Primary Care

Adult preventative screening guidelines

Stay on top of your health with preventative care at Coteau des Prairies Health Care

With regular wellness visits at CDP Health Care System, you have a more complete picture of your health. Family practice providers perform routine screenings at every appointment to detect concerns or find changes in your health. Your CDP Health Care provider also orders additional preventative screenings for your age and stage of life.

The following guidelines are designed for adults at low risk for disease. Depending on your health needs or family history, your provider may recommend screenings start at an earlier age or be done more frequently.

Typical screenings done at every adult appointment include:

  • Height and weight
  • Blood pressure
  • Behavioral health screening
  • Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster—if needed
  • Flu vaccine—if wanted

Your family practice provider will conduct the following screenings for ages 18 to 39:

  • Cholesterol check—should be done in your twenties, and then annually after age 35. If numbers are normal, expect a check every five years. If risk factors are indicated, providers will check cholesterol annually or more often.
  • Skin cancer check—a full body skin examination for skin lesions or questionable moles.
  • Women:
    • Pelvic exam
    • Exam to detect breast lumps
    • Pap smear every three years starting at age of 21
  • Men:
    • Testicular exam

Additional lab tests and screenings include:

  • Fasting blood sugar levels—to check for signs of diabetes.
  • Colonoscopy colon cancer screenings at age 45* or 50—follow-up screenings for those with normal results should be completed every ten years. *The American Cancer Society recommends people at average risk start colon cancer screenings at age 45; however, health insurance plans vary on when the cost of this preventative test is covered. Check with your medical insurance plan and discuss with your family medicine provider. If you have a family history of colon cancer, your provider may order colon cancer screenings to start at an earlier age.
  • Women
    • Annual mammograms start at age 40. Those with a family history or other risk factors may start earlier.
  • Men
    • Prostate screenings at age 50. High-risk individuals begin at 40-years-old.

Ages 65 and older add preventative care that includes:

  • Bone density study. Men and women should come in for a bone density study every two to five years. Those at high risk may start at age 60, depending on the recommendation of your family practice provider.
  • Pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations. Talk to your provider to see if you could benefit from these vaccines.
  • Pneumonia vaccine. Recommended every five years for certain conditions and risk factors.
  • Osteoporosis. Providers check height and weight for shrinkage and other signs of weak or damaged bones.
  • Vision and hearing screenings.

Additional screenings ordered based on you!

Your family practice provider may order other screenings based on your needs and health history. For example, providers may recommend a CT lung cancer screening if you are between the ages of 55 and 74 and are a current or former smoker.

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