Age and sex screening schedule

Written by Steve Fayzulayev. Clinically reviewed by Naomi Fayzulayev, FNP-C, MSN.

Last reviewed 2026-11-09. See our editorial policy and methodology.

The routine checks that major guidelines recommend for healthy adults, by age and sex. Each one shows the guideline and grade it rests on. Your history, your results and your clinician decide what applies to you.

Routine checks for healthy adults

CheckWho it is forHow oftenGradeSource
Blood pressureAdults 18 and overAt routine visitsAUSPSTF: Hypertension in adults, screening (2021)
Tobacco useAdults 18 and overAt routine visitsAUSPSTF: Tobacco use in adults, counselling and interventions (2021)
Weight (BMI 30 or higher)Adults with a BMI of 30 or higherOffer or refer to intensive, multicomponent behavioural weight-loss supportBUSPSTF: Obesity in adults, behavioural weight-loss interventions (2018)
DepressionAdults, including those 65 and overAt routine visitsBUSPSTF: Depression and suicide risk in adults, screening (2023)
AnxietyAdults 19 to 64At routine visits. Adults 65 and over: evidence insufficient (grade I)BUSPSTF: Anxiety disorders in adults, screening (2023)
Unhealthy alcohol useAdults 18 and over, including pregnant womenAt routine visitsBUSPSTF: Unhealthy alcohol use, screening and counselling (2018)
Unhealthy drug useAdults 18 and overAt routine visitsBUSPSTF: Drug use, illicit, screening (2020)
Blood sugar (diabetes)Adults 35 to 70 with overweight or obesity, and no symptomsInterval not fixed. USPSTF: every 3 years "may be a reasonable approach" if the first result is normalBUSPSTF: Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, screening (2021)
Lipid panel (cholesterol)Adults 20 and over without known heart diseaseEvery 4 to 6 years. Sooner if risk factors changeGuideline (no USPSTF grade)ACC/AHA 2018 cholesterol guideline (highlights)
Colorectal cancerAdults 50 to 75Colonoscopy every 10 years, or yearly stool test (FIT). Other options are listed in the USPSTF statementAUSPSTF: Colorectal cancer, screening (2021)
Colorectal cancerAdults 45 to 49As for ages 50 to 75. An individual decision with your clinicianBUSPSTF: Colorectal cancer, screening (2021)
Breast (mammography)Women 40 to 74Every 2 years. Yearly screening is a decision to make with your clinicianBUSPSTF: Breast cancer, screening (2024)
CervicalWomen 21 to 29Cytology every 3 yearsAUSPSTF: Cervical cancer, screening (2018)
CervicalWomen 30 to 65Cytology every 3 years, or HPV test every 5 years, or both together every 5 yearsAUSPSTF: Cervical cancer, screening (2018)
Prostate (PSA)Men 55 to 69Shared decision with your clinician. Any interval is set by the clinicianCUSPSTF: Prostate cancer, screening (2018)
Bone density (osteoporosis)Women 65 and over, and postmenopausal women under 65 with a risk factorClinician sets the intervalBUSPSTF: Osteoporosis to prevent fractures, screening (2025)

For men, the USPSTF finds the evidence insufficient for routine bone density screening (grade I).

What the evidence grades mean

USPSTF grades: A and B are recommended. C means decide with your clinician, based on your circumstances. I means the evidence is insufficient to judge. “Guideline” means a professional society recommendation with no USPSTF grade.

If you are already on one of these treatments

This is not general screening. It lists what a prescriber may monitor during treatment. The prescriber sets how often each test is done.

TreatmentWhat is monitored
Testosterone (men or women)Total and free testosterone, oestradiol, haematocrit, and PSA for men
Oestrogen or progesterone therapyOestradiol, progesterone where indicated, and a lipid panel
Thyroid replacement (levothyroxine)TSH, with free T4 where needed
Lipid-lowering drug (statin or similar)Lipid panel, with ApoB where used
Diabetes medicationHbA1c
Diuretic, ACE inhibitor or ARBElectrolytes, creatinine and eGFR
Prescribed continuous glucose monitor (CGM)Glucose time in range
Score your results against all 8 dials

Frequently asked questions

Is this a list of tests I should book?

