests are extremely important for women, as they help in early detection and treatment of many diseases and health problems. Some important tests that women should get done regularly are mammography (breast cancer screening), pap smear (cervical cancer screening), bone tests (for osteoporosis), and blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Apart from this, thyroid, vitamin D, and anemia tests are also necessary. Through these tests, women get a better understanding of their health and help them live a healthy life.