What health screenings do adults need?
Each USPSTF recommendation below is shown with the group it covers, its grade and the date it was released.
Arun Verma, co-founder of Triangle · 2026-10-17
This is not clinical evidence and not medical advice. It does not replace your care team. Discuss anything here with your clinician before you act on it.
What health screenings do adults need?
It depends on your age, your sex and your history, so no single list fits every adult. MyHealthfinder says that, depending on those three things, you may need screening for things like certain cancers, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and diabetes. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lists its A and B recommendations, the services it most highly recommends with a high or moderate net benefit, with a group of people, a grade and a release date for each. The questions below go through six of them, using the USPSTF pages as they read on October 17, 2026. Its list covers other recommendations this page does not. The Task Force says its recommendations are independent of the U.S. government and are not an official position of AHRQ or HHS.
What does the USPSTF say about screening from age 18 through your 30s?
The USPSTF's hypertension recommendation (grade A, April 2021) covers adults 18 or older without known hypertension. The statement says evidence on optimal screening intervals is limited, and lists as reasonable options screening every year for adults 40 or older and adults at increased risk, and every 3 to 5 years for adults 18 to 39 who are not at increased risk and had a prior normal blood pressure reading. Its cervical cancer recommendation (grade A, August 2018) covers women aged 21 to 65. For ages 21 to 29 it is cervical cytology alone every 3 years. MedlinePlus lists cervical cytology among the other names for a Pap smear. For ages 30 to 65 the options are cytology alone every 3 years, high-risk HPV testing alone every 5 years, or HPV testing with cytology every 5 years. Its diabetes screening recommendation (grade B, August 2021) starts at 35: it covers asymptomatic adults aged 35 to 70 who have overweight or obesity.
What does the USPSTF say about screening from age 40 on?
The USPSTF's breast cancer recommendation (grade B, April 2024) is biennial screening mammography for women aged 40 to 74. For women 75 or older, it found insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening mammography (grade I). Its colorectal cancer recommendation (May 2021) is grade B for adults 45 to 49 and grade A for adults 50 to 75. The listed test options include a stool test every year, a stool DNA test every 1 to 3 years, and colonoscopy every 10 years, with those intervals applying when results are negative. For adults 76 to 85 the grade is C: screening is offered selectively, with overall health, prior screening history and preferences considered. Its lung cancer recommendation (grade B, March 2021) is annual low-dose CT for adults aged 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. The hypertension recommendation described above lists screening every year as a reasonable option for adults 40 or older, and the diabetes recommendation covers adults up to age 70.
Why do timing and tests depend on age, sex and risk?
Which screening tests you need depends on your age, sex, family history and risk factors, according to MedlinePlus. MyHealthfinder gives colorectal screening for adults 45 to 75 as its example of age-based screening. The USPSTF's colorectal statement is written for adults at average risk, and says people at very high risk may need screening strategies that go beyond the evidence it reviewed. CDC says the cholesterol test requires a simple blood draw and that most healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years. You could ask your health care team how your health history changes how often you need it checked.
Do all sources agree on when to start and how often?
Not always. The USPSTF's colorectal statement says organizations broadly agree on screening average-risk adults 50 to 75 and vary on the age to start. Its breast statement lists other organizations with different start ages and intervals. MedlinePlus's Pap smear page says that at 25 you should begin screening with an HPV test and have them every five years through 65. The same page also says that if you are between 21 and 29 and your last Pap test result was normal, your provider may say you can wait three years for the next Pap test. The page was last updated September 18, 2024. The USPSTF's 2018 recommendation for ages 21 to 29 is cytology every 3 years.
Are any screening recommendations under review?
Yes, and cervical cancer screening is one. The USPSTF's cervical page carries a notice that the topic is being updated, while still showing the August 2018 statement as the current recommendation. On October 17, 2026, its Recommendations in Progress page listed cervical screening at the stage of finalizing the recommendation statement, along with other topics under review. Among the six recommendations on this page, release dates run from August 2018 (cervical) to April 2024 (breast).
