Health screening by age and sex

Ages 18–29

• Health screening for women in their 20s

  Your 20s are for baselines, not cancer screening: blood pressure, a lipid panel, a one-time Lp(a), cervical screening from 21, and the hepatitis and HIV tests every adult should have once.

• Health screening for men in their 20s

  Baselines, not scans: blood pressure, a lipid panel, a one-time Lp(a), and the hepatitis and HIV tests every adult should have once. No cancer screening is recommended for men at this age.

Ages 30–39

• Health screening for women in their 30s

  Two things change at 30 and 35: cervical screening can switch to an HPV test every 5 years, and diabetes screening starts at 35. Fertility has its own clock.

• Health screening for men in their 30s

  One addition at 35 — diabetes screening — and otherwise the same baselines. The decade to settle your heart-risk numbers before the 40s decisions.

Ages 40–49

• Health screening for women in their 40s

  The decade screening starts in earnest: mammography every 2 years from 40, colorectal screening from 45, yearly blood pressure, and a 10-year heart-risk estimate from your lipid panel.

• Health screening for men in their 40s

  The decade the heart question arrives: a 10-year risk estimate from 40, a calcium score if it is borderline, colorectal screening from 45, and yearly blood pressure.

Ages 50–59

• Health screening for women in their 50s

  Lung CT joins the list at 50 for anyone with a smoking history, menopause changes the bone and nutrient rules, and every earlier screen continues.

• Health screening for men in their 50s

  Lung CT at 50 with a smoking history, the PSA conversation at 55, colorectal and heart screening continue, and B12 absorption starts to fall.

Ages 60–69

• Health screening for women in their 60s

  The first DEXA at 65, cervical screening ends at 65 if your record is clean, mammography and colorectal continue, and several tests reach their stop ages.

• Health screening for men in their 60s

  A one-time aortic ultrasound at 65 if you ever smoked, the PSA window closes at 69, colorectal and lung screening continue to their stop ages.

Ages 70 and over

• Health screening for women 70 and over

  Screens reach their stop ages — mammography at 74, colorectal at 75, lung CT at 80 — and function, falls and medicines move to the front.

• Health screening for men 70 and over

  PSA screening is recommended against from 70, the aortic ultrasound window closes at 75, colorectal stops at 75 and lung CT at 80 — and the first DEXA for men is at 70.

Every screening test and the age it starts

The whole matrix in one table. "Core" carries a guideline grade of A or B, or is the only guideline there is; "depends on history" needs a reason such as smoking, a family history or a planned pregnancy; "weak evidence" is a grade I or D. The decade pages explain each row.

For comparison, Taiwan funds its residents an adult preventive check at 30–39 every 5 years, 40–64 every 3 years and 65 and over yearly, and runs colorectal (45–74), breast (40–74), cervical (from 25), lung CT (family history or heavy smokers) and H. pylori (45–74, once) programs. Visitors are not covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance, so screening here is self-funded. What this list leaves out on purpose: vaccinations, mental-health and STI screening, which we do not provide.