At every stage of life, seeing your primary care provider for exams and tests is part of a smart healthcare plan.
What people call these checkups can vary, depending on your doctor.
“I like to use the term ‘regular preventive exam,” says Karen E. Brown, MD, Yale New Haven Health primary care provider. This exam can be a wellness visit, a physical, or both. Dr. Brown recommends speaking with your healthcare clinician about the right method of screening for you.
“The age at which you begin yearly visits in your primary care office depends on several things. This includes family history, risk factors and your current medical conditions. You and your primary care clinician will decide which screening method (physical exam or blood test), if any, is best for your situation,” she says. Depending on the practice situation, these routine preventive visits might be performed by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
In your 20s and 30s:
Women and Men:
- Schedule a visit with your primary care provider (PCP) for any recommended screenings: blood pressure, diet and weight, vision and hearing, activity level and any medications taken. The visit should also update your immunizations.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends routine screening for cholesterol, diabetes, depression and lifestyle choices in younger adults (men aged 20 to 35 years and women aged 20 to 45 years) if they have other risk factors for coronary heart disease. Talk to your PCP to see if this checkup is recommended for you.
- Visit your dentist twice yearly for cleanings or more often if you are at a higher risk of dental disease.
Women only:
- Schedule a regular visit to the gynecologist or PCP for routine tests such as a pelvic exam, HPV test and Pap test. The frequency of such visits may vary from one to three years based on your individual health history and should be discussed with your gynecologist or PCP.
In your 40s and 50s:
Women and Men:
- Schedule a visit with your primary care provider (PCP) for any recommended screenings: blood pressure, diet and weight, vision and hearing, activity level and any medications taken.
- Stay up-to-date on all immunizations to reduce your risk of contracting serious illnesses like the flu.
- Screenings for colorectal cancer should begin at age 50, or earlier if there is a personal or family history of colorectal polyps or a family history of colorectal cancer.
- Get tested for diabetes and high cholesterol as part of cardiometabolic risk assessment.
Women only:
- The USPSTF recommends that women ages 40-74 years schedule a mammogram every other year. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 40 years should be an individual one based on family history. Consult with your PCP to find out what is right for you.
Men only:
- The USPTF recommends that men consider screening for prostate cancer at age 45. The decision to start regular screening for prostate cancer before the age of 45 is an individual one based on family history.
In your 60s and beyond:
Women and Men:
- Schedule a preventive visit every year once you are 65 to screen for new medical conditions, memory problems, and to be sure that you are doing everything possible to stay healthy as you age. This may be called a Physical Exam or an Annual Wellness Visit, depending on your insurance. This is in addition to any visits with your PCP or specialists to address chronic medical conditions.
- Routine screening for cardiometabolic risk, cancer, and preventive immunizations continues. Vaccines for shingles and pneumonia are usually given at age 50, and the flu and covid vaccine yearly. Discussion with your PCP helps to determine which tests and vaccines that you should consider at any age.
- Consider regular vision exams as you get older as well as hearing testing if you or others around you feel your hearing is declining.
Women only:
- Women should be screened for cervical cancer until age 67 and breast cancer until age 78. Those in good health and/or with additional risk factors may choose to continue screening beyond those ages. Talk with your doctor about the schedule that is best for you.
- Women over 65 should be screened for osteoporosis
Are you planning your children’s medical visits, too? Babies and toddlers up to 30 months should see their pediatrician on a prescribed monthly schedule. Children should then visit once a year until age 21. In addition to physical exams, the pediatrician will administer vaccinations, check vision and hearing, and conduct developmental and behavioral screenings. The pediatrician will always diagnose and treat routine illnesses and refer you and your child to specialists for any chronic conditions, serious injuries, surgeries or other unforeseen healthcare circumstances.
No matter how old you are, seeing your primary care provider regularly for exams and tests is an important part of maintaining a long, healthy life.
“For both patients and PCPs, having time set aside to review the past year, the coming year, and what the person can do to improve and maintain health going forward, including any necessary tests, is really helpful,” says Dr. Brown.