What is a screening, and what are its risks?
For cancer, NCI describes screening as looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms, and says screening tests usually do not diagnose cancer. MyHealthfinder says all screening tests have potential risks, and that a test can say you have a disease when you do not, called a false positive, which can be stressful and could lead to more tests that also have risks.
Where do your own screening dates show up in your records?
MedlinePlus says a personal health record could start with the date of your last physical and the dates and results of tests and screenings. It also says you may have charts at several doctors' offices and, if you have been in the hospital, a chart there too; these charts are your medical records, on paper or electronic. The USPSTF's cervical statement refers to screening history: it says the decision to stop screening at 65 should only be made after confirming adequate prior screening.
What could you ask your clinician about screenings?
You could ask which of these screenings apply to your age, sex and history, when you last had each one, and how often it should repeat. MyHealthfinder suggests talking with your doctor about which screening tests are right for you, how often you need them, and the risks and benefits. This page can't say which screenings you personally need.
Sources
- USPSTF: A & B Recommendations (listing of population, grade and release date): USPSTF's A and B listing says A and B grade recommendations are the services the Task Force most highly recommends implementing for preventive care, with a high or moderate net benefit, and lists a population, a grade and a release date for each.
- MyHealthfinder (HHS ODPHP): Get Screened (reviewed June 2026): MyHealthfinder says that, depending on your age, sex and medical history, you may need to be screened for things like certain types of cancer, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and diabetes (among other items).
- USPSTF: A & B Recommendations (listing of population, grade and release date): USPSTF's A and B listing includes many other recommendations beyond the six named on this page.
- USPSTF: Breast Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 30, 2024): USPSTF says its recommendations are independent of the U.S. government and should not be construed as an official position of AHRQ or HHS (notice printed on each recommendation page).
- USPSTF: Hypertension in Adults: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 27, 2021): USPSTF (grade A, April 2021; statement dated April 27, 2021) recommends screening for hypertension in adults 18 years or older without known hypertension, with office blood pressure measurement.
- USPSTF: Hypertension in Adults: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 27, 2021): USPSTF's hypertension statement says that, although evidence on optimal screening intervals is limited, reasonable options include screening every year in adults 40 years or older and in adults at increased risk, and every 3 to 5 years for adults aged 18 to 39 years not at increased risk and with a prior normal blood pressure reading.
- USPSTF: Cervical Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, August 21, 2018; update-in-progress notice): USPSTF (grade A, August 21, 2018) recommends cervical cancer screening for women aged 21 to 65: every 3 years with cervical cytology alone at 21 to 29; at 30 to 65, every 3 years with cytology alone, every 5 years with high-risk HPV testing alone, or every 5 years with HPV testing in combination with cytology (cotesting).
- MedlinePlus: Pap Smear (last updated September 18, 2024): MedlinePlus lists cervical cytology among the other names for a Pap smear (Pap test, cervical cytology, Papanicolaou test).
- USPSTF: Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Screening (final recommendation statement, August 24, 2021): USPSTF (grade B, August 24, 2021) recommends screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in asymptomatic adults aged 35 to 70 years who have overweight or obesity.
- USPSTF: Breast Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 30, 2024): USPSTF (grade B, April 30, 2024) recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 40 to 74 years.
- USPSTF: Breast Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 30, 2024): USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older (grade I).
- USPSTF: Colorectal Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, May 18, 2021): USPSTF (May 18, 2021) gives colorectal cancer screening a grade B for adults aged 45 to 49 and a grade A for adults aged 50 to 75.
- USPSTF: Colorectal Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, May 18, 2021): USPSTF lists recommended colorectal screening intervals including a high-sensitivity guaiac or fecal immunochemical stool test every year, a stool DNA-FIT every 1 to 3 years, and colonoscopy every 10 years; the table says the intervals apply to people with negative findings and are not intended for people in surveillance programs.
- USPSTF: Colorectal Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, May 18, 2021): USPSTF gives colorectal screening in adults 76 to 85 a grade C: selectively offer screening, with the patient's overall health, prior screening history and preferences considered.
