Health checks for women 40–49
The decade when several screening programmes start being discussed. Starting points differ by country and by history, so this is the time to ask.
Asked at every age, not just yours
- Blood pressure — the cheapest measurement and the one most often skipped
- Weight and waist, recorded over time rather than measured once
- A complete list of medicines and supplements, including anything bought without a prescription
- Any allergies you have had, to medicines and to anything else
- Family history, with the AGE at which relatives were affected — the age is the detail that shifts a schedule
🫀 Heart and metabolic
- Blood pressure, glucose, lipids — as a series, not one reading
- Kidney and liver function if on long-term medication
- Ask about an overall cardiovascular risk assessment, not just separate numbers
🎗️ Cancer screening
- Breast screening — ask when it should start for you
- Cervical screening continues on schedule
- Bowel screening — ask whether family history means starting earlier
💉 Infection and vaccination
- Boosters
- Hepatitis B and C if never tested
- Seasonal vaccination if you have an underlying condition
🦴 Bones, senses and mobility
- Vision — many people start finding close reading harder at this age
- Hearing if you have had years of noise exposure
- Bone health: ask whether anything makes early assessment appropriate
🧠 Mental health and lifestyle
- Sleep and mood, even if you attribute it to being busy
- Changes around perimenopause — raise them and get them explained
- Alcohol and tobacco
What changes this list for you
- A relative with breast, ovarian or bowel cancer, especially when young
- Previous cancer treatment
- Underlying conditions such as diabetes, thyroid or autoimmune disease
Any one of these can move a starting point earlier or change how often something is repeated. That is a conversation to have, not something to work out alone.
Questions to take with you
- Which items should start now and which are not needed yet
- What is my overall risk level
- If we start, what does the follow-up schedule look like