American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [108]
Pelvic examination Once a year.
Pap smear Once a year for sexually active women, or as often as your doctor recommends; every 6 months if you have more than one sex partner.
Cholesterol test Every 5 years if last test result was normal.
Ages 40 to 49 Physical examination (including blood pressure measurement) Every 1 or 2 years, or as often as your doctor recommends.
Dental examination Every 6 months.
Eye examination Every 2 to 4 years.
Pelvic examination Once a year.
Pap smear Once a year for sexually active women or as often as your doctor recommends; every 6 months if you have more than one sex partner.
Cholesterol test Every 5 years if last test result was normal.
Mammogram Baseline at age 40 and then once a year or every 2 years.
Prostate examination At age 45 for all black men and for white men who have a family history of prostate cancer.
Bone density test All women approaching menopause; women or men who are at risk of osteoporosis; whenever doctor recommends.
Ages 50 and older Physical examination (including blood pressure measurement) Every 1 or 2 years, or as often as your doctor recommends.
Dental examination Every 6 months.
Eye examination Every 2 to 4 years; every 1 to 2 years after age 65.
Pelvic examination Once a year.
Pap smear Once a year for sexually active women, or as often as your doctor recommends; not needed after age 70 in women who have had three normal Pap smears or no abnormal results in 10 years.
Blood cholesterol test Every 5 years if last test result was normal.
Mammogram Once a year.
Colon and rectum examination Rectal examination and fecal occult blood test once a year; sigmoidoscopy every 5 years; colonoscopy every 10 years or as often as your doctor recommends.
Prostate examination Once a year.
Bone density test All women approaching or at menopause; all women over age 65; men who are at risk of osteoporosis; whenever doctor recommends.
If a fecal occult blood test shows that you have blood in your stool, your doctor may recommend repeating the test or having additional tests such as a colonoscopy (see page 767), barium enema, or sigmoidoscopy (see right) to examine your colon and rectum.
Digital Rectal Examination
A digital rectal examination checks for abnormalities in the pelvis and lower abdomen. During a digital rectal examination, a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum and may use the other hand to press on the lower abdomen or pelvic area. A digital rectal exam is frequently done as part of a routine physical examination in men and a routine pelvic examination in women, or to find the cause of symptoms such as pelvic pain or rectal bleeding. During the exam, the doctor usually takes a sample of stool from the rectum to test it for blood, which can be an early sign of colon cancer. In men, a doctor can feel the prostate during a digital rectal examination; in women, the doctor can feel the uterus and ovaries to check for abnormalities. Other organs, such as the bladder, can sometimes also be felt during a digital rectal examination.
Sigmoidoscopy
Flexible sigmoidoscopy is used as a screening test for cancer in the lower part of the large intestine (the sigmoid or descending colon), which runs from the rectum through the last section of the colon. Sigmoidoscopy is also used to find the cause of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation, or to diagnose and monitor conditions such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. For the procedure, a doctor inserts a short, flexible, lighted viewing tube (sigmoidoscope) into the rectum and slowly guides it into the lower colon. As the doctor withdraws the tube, he or she looks through it, carefully examining the rectum and colon.
If the doctor finds anything unusual, such as an abnormal growth (polyp) or inflamed tissue, he or she will remove a small sample of tissue (biopsy), using instruments inserted through the scope. The tissue sample is sent to a laboratory for examination under a microscope. If you have polyps, which can sometimes become cancerous, your