- USPSTF: Lung Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, March 9, 2021): USPSTF (grade B, March 9, 2021) recommends annual lung cancer screening with low-dose CT in adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.
- MedlinePlus: Health Screening (last updated November 23, 2025): MedlinePlus says which screening tests you need depends on your age, your sex, your family history, and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases.
- MyHealthfinder (HHS ODPHP): Answering Questions on MyHealthfinder (content last updated March 12, 2025): MyHealthfinder says that as you get older your risk of getting certain diseases changes and you'll need different screenings based on that risk, and gives adults ages 45 to 75 needing colorectal cancer screening because they're at higher risk as its example.
- USPSTF: Colorectal Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, May 18, 2021): USPSTF's colorectal statement applies to asymptomatic adults 45 years or older at average risk of colorectal cancer, and says people at very high risk may need screening strategies that go beyond the evidence the USPSTF reviewed.
- CDC: Testing for Cholesterol: CDC says the cholesterol test, or screening, requires a simple blood draw.
- CDC: Testing for Cholesterol: CDC says most healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years, and to talk with your health care team about your health history and how often you need to have your cholesterol checked.
- USPSTF: Colorectal Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, May 18, 2021): USPSTF's colorectal statement says there is general consensus that average-risk adults 50 to 75 should be screened and that where recommendations and guidelines vary is the age to initiate screening.
- USPSTF: Breast Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, April 30, 2024): USPSTF's breast statement lists other organizations' recommendations, which differ from the USPSTF's on start age and screening interval.
- MedlinePlus: Pap Smear (last updated September 18, 2024): MedlinePlus's Pap smear page says that at age 25 you should begin screening with an HPV test and have them every five years through age 65.
- MedlinePlus: Pap Smear (last updated September 18, 2024): MedlinePlus's Pap smear page also says that if you're between ages 21 and 29 and your last Pap test result was normal, your provider may say you can wait three years until your next Pap test.
- MedlinePlus: Pap Smear (last updated September 18, 2024): MedlinePlus's Pap smear page footer reads "Last updated September 18, 2024".
- USPSTF: Cervical Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, August 21, 2018; update-in-progress notice): USPSTF's cervical cancer page carries the notice that the topic is being updated and shows its current recommendation dated August 21, 2018.
- USPSTF: Recommendations in Progress (topics as listed): USPSTF's Recommendations in Progress page, as listed on October 17, 2026, includes Cervical Cancer: Screening among the topics at the stage of finalizing the recommendation statement, and lists other topics under review.
- USPSTF: A & B Recommendations (listing of population, grade and release date): USPSTF's A and B listing shows release dates for the six recommendations named on this page from August 2018 (cervical) to April 2024 (breast): hypertension April 2021, cervical August 2018, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes August 2021, breast April 2024, colorectal May 2021, lung March 2021.
- NCI: Cancer Screening Overview (PDQ), Patient Version (Updated: October 20, 2023): NCI says cancer screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms, and that screening tests usually do not diagnose cancer.
- MyHealthfinder (HHS ODPHP): Get Screened (reviewed June 2026): MyHealthfinder says all screening tests have potential risks and that a test can say you have a disease when you do not, a false positive, which can be stressful and could lead to more tests that also have risks.
- MedlinePlus: Personal Health Records (last updated October 17, 2019): MedlinePlus says you may have charts at several doctors' offices and, if you've been in the hospital, a chart there too; these charts are your medical records, which may be on paper or electronic.
- MedlinePlus: Personal Health Records (last updated October 17, 2019): MedlinePlus says a personal health record could start with the date of your last physical and the dates and results of tests and screenings.
- USPSTF: Cervical Cancer: Screening (final recommendation statement, August 21, 2018; update-in-progress notice): USPSTF's cervical statement says the decision to stop screening at age 65 should only be made after confirming the patient has had adequate prior screening.
- MyHealthfinder (HHS ODPHP): Get Screened (reviewed June 2026): MyHealthfinder suggests talking with your doctor about which screening tests are right for you, how often you need them, and the risks and benefits.
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