What tests should a woman have every year?
Only a few. For a woman at average risk, the only USPSTF screening that is yearly is a blood pressure check from 40. Mammograms are every 2 years, Pap and HPV tests every 3 to 5 years, and several tests are needed only once. A yearly visit is still the place to keep track of them. (USPSTF, A and B list)
How often each screening repeats
Grade A and B screenings that apply to women, from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ages are the recommended range.
| Screening | Ages (who) | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Every yearBlood pressure from 40, a lung scan if you qualify, and a stool test if that is the colorectal test you choose. | ||
| Blood pressure | 18 and older | Every year from 40 or if at higher risk; every 3 to 5 years for adults 18 to 39 with normal readings and no added risk (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Lung cancer | 50 to 80, if you have a 20 pack-year history and smoke now or quit within 15 years | Every year (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Colorectal cancer | 45 to 75 | Depends on the test: stool test every year, stool DNA-FIT every 1 to 3 years, CT colonography or flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years, colonoscopy every 10 years (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Every 2 years | ||
| Breast cancer | 40 to 74 | Every 2 years (USPSTF, 2024) |
| Every 3 to 5 years | ||
| Cervical cancer | 21 to 65 | Every 3 years (Pap test) from 21; from 30, every 3 years (Pap) or every 5 years (HPV test or cotest) (USPSTF, 2018) |
| Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes | 35 to 70, if you have overweight or obesity | Every 3 years may be reasonable if results are normal (USPSTF, 2021) |
| Once, or again only if risk continues | ||
| Hepatitis C | 18 to 79 | Once for most adults; repeat if risk continues (for example, injection drug use) (USPSTF, 2020) |
| HIV | 18 to 65 | At least once; repeat testing is reasonable for people at increased risk (USPSTF, 2019) |
| BRCA risk assessment | 18 and older, if you or your family have had breast, ovarian, tubal or peritoneal cancer | Once, with genetic counseling if the risk tool is positive (USPSTF, 2019) |
| No set intervalYour clinician decides when to repeat these. | ||
| Osteoporosis | 65 and older | Not set by the USPSTF; evidence on repeat intervals is limited (USPSTF, 2025) |
| Osteoporosis (before 65) | 18 to 64, if you are past menopause and at increased risk | Not set by the USPSTF; evidence on repeat intervals is limited (USPSTF, 2025) |
| Depression | 18 and older | No set interval; screen if not screened before, then use clinical judgment (USPSTF, 2023) |
| Anxiety | 18 to 64 | No set interval (USPSTF, 2023) |
| Unhealthy alcohol use | 18 and older | No set interval (USPSTF, 2018) |
The yearly visit
- With private insurance: HealthCare.gov lists "Well-woman visits to get recommended services for all women" among the preventive services that Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover without a copayment or coinsurance, usually when you see an in-network provider. (HealthCare.gov)
- With Medicare: a yearly "Wellness" visit, once every 12 months, to "develop or update your personalized plan to help prevent disease or disability." Medicare notes it "isn't a routine physical exam"; the provider takes routine measurements such as height, weight and blood pressure. (Medicare.gov)
What to expect at a checkup and which tests are blood tests: what tests are in an annual physical. Cost details: preventive screenings covered by insurance and Medicare.
Your clinician may also ask whether you feel safe with your partner. The USPSTF recommends this for women of reproductive age, including during and after pregnancy (grade B, 2025). (USPSTF, 2025) More: intimate partner violence screening.
Tests the USPSTF does not recommend for women without symptoms, such as ovarian cancer screening or a routine thyroid test. (USPSTF, 2018) (USPSTF, 2015) More: screening tests you may not need.
Not a test, but part of the same visit for anyone who could become pregnant: folic acid before pregnancy. If you are pregnant, the tests follow a different schedule: pregnancy screenings by week.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is not on the USPSTF screening list, but the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute gives a general schedule: every 5 years for younger adults, every 1 to 2 years for women 55 to 65, and every year after 65. (NHLBI) More: cholesterol test by age.
By age
women over 30, women over 40, women over 50, women over 60, women over 65, women over 70, women over 75. Every age and both sexes in one chart: screenings by age and gender.
For men: what tests should a man have every year.
Around menopause: screenings after menopause.
The yearly well-woman visit and other services in the HRSA women's guidelines: women's preventive services guidelines (WPSI) vs USPSTF.
Questions people ask
Do women need a Pap smear every year?
No. The USPSTF recommends a Pap test every 3 years from 21 to 29. From 30 to 65 the options are a Pap test every 3 years, an HPV test every 5 years, or both together every 5 years. Most women can stop after 65 if past screening was adequate.
Do women need a mammogram every year?
The USPSTF recommends a mammogram every 2 years from 40 to 74. Health plans must cover a screening mammogram every 1 to 2 years for women 40 and older, according to HealthCare.gov, so a yearly mammogram can still be covered if you and your clinician choose it.
Which screening tests are actually yearly?
For women at average risk, a blood pressure check every year from 40. A yearly low-dose CT lung scan applies only to women 50 to 80 with a heavy smoking history. If you use a FIT or high-sensitivity stool test for colorectal screening (from 45), that test is yearly too.
What blood tests should a woman have every year?
None of the USPSTF screening blood tests is yearly for women at average risk. Diabetes testing (35 to 70, if overweight) may be every 3 years, and hepatitis C and HIV tests are usually once. For cholesterol, NHLBI gives every 1 to 2 years for women 55 to 65 and every year after 65.
Is a yearly well-woman visit covered?
HealthCare.gov lists "Well-woman visits to get recommended services for all women" among the preventive services that Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover without a copayment or coinsurance. With Medicare, the yearly Wellness visit is covered once every 12 months.