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HEALTH CHECK
WHETHER YOU'RE 27, 34 OR 52, HERE'S THE SCOOP ON MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR
NEXT
MEDICAL EXAM
As a parent, you spend the majority of your time taking care of your growing children. While you're
probably up on the latest health issues concerning your children, you might not know what to expect
concerning your own health as you age. Here, Dr. Rahnana Sachs, M.D., tell you what to talk to your
doctor about—in your twenties, thirties, forties and fifties.
The Twenties
“[For women,] the areas of concern in the twenties is the pap smear — to make sure the reproductive organs are OK—and anemia,” says Dr. Sachs, who went on to say that women in this age group are more prone to low iron due to poor eating habits. As a result, a physical exam should include a complete blood count to test for anemia.
Additionally, according to Dr. Sachs, at age 25, women are beginning to lose bone mass, so she recommends a calcium supplement: 1500 milligrams of calcium citrate every day with vitamin D. “Calcium is more readily absorbed [when it’s in] food, such as kale and sea plants, but those are not the kinds of food [most women] eat on a regular basis,” says Dr. Sachs.
This decade is also a good time for men to learn to monitor their own testicular health. Your doctor can show you how to conduct a self-exam to help in the early detection of testicular cancer.
The Thirties
In your thirties, a medical exam should include a blood test that will screen an individual for liver, kidney and thyroid function, diabetes and cholesterol. “You don’t want to go past your thirties without knowing what your cholesterol is,” says Dr. Sachs. “If you have high cholesterol, you need to do something about it now.” According to Dr. Sachs, doctors should look closely at a patient’s low density lipoprotiens (LDL) cholesterol count, which should be under 100. (The higher the number of LDL, the greater an individuals risk for heart disease.) In total, individuals should aim for a total cholesterol reading of fewer than 200.
Thyroid function is also a focus in this decade, particularly for women. “There’s a lot of undetected thyroid disease,” said Dr. Sachs. “Most often, it’s an under functioning thyroid which can affect weight gain and bone loss.” Again, according to Dr. Sachs, at age 25, women are beginning to lose bone so it’s important to keep the thyroid function in check.
The Forties
For women in their forties, the mammogram is introduced as part of a routine physical. According to Dr. Sachs, an initial mammogram is given at age 40 and, if it appears normal, the second test occurs five years later at age 45 and then each year thereafter. But, if an individual has a family history of breast cancer or an initial mammogram that shows some areas of concern, they should receive a mammogram each year starting at age 40.
For men, care of their prostrate takes center stage in the forties. According to Dr. Sachs, an annual prostrate exam should be combined with a blood test for prostrate specific antigen (PSA), which screens for prostrate cancer.
For both men and women, an annual electrocardiogram or EKG is also important in this decade of life. According to Dr. Sachs, an EKG tests the electrical activity of the heart and can signal signs of heart damage.
The Fifties
Says Dr. Sachs of the 50-year milestone, “In the fifties, you get busy.” In addition to those tests that started in three previous decades of life, both men and women should add a bone density test and colonoscopy to their annual physical.
According to Dr. Sachs, bone loss in women accelerates in this decade because women start menopause. A bone loss test will measure the thickness of an individual’s bones and then compare that to an average thickness for that age. “If bones are thinning already, that is a reason to start medication,” said Dr, Sachs.
Depending on the individual, the bone loss density test is given every two to three years. The colonoscopy, which screens for colon cancer, is given every five to 10 years. But, if an individual’s bone loss or colonoscopy test results show areas of concern, according to Dr. Sachs, each test should be given on a more frequent basis.
—Jennifer Carofano
After a decade of subways, bagels and window shopping in New York City, Jennifer Carofano now lives with her husband and their two cars in sunny Los Angeles.
Dr. Rahnana Sachs, M.D., trained in New York at Columbia University and at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Today, Dr. Sachs practices internal medicine and is affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she lives with her husband and twin girls.
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