Prevention is key to living long and living well. Getting regular check-ups and preventive screening tests are among the most important things you can do for yourself. Take time to review these guidelines for screening tests.

Screenings and Vaccinations

• Breast cancer screening: research and guidelines
• Cholesterol
• Colonoscopy
• Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) vaccine
• Mammogram
• Pap test

In search of the perfect physician

Who will answer your health questions? The Internet? The news? How about your doctor? Here's how to find a doctor who meets your needs.

Your health may be "all in the family"

Knowing your family medical history can save your life...and your children's and grandchildren's. How does genetics research help diagnose familial diseases early?

Cardiovascular disease is the leading complication and cause of premature death among people with diabetes. Unfortunately, many people with diabetes do not understand the risk of cardiovascular disease or what they can do to prevent it. Learn more here.

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
• Sleep disorders
• Stress management

• Eating disorders
• Osteoporosis
• Weight management

Walk this way to fitness

It's easy, inexpensive, amazingly good for you, and has few undesirable side effects. Yet it's all too often overlooked when people consider which form of exercise is best for them. It's walking. Read more here.

Learn about The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's and the American College of Sports Medicine's exercise recommendations for pregnant women.

• Breast cancer
• Mastalgia

Fibrocystic breast changes: are they normal?

Many women have fibrocystic lumps in their breasts. How can you find out if these lumps are benign? And how can you relieve the pain they may cause?

Mastalgia: benign breast pain

Did you know that only 10% of breast cancers present with pain as a symptom? Find out what does cause breast pain and which treatments may help.

• Amenorrhea
• Cervical cancer
• Endometriosis
• Fibroids
• Menopause
• Pregnancy
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Sexually transmitted disease
• Toxic shock syndrome
• Vaginal prolapse
• Vaginal yeast infection
• Vulvodynia

Women suffer from hair loss too, not just men. Read more here.

The fashion world has decreed that there is no room for flabby abs, thick thighs, or love handles. In response, droves of average citizens with a little extra flesh here and there are turning to liposuction. Read more here.

Domestic violence: recognizing abuse

How can you spot abusive behavior in your relationship, or in your friend's, or your sister's? Know the signs and know what to do.

Besides having the usual worries about undergoing major abdominal surgery, women are concerned about how a hysterectomy will affect their health and lives, especially their sex lives. In fact, studies have shown that concerns about sexual functioning are foremost in women's minds before surgery. Read more here.

A procedure called Essure allows permanent sterilization for women. Unlike other sterilization procedures for women, no invasive surgery or general anesthesia are required. Learn more here.

Although yeast infections can be treated with medications, for an unfortunate few they have a tendency to recur despite adequate treatment. Can eating yogurt help avoid repeated infections?

There is controversy over whether or not synchronous menstruation is in fact true, and if it is, what is the cause.

• Alternative treatments for different women's health issues