Women's Health Week

National Women’s Health Week, organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, has as its goal to empower women to make their health a priority.

The special week also serves as a time to help women understand what steps they can take to improve their health. What steps can you take for better health? The following tips are designed for women in their 30s and 40s.

General Health

• Get an annual well-woman visit
• Get blood pressure checked
• Eat healthy
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days
• Quit smoking or don’t start
• Limit alcohol use
• Get a seasonal flu shot
• Ask what other shots are needed
• Ask about possible daily aspirin use (55 and older)
• Talk to your doctor about any domestic and interpersonal violence

Reproductive and sexual health

• Choose the right birth control when having sex (for those in their 40s)
• Choose the right birth control if you still get your period (for those in their 50s)
• Talk to your doctor about whether you plan to have children in the next year (for those in their 40s)
• Talk to your doctor about menopause symptoms (for those in their 50s)
• Talk to your doctor about when you need a Pap and HPV test
• Talk to your doctor about whether you are having perimenopause symptoms (for those in their 40s)
• Talk to your doctor about your risk for sexually transmitted infections and need for screening
• Get an HIV test at least once in your lifetime

Diseases and conditions

• Talk to your doctor about getting your cholesterol checked if you have a family history of heart problems
• Get tested for diabetes if you have blood pressure higher than 135/80
• Talk to your doctor about any family history of cancers
• Talk to your doctor about whether you should have a screening mammogram (for those in their 40s)
• Get a mammogram every other year (for those in their 50s)
• Get screened for colorectal cancer (for those in their 50s)
• Ask about lung cancer screening if you are a current or past smoker (55 and older)
• Talk to your doctor about getting screened for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
• For those in their 50s, if you were born between 1945 and 1965, then get screened for Hepatitis C, and also talk to your doctor about getting screened for Hepatitis B
• Talk to our doctor about stress, depression, and other mental health concerns

For more information on women’s health visit, Women’s Health Services. Also, learn how you can become a free member of Baystate Health’s Spirit of Women program offering seminars with direct access to physicians, nurses and other medical professionals and the latest women's health information.