5 Checkups You May Not Need After 70, and 1 You Should Never Skip

Some popular videos tell women over 70 to skip the bone density scan. The national panel that sets screening advice recommends it for every woman 65 and older, with no upper age limit. This report covers 5 routine checkups to ask about after 70, and the 1 you should never skip, with the Task Force guideline and the real studies on screen for each one. A test for a symptom, or to follow up on an earlier result, is a different decision. Put your age in the comments, and tell us which test you'll ask about first. We do the digging. You keep the evidence. CHAPTERS 0:00 The scan some videos tell you to skip 0:45 6. A Pap test after 65 1:53 5. A neck artery scan with no symptoms 2:46 4. A PSA test at 70 or older 4:11 3. A mammogram at 75 or older 5:46 2. A colonoscopy after 75 7:21 1. A bone density scan for women 65 and older 8:51 The plan THE SOURCES 6. A Pap test after 65 US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for cervical cancer. JAMA, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.10897 Royce TJ, et al. Cancer screening rates in individuals with different life expectancies. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed... 5. A neck artery scan with no symptoms US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. JAMA, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.26988 4. A PSA test at 70 or older US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for prostate cancer. JAMA, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.3710 Fenton JJ, et al. PSA-based screening for prostate cancer: evidence report (includes the ERSPC results by age). JAMA, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.3712 Walter LC, et al. PSA screening and treatment in older veterans. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed... 3. A mammogram at 75 or older US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for breast cancer. JAMA, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.5534 García-Albéniz X, et al. Continuation of annual screening mammography after age 70. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2020. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1199 Richman IB, et al. Overdiagnosis after screening mammography among older women. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2023. https://doi.org/10.7326/M23-0133 Lee SJ, et al. Time lag to benefit after screening for breast and colorectal cancer. BMJ, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e8441 2. A colonoscopy after 75 US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for colorectal cancer. JAMA, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.6238 García-Albéniz X, et al. Effectiveness of screening colonoscopy to prevent colorectal cancer among Medicare beneficiaries aged 70 to 79. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2017. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0758 1. A bone density scan for women 65 and older US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for osteoporosis to prevent fractures. JAMA, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.27154 Shepstone L, et al. Screening in the community to reduce fractures in older women (SCOOP). The Lancet, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17... Black DM, et al. Atypical femur fracture risk versus fragility fracture prevention with bisphosphonates. New England Journal of Medicine, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1916525 ABOUT THE EVIDENCE The mammogram, colonoscopy, PSA treatment and bone pill numbers come from studies of health records, which show links, not proof of cause; the bone pill figure is a model. The SCOOP trial's main outcome (all osteoporotic fractures) was not significantly lower; hip fractures were a planned secondary outcome. Task Force grades: A or B recommends, C means selectively offer, D recommends against, I means the evidence is insufficient. BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANYTHING This is about routine screening for people who feel fine. Keep any test ordered for a symptom or to follow up on an earlier result, and talk to your doctor before you change your care. If you have sudden weakness on one side or trouble speaking, call 911. The narration is an AI model of the host's own voice. The drawings are AI-generated and the clips are stock footage. Every study, page, and number shown is real. GET THE REPORT BY EMAIL https://thehealthspan.report Informational and educational only. Not medical advice and not a substitute for your own physician's judgment. #seniorhealth #healthyaging #over70