Ladies, we know your lives get busy. So why not pull out your calendar or smartphone right now and see if you’re due for a visit to your health care providers? You’ll be doing your part for National Women’s Checkup Day (observed today, Monday, May 14th), an annual event that’s part of National Women’s Health Week.
Checkup Day encourages women to get regular checkups that are vital to the early detection of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental illnesses, sexually transmitted infections and other conditions. The reason is simple. Women often serve as the caregivers for their partners, children and parents. As a result, their own well-being can be secondary at times. The theme of National Women’s Health Week 2012 – “It’s Your Time” – speaks to the fact that women need to prioritize their own health as well.
Not sure what preventative screenings are recommended for you? Check out this handy chart organized by age group. Then take the Checkup Day pledge along with women around the country to get at least one recommended screening during May. If you’re concerned about cost, you should know that all recommended preventative screenings – such as mammograms, colon cancer screenings, Pap screenings and well-woman visits – are now covered by your insurance plan with no out-of-pocket costs.
But scheduling an appointment may just be the first step. If you’re looking to get healthy in 2012, why not do it with the help of a community? The 2012 WOMAN Challenge offers an online platform for tracking your nutrition goals and daily activity. The challenge is to follow through with planned nutrition changes and be active 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week, for six out of eight weeks. Register here to get started.
If you’re a woman living with a health condition, you can also find a community of women right here at PatientsLikeMe. We have 70,995 female members who are sharing how they are managing more than 1,000 different conditions, including fibromyalgia, endometriosis, menopause, infertility and postpartum depression. Take control of your condition with the help of women just like you today.