No. It shows what major guidelines recommend for healthy adults in each age and sex group. Whether any of it applies to you depends on your history, your results and what your clinician advises.

Why does the mammogram interval say every two years?

The USPSTF recommends mammography every two years for women aged 40 to 74. Yearly screening is a choice to make with a clinician, based on your risk.

Why is PSA testing a shared decision?

The USPSTF gives PSA screening for men aged 55 to 69 a grade C. The benefits and harms are closely balanced, so the choice depends on your values and a conversation with a clinician.

What do the evidence grades mean?

USPSTF grades: A and B are recommended; C means decide with your clinician; I means the evidence is insufficient to judge. "Guideline" means a professional society recommendation with no USPSTF grade.

Who is the monitoring list for?

People already on one of the listed treatments. It shows what a prescriber may check during treatment. It is not a screening test for everyone, and the prescriber sets how often each test is done.

Related

Blood pressure by age · ApoB targets by risk category · Lab panel builder

Sources

Not medical advice. These are longevity-optimised reference ranges, which are deliberately stricter than standard clinical "normal" values. A value outside them does not mean you have a disease. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional before changing medication, supplements or training. Full disclaimer.
Ask Us

Choose a question. Answers come from this site, and nothing you open is sent anywhere.

Is this a list of tests I should book?

No. It shows what major guidelines recommend for healthy adults in each age and sex group. Whether any of it applies to you depends on your history, your results and what your clinician advises.

Why does the mammogram interval say every two years?

The USPSTF recommends mammography every two years for women aged 40 to 74. Yearly screening is a choice to make with a clinician, based on your risk.

Why is PSA testing a shared decision?

The USPSTF gives PSA screening for men aged 55 to 69 a grade C. The benefits and harms are closely balanced, so the choice depends on your values and a conversation with a clinician.

What do the evidence grades mean?

USPSTF grades: A and B are recommended; C means decide with your clinician; I means the evidence is insufficient to judge. "Guideline" means a professional society recommendation with no USPSTF grade.

Who is the monitoring list for?

People already on one of the listed treatments. It shows what a prescriber may check during treatment. It is not a screening test for everyone, and the prescriber sets how often each test is done.

What is biological age?

Chronological age counts birthdays. Biological age estimates how old your body appears to be functioning, based on measurable biomarkers. Two people born the same year can differ by a decade or more in vascular stiffness, insulin signalling or cardiorespiratory fitness. Biological age makes that gap explicit — and unlike your birthday, it can move in either direction.

How is the Longevity Score calculated?

Each biomarker you enter is scored against longevity-optimised reference ranges and grouped into one of eight dials. Every dial produces its own biological age, and those are combined using fixed weights into a single composite, then expressed as a Longevity Score from 0 to 100. The weighting reflects how strongly each system predicts healthspan: structural and vascular carry the most, hormonal the least.

Do I need all 53 biomarkers?

No. The short form contains a subset of scoring inputs plus context-only fields, and you can leave any of them blank. It is not a recommendation to obtain tests. Missing values are excluded from the calculation — never treated as zero or as 'normal'. A dial with no scored data is dropped entirely and the remaining weights renormalise.

What can I measure without a blood test?

Some inputs can be measured without bloodwork. Blood pressure needs a home cuff and waist-to-height needs a tape measure. Wearable estimates vary; the floor-based sitting-rising test carries a fall risk and should only be attempted if safe.

Is this an anti-aging calculator? Is it a healthspan calculator?

Both terms describe what this tool does, and which one fits depends on what you are asking. "Anti-aging" is the term most people search, and loosely means anything aimed at slowing or reversing age-related decline — this tool fits that description if you score your dials and act on what you find. "Healthspan calculator" is the more precise term: healthspan is the number of years lived without serious chronic disease or disability, and that cannot be measured directly, so this tool scores eight systems that each function as an early-warning proxy for it. Either way, the method is the same: real biomarkers, published thresholds, no vanity-metric framing.

All questions