The human body is a complex network of nerves, muscles, organs, and bones, and without medical equipment, it can be almost impossible to figure out what’s going on inside your body. What starts as a bad cough could end up as a tuberculosis diagnosis. 

According to the WHO, reproductive health is one of the top ten health concerns for women worldwide, but many Nigerians practice symptom-driven care when it comes to their health. However, in many cases of uterine cancers, STIs, and even HIV, symptoms only begin to show when the illness has reached a serious or life-threatening stage.

Early detection can save a woman’s life, and it can never be too early to start prioritising your health. In this article, Dr Zeenaht Abdullahi, an obstetrician/gynaecologist, shares four medical screenings every woman in her early 20s ought to do.

1. HPV Screening Tests

 There are over 100 types of HPV (human papillomavirus), but most are harmless and go away on their own without you ever knowing you had them. Some cause genital warts, but others are called high-risk and can lead to anal, vaginal and even throat cancers. HPV poses the greatest risk to women because high-risk HPV can progress to cervical cancer if it’s not treated. Cervical cancer is almost always caused by high-risk HPV. 

The problem is that, unlike most STIs that spread through the contact of bodily fluids, HPV spreads mainly through skin-to-skin sexual contact. This means using condoms during sex reduces the risk of HPV, but they do not fully block it. What this means is that in some cases, having safe sex may not protect you from HPV.

The good news is that the HPV vaccine protects you against the most dangerous and common types. It is also capable of eliminating cervical cancer completely. While it works best if you take it before you become sexually active, it still helps if you take it after.  The vaccine is free for girls aged 9-14 at all government facilities in Nigeria. If you test positive for high-risk HPV, early detection and follow-up screenings can prevent it from causing cervical cancer. To be safe, you should also repeat the test every 5 years alongside a Pap smear, which checks for abnormal cells in the cervix.

2. Abdomino-pelvic Scans

 Abdomino-pelvic scans are imaging tests that show the organs in the abdomen and pelvis. They can be done with ultrasound, CT scans, or MRIs. The most common type is ultrasound because it’s quick, painless and inexpensive. You can get an ultrasound for as low as 5,000 naira in any public hospital.

It checks the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, bladder, kidneys, liver, and sometimes the intestines. Many reproductive health issues do not show obvious symptoms early, and pelvic scans can help detect things like fibroids, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis and even tumours. 

3. Breast Scan

While medical professionals advise that you routinely check your breasts for lumps and abnormalities, changes to your breast tissue may not be obvious by touch alone. Breast scans are imaging tests used to examine the breast tissue for changes that you may have missed. This is important, especially for women who have lost female relatives to unexplained illnesses or have a family history of breast cancer.

It can be done by ultrasound (which is common for younger women or to check a specific lump) or mammography, which is better at detecting very small changes, especially in older women. A breast scan helps with early detection of breast cancer, cysts, blocked milk ducts and other infections.

4. Screening for Hepatitis B, C and HIV. 

Most people believe that Hepatitis and HIV are transmitted only through sex.  This mistake often leads to late diagnosis, especially in women who haven’t been screened before. Hepatitis and HIV can live in the body for years while slowly affecting your liver or immune system.

These diseases are often wrongly seen as something only promiscuous people need to worry about, but contracting either of these diseases can happen through something as simple as getting a haircut with an unsterilized clipper or a cheating long-term partner. Screening matters even if you feel like you don’t need it.

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