Men should have regular physical exams even if they are healthy. Conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure often do not produce symptoms until advanced stages. Visiting your doctor regularly also helps maintain a relationship in case of an illness.
Update Family History
Your family's history of health problems increases your susceptibility to developing certain diseases. Sharing this information with your doctor helps him provide you with preventive protocols, such as dietary changes, and early detection, which is essential to positive outcomes for many health conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend you tell your doctor at each annual health physical of any new illness in your family, especially if older relatives have developed heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer.
Colorectal Screening
One you reach age 50--or 45 for African Americans--Medline Plus, a National Institutes of Health website, advises having a colorectal cancer screening. This part of your physical examination may involve an annual stool test, a flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years and a colonoscopy every 10 years. Your doctor may also recommend a double-contrast barium enema and virtual colonoscopy, the website says.
Age 18 to 39
Healthy men ages 18 to 39 should have two physical examinations while in their 20s, according to information provided by Medline Plus. Along with your height and weight, it suggests asking the doctor to check your cholesterol. Medline Plus says healthy young people do not require other blood tests. It also recommends beginning the biannual blood pressure checks you should continue for the rest of your life.
Age 40 to 64
Men in the 40-to-64 age group require more tests and more visits to the doctor than their younger counterparts. Healthy men of this age require a physical examination every one to five years, as recommended by Medline Plus. It advises discussing with your doctor the possibility of a prostate exam, including a blood test and digital rectal examination, at age 50.
Over 65
Healthy men over 65 should begin to have their blood pressure screened annually, and tests to check cholesterol every three to five years. Continue to go to your annual physical, where your doctor should provide colorectal screening and prostate exam procedures as necessary. When you reach age 70, ask about having a bone density test to screen for osteoporosis.
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