Published in IJCP
November 2018
American Family Physician
Health Maintenance in Postmenopausal Women
November 04, 2018 | I. Cori Baill, Analia Castiglioni
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in postmenopausal women older than 50 years. Clinicians
should use the pooled cohort risk assessment equations or another risk calculator every three to five years to estimate a
woman’s 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Major guidelines
concur that women at average risk of breast cancer benefit from screening mammography at least every other year from
50 to 74 years of age. Several effective options for colorectal cancer screening are recommended for women 50 to 75 years of
age. Cervical cancer screening should occur at three- or five-year intervals depending on the test used, and can generally be
discontinued after 65 years of age or total hysterectomy for benign disease. Screening for ovarian cancer is not recommended.
Clinicians should consider screening for sexually transmitted infections in older women at high risk. Postmenopausal women
should be routinely screened for depression, alcohol abuse, and intimate partner violence.
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