Physicals & Check Ups
Both St. Peter’s family physicians and internists offer annual physicals for seniors, men, and women as well as sports physicals for youth.
Screening Tests and Immunizations Guidelines for Men | ||||
| Screening Tests | Ages 18 - 39 | Ages 40 - 49 | Ages 50 - 64 | Ages 65 and Up |
General Health: | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Heart Health: | At least every 2 years | At least every 2 years | At least every 2 years | At least every 2 years |
Cholesterol test | Start at age 20, discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Diabetes: | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Start at age 45, then every 3 years | Every 3 years | Every 3 years |
Prostate Health: |
| Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) (blood test) |
| Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Reproductive Health: | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup. | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup. | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup. | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup. |
Chlamydia test | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) tests | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse. | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse. | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse. | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse. |
Colorectal Health: |
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| Yearly | Yearly |
Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (with fecal occult blood test is preferred) |
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| Every 5 years (if not having a colonoscopy) | Every 5 years (if not having a colonoscopy) |
Double Contrast Barium Enema (DCBE) |
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| Every 5-10 years (if not having a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy) | Every 5-10 years (if not having a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy) |
Colonoscopy |
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| Every 10 years | Every 10 years |
Rectal exam | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Every 5-10 years with each screening (sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or DCBE) | Every 5-10 years with each screening (sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or DCBE) |
Eye and Ear Health: | If you have any visual problems; or at least one exam from ages 20-29 and at least two exams from ages 30-39. | Every 2-4 years | Every 2-4 years | Every 1-2 years |
Hearing test | Starting at age 18, then every 10 years | Every 10 years | Every 3 years | Every 3 years |
Skin Health: | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every 3 years, starting at age 20. | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every year. | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every year. | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every year. |
Oral Health: | One to two times every year | One to two times every year | One to two times every year | One to two times every year |
Mental Health Screening | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
Immunizations: | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Yearly | Yearly |
Pneumococcal vaccine |
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| One time only |
Tetanus-Diphtheria Booster vaccine | Every 10 years | Every 10 years | Every 10 years | Every 10 years |
Meningococcal Vaccine | Discuss with your doctor or nurse if attending college. |
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Screenings, Tests, and Immunization Schedule for Women | |
Screening, test, or immunization | Frequency/comments |
Blood pressure, height, weight | Periodically from age 18. |
Obesity screening | Periodically from age 18. Adults whose body mass index is 30 or above should be offered intensive counseling and behavioral interventions. |
Cholesterol testing (total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol) | Every five years from age 45. Screening should start at age 20 if risk factors for heart disease are present. National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines recommend testing everyone starting at age 20 and every five years thereafter. |
Pap smear | Every three years until age 65. Many organizations recommend that Pap tests be performed annually until two or three consecutive tests are normal before lengthening the screening interval to three years. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends screening until age 70. Pap tests may be discontinued in women who have had a total hysterectomy for benign (noncancerous) disease. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the routine use of new screening technologies (e.g., liquid-based cytology) or HPV screening. |
Tests for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases | Discuss testing with your physician. |
Mammography, clinical breast exam for breast cancer | Mammogram, with or without a clinical breast exam (CBE), every one to two years from age 40. Women ages 75 and older should discuss mammography with their physicians. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against a CBE or breast self-exam, although both may be prudent. The ACS recommends a CBE annually for women over age 40 and every three years for women ages 20–40; it also recommends monthly self-exams for women ages 20 and older. |
Colorectal cancer screening | From age 50, using one of the following:
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Skin cancer screening | The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes no specific recommendation about skin cancer screening. The ACS recommends a skin check every three years for people ages 20–40, and annually after age 40. |
Osteoporosis screening | Bone density testing starting at age 65. Women ages 60–64 with risk factors, especially low body weight (less than 154 pounds), should speak to their physicians about testing. |
Alcohol misuse, tobacco use | Discussions and counseling as needed from age 18. |
Vision testing | For women ages 40–64: eye exam every three to five years. For women ages 65 and older: eye exam every one to two years. |
Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine | Every 10 years from age 18. |
Pneumococcal vaccine | Once at age 65. |
Influenza vaccine | Yearly from age 50. |
Experts make different recommendations, which can be confusing. Discuss these with your clinician, as you may have specific health issues that warrant a different screening schedule | |
