Health Infographic
Women’s Preventive Care Timeline: Infographic
Reviewed By:
Preventive Care for Women
A Timeline for Every Stage
Health Infographic
Reviewed By:
A Timeline for Every Stage
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is recommended for all girls (and boys) for protection from types of HPV that can cause cancers, such as cervical cancer, and genital warts.**
Start annual visits with your gynecologist. Your doctor will also perform a breast exam every one to three years.
Get a Pap test every three years. This allows your gynecologist to look for changes in your cervix that may require treatment.
HPV testing may be included with your Pap tests. If you have normal results, you only need to have a Pap test every five years.
Start getting mammograms every year. This screening looks for signs of breast cancer at an early, treatable stage. An annual breast exam by your gynecologist is also recommended.***
Colon cancer screening (for example, with a colonoscopy) can detect cancer at an early stage, when it is easier to treat. It is recommended that women start screening at age 50, and African American women earlier, at 45.
A bone mineral density scan checks for osteoporosis. Also, talk to your doctor about whether you need to continue having Pap tests.
Speak with your doctor about whether you still need to have mammograms and colon cancer screening. For some women, it might make sense to stop these tests.