It is important to have a regular family doctor who helps make sure you receive the medical care that is best for your individual needs. But healthy people often don’t necessarily need annual physicals, and those check-ups can do more harm than good.

So when do adults need a checkup?

You may need a checkup:

• When you are sick.
• When you have a symptom that could mean illness.
• To manage chronic or ongoing conditions.
• To check on the effects of a new medicine.
• To help with risk factors like smoking or obesity.
• For prenatal care, if you are pregnant.
• For lifestyle issues like family planning
• For other reasons that are based on your individual needs.

What Tests can help?

The recommendations below are for healthy adults. If you have risk factors or a chronic disease, you may need different tests or you may need a test more often. Ask your doctor what schedule is right for you, but here are conditions many people should be screened for:

• High blood pressure
• Cervical-cancer
• High cholesterol on men over 40 or women over 50 who have a low risk profile
• Diabete
• Breast cancer Colon cancer
• Osteoporosis (weakened bones)
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (enlarged blood vessel)

Conditions: Healthy Asymptomatic Adults