What all mothers, daughters and sisters need
Women’s health tests
and checkups for you
TESTS
RISK FACTORS
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
•
•
Pap test: women within 3 years
of sexual activity or age 21,
whichever comes frst
•
•
Women ages 19 to 39: every year
•
•
Women ages 30 to 69: every
2 to 3 years for women with
3 normal Pap tests in a row
•
•
Women ages 70 and older: with
3 or more normal tests in a row
and no abnormal tests in the
last 10 years, women may stop
having this screening exam
•
•
HPV infection
•
•
Immunosuppression (such as HIV that
causes AIDS)
•
•
Chlamydia infection
•
•
Birth control use for 5 or more years
•
•
Multiple full-term pregnancies (3 or more)
•
•
First pregnancy at a young age (under 17)
•
•
Poverty
•
•
Chemical exposure to DES (a drug
prescribed to pregnant women from
the 1940s to 1970s)
•
•
Family history of cervical cancer
•
•
Smoking
•
•
Diet low in fruits
and vegetables
TESTS
RISK FACTORS
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Breast self-exam
•
•
Women 19 and over:
every month
Exam by physician
•
•
Women under 40: every 2 to
3 years
•
•
Women 40 and over: every year
Mammogram
•
•
Women 40 and over: every year
•
•
Women at higher risk: talk with
your doctor
•
•
Gender – being a woman
•
•
Aging – as you age your chance of
breast cancer increases. Most breast
cancer is found in women over 60.
•
•
Genetic risk factors (e.g. inherited
changes to the BRCA1 and
BRCA2 genes)
•
•
Family and personal history
of cancer
•
•
Race and ethnicity
•
•
Dense breast tissue and certain
benign breast conditions
•
•
Having children at an
older age
•
•
Never having children
•
•
Using oral contraceptives
(birth control)
•
•
Hormonal therapy use
for many years
•
•
Drinking high amounts
of alcohol
•
•
Being overweight
and having a lack of
physical activity
Source: American Cancer Society website: cancer.org
Breast cancer screenings
Finding cancer early is the best
way to treat it and beat it. And the
simplest and most effective way to
fnd cancer before it spreads can
be a screening or test, depending
on the type.
Some breast and cervical cells
may grow faster than other cells.
This uncommon cell activity can
become a mass of cells called
a tumor. Not all tumors are
cancerous. Some are benign (not
cancerous). However, cancerous
cells can spread to other parts
of your body and can cause other
problems inside your body.
Here are three important steps
every woman should take:
1
Know your risk factors (the
things that put you at greater
risk for cancer).
2
Change things you can
control in your lifestyle
(lifestyle factors, like what
you eat and do).
3
Get regular screenings
and women’s health tests
(see “Tests”).
Cervical cancer screenings
Speak to a nurse 24/7
Problems don’t just crop up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Sometimes you’re miles from the doctor’s offce. Or it’s
late at night when your child gets a high fever. What
should you do?
You can reach a registered nurse – for free –
anytime of the day or night from anywhere in the U.S.
Simply call MedCall®at 1-877-309-4884. Add this
number to your cell phone contacts today. If you have
hearing or speech loss, call 1-800-368-4424.
Nurses have been carefully trained to help you fgure
out the care you need or what to do next. A nurse on
the phone can help answer your questions like: should
you head to the nearest emergency room? Or can
treatment wait until you get to your doctor?
If you have a true emergency, always call 911 frst
or go to the nearest emergency room right away. A true
emergency is a condition that comes on suddenly and
shows severe symptoms.
If it’s not an emergency, call your PCC or MedCall.
One easy call can help you make the right choice of
where to go and how to get the care you need.
Notice of Privacy Practices
We care about your privacy. Our Notice of Privacy
Practices tells you how we keep your information
private. It also tells you what rights you have to see
and manage your information. To learn about your
privacy rights, follow these steps:
❯
❯
Go to CommunityConnectHealthPlan.com.
❯
❯
Choose the
Members
tab at the top of the page.
❯
❯
Click
Forms & Tools
from the left-hand menu.
❯
❯
Click
Notice of Privacy Practices
.
Pick an easy date to
remember checkups
It’s hard to remember when to get yearly well visits
for your child or yourself. To make it a bit easier,
schedule the visit on an important date in your life.
You might use a birthday, an anniversary or a holiday.
Think of it this way: good health is the best gift you
can give to anyone.
2 · My Health