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National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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Get Recommended Screening Tests and Immunizations for Women

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) aims to help you stay healthy. The table below lists the preventive health services (screening tests, medications, health counseling, and vaccines) that VHA recommends.

Screening tests are used to look for health conditions before there are symptoms. These recommendations apply only to adult women of average risk. You are a woman of average risk if you have no personal or family history or symptoms of the conditions listed below. If you are having symptoms of a condition, please talk with your provider. Guidance specific to men can be found on the screening and immunizations for men page.

Preventive Care Recommendation Charts

Supporting Information

  • Color Key
  • Green: Recommended (R)
  • Yellow: Recommended for some people — please talk with your provider
  • Red: Not recommended (NR)

Screening Tests for Average Veterans
HEALTH CONDITIONS

18-29
years

30-39
years

40-49
years

50-59
years

60-69
years

70-79
years

80 years
and older
Breast Cancer

Not Recommended
(age 18-39)

Recommended annually (age 45-54)
Recommend biennial (55 and older or
have opportunity to continue annually)
Have opportunity to begin annual screening (40-44)

Recommended for
some women—
talk with your provider
(age 75 and older)
Cervical Cancer  

Every
3 yrs.
(age 21-29)

Recommended
Every 3 or 5 yrs.,
depending on tests chosen
(age 30-65)

Not Recommended
(age 66 and older)
Colon Cancer

Not Recommended
(age 18-44)

Recommended Frequency
varies by test chosen
(age 45-75)

Talk with your provider
(age 76-85)

NR
86+
Depression

Recommended every year
Hepatitis B Infection

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider (age 18 and older)
Hepatitis C Infection

Recommended in adults aged 18-79 years, and in all pregnant women, during each pregnancy
High Blood Pressure

Recommended every year (age 18 and older)
HIV Infection

Recommended once (age 18 and older); in all pregnant Veterans;
annually in Veterans with ongoing risk factors
Lung Cancer

Not Recommended
(age 18-49)

Recommended for some women - talk with your provider (age 50-80)

NR
(age 81+)
Osteoporosis

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider
(age 18-64)

Recommended once (age 65 and older)
Sexually Transmitted
Infections

Recommend
testing for
gonorrhea and
chlamydia
(age 18–24)

Recommended for some women, talk with your provider about testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis (age 25 and older)

Talk with your
provider about
syphilis testing

Recommended for all pregnant Veterans, early screening for syphilis infection, regardless of age.

Medications
HEALTH CONDITIONS

18-29
years

30-39
years

40-49
years

50-59
years

60-69
years

70-79
years

80 years
and older
Folic Acid for
Pregnancy Planning

Recommended. Daily folic acid supplement for any
woman who may become pregnant (age 18-55)

Not recommended after child-bearing
age (age 55 and older)
Aspirin to Prevent
Cardiovascular Disease

Not Recommended
(age 18-39)

Talk with your provider
(age 40-59)

Not Recommended
(age 60 and older)
PrEP to Prevent
HIV Infection		 Talk with your provider (age 19 and older) 
Statin to Prevent
Cardiovascular Disease		 Not recommended (age 19-40)  Recommended for some women - talk with your provider (age 40 and older) 

Health Counseling
HEALTH CONDITIONS

18-29
years

30-39
years

40-49
years

50-59
years

60-69
years

70-79
years

80 years
and older
Tobacco Use

Recommended every visit (if using tobacco) (age 18 and older)
Alcohol Use

Talk with your provider about healthy alcohol use (age 18 and older)
Healthy Diet and
Physical Activity

Talk with your provider about a healthy diet and physical activity (age 18 and older)
Overweight and Obesity

Recommended every year (age 18 and older)

Vaccines
HEALTH CONDITIONS

18-29
years

30-39
years

40-49
years

50-59
years

60-69
years

70-79
years

80 years
and older
COVID-19 Recommended for all women - talk with your provider to make sure you stay up-to-date
(https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/) 
Hepatitis A

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider (age 19 and older)
Hepatitis B

Recommended for all women who have not already had Hepatitis B vaccine
(age 19-59)

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider (age 60 and older)
Herpes Zoster
(Shingles)
RZV vaccine

Recommended for some women -
talk to your provider
(age 19 and older)

Recommended 2 doses (age 50 and older),
with second dose 2-6 months after first dose

Human Papilloma
Virus (HPV)
HPV vaccine

2–3
doses
(age
19–26)
if series
not
completed

Talk with
your provider
(age 27–45)

Not recommended
(age 46 and older)
Influenza (Flu)
Injectable,
Inhaled

Recommended every year (age 19 and older)
Measles, Mumps,
and Rubella (MMR)

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider (age 19 and older)
Meningococcal Disease

Recommended for some women—talk with your provider (age 19 and older)
Pneumococcal Disease
PCV15, PCV20,
PPSV23 vaccine

Recommended for some women —
talk with your provider (age 19-64)

Recommended — talk to your provider
to make sure you are up-to-date
(age 65 and older)
Respiratory Syncytial
Virus (RSV)
RSV vaccine during pregnancy
RSV Vaccine 

Pregnant Veterans are recommended to receive a one-time (single lifetime) 
RSV Abrysvo® vaccine between 32-36 weeks gestation during RSV season

“One time” (single lifetime) 
dose recommended for some women – talk with 
your provider (age 60–74)

“One time” (single lifetime) 
dose recommended for women age 75 and older
Tdap (Tetanus,
Diphtheria,
Pertussis)

Recommended at least 1 dose.  Get additional dose with every pregnancy
(Or for wound management if > 5 years have passed since last tetanus toxoid-containing booster vaccine).
Td (Tetanus
and Diphtheria)

Recommended. Booster every 10 years (age 19 and older) (Either Tdap or Td may be used)
(Or for wound management if > 5 years have passed since last tetanus toxoid-containing booster vaccine).
Varicella
(Chickenpox)

Recommended for some
women - talk with your provider
(2 doses if born 1980 or later)
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