This is one of the issues that was considered by a team of Loyola University Health System (Loyola) physicians in devising the Women´s Health Guidelines. From early adolescence to old age, the guidelines specify which tests a woman should receive, when and how often she should get them.

Not much about the document is surprising, since it is based on decades of clinical experience and research. The benefits for Loyola´s patients are that they can be confident they are receiving preventive health care supported by the latest research, and they can expect consistent care from every physician within Loyola.

“Women coming to Loyola will all get one standard of care,’ said Bridgid Steele, M.D., medical director for primary care and women´s health services at Loyola. Steele served on the committee of physicians that recently updated the guidelines. Primary care physicians and specialists in cancer, psychiatry, gynecology, endocrinology and gastroenterology worked together to review the research literature and recommendations that have been made by numerous other organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

“A lot of different organizations have their own guidelines,’ Steele said. “We looked at them, saw which had the best evidence and pulled them together.’

The committee relied most heavily on the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce guidelines in creating their report, but that government document did not cover every preventive health issue, Steele noted, and there are some differences in preventive health recommendations among other national organizations.

The guidelines are a comprehensive overview of women´s health: from measuring height and weight to assessing the risk of eating disorders, substance abuse and domestic violence. The routine tests – blood pressure and cholesterol screenings – are as crucial as they ever were, Steele noted.

“Heart disease is still the number one cause of death for women – responsible for many more deaths than cancer,’ Steele said. “High blood pressure and high cholesterol are both major risk factors for heart disease.’

A relatively new recommendation that may be good news for some women is that for women who have no risk factors for cervical cancer, and have had at least three normal Pap smears, the screening interval may be extended to every three years at the discretion of her primary care physician.  

To make an appointment, call (888) LUHS-888.

Staying Healthy at Midlife Here are some highlights from Loyola´s new Women´s Health Preventive Guidelines:

Blood pressure checked every year after age 19 Cholesterol checked at least every two years for women more than 40 years of age Colorectal screenings starting at age 50 Bone density test every two years for women 65 and older; sooner for women with one risk factor other than menopause Mammography every one to two years for women age 40 – 49 and every year after age 50 Flu vaccine every year after age 50 EKG and stress test for women age 50 and older who have multiple cardiac risk factors

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