Body & Fitness

Essential men’s health checklist

Mens Health Checklist for all ages

Keep the men in your life on top of their health by following this simple guide.

Want to read more about your family’s health? Take a look at eight ways to beat pain here.

Men’s health checklist

In his 20s he should:

Have an annual physical exam, including checking blood pressure, bloodsugar levels and weight

Check testicles once a month for lumps that could be a sign of cancer

Have a cholesterol test once every five years

Get skin checked once a year for suspicious freckles, moles or lesions

If he has had several sexual partners, it is worth being screened for sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

Image: Will Horner/ bauersyndication.com.au

Men’s Health Checklist

In his 30s he should:

Have the same tests as in his 20s

If there is a family history of heart disease, diabetes or any other inherited conditions, have relevant tests to assess risks

If he drinks more than 21 standard units of alcohol a week, and often has four or more drinks on one day, he may want a liver function test and a talk with his doctor about his alcohol consumption

Have regular eye tests

Do lung function tests if he smokes.

Image: bauersyndication.com.au

Men’s health checklist

In his 40s he should:

Have the same tests as in his 30s

Screen for prostate and colorectal cancer if there is a family history of these diseases or symptoms (such as needing to urinate frequently or a change in bowel habits)

Be checked for diabetes every three years after 45.

Image: Sarah Callister/ bauersyndication.com.au

Mens health checklist

In his 50s he should:

Have the same tests as in his 40s

Go for regular faecal occult blood tests and sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy checks for bowel cancer, especially if there is a family history

Have yearly PSA blood tests and digital rectal examinations to check for prostate cancer

Go for an annual electro-cardiogram, especially if there is a family history of heart problems and symptoms like chest pain

Have hearing tests

Be screened every year for type 2 diabetes.

Image: Sarah Callister/ bauersyndication.com.au

men’s Health checklist

In his 60s he should:

Have the same tests as in his 50s

Have bone density tests for osteoporosis – yes, men get it too. It becomes more common after 65

Have an abdominal ultrasound at age 65 – especially if he smokes or has been a smoker – to look for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Image: bauersyndication.com.au

Mens health checklist

In his 70s he should:

Have the same tests as in his 60s

Continue colorectal screening until he is 75

Have screening tests for Alzheimers and dementia.

Image: Rob Taylor/ bauersyndication.com.au

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