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5 medical tests every mom should have

You want to be a fit and vital mom for years to come, right? So don’t forget to get your bod to your doctor for regular checkups. There are a ton of medical tests out there, from bone density to vitamin D. Here are five tests you should make top priority

Aileen Brabazon,

Originally published in Today's Parent October 2011

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Moms 25+

1. Pap smear

The doctor gently swabs internally to collect cervical cells that are later examined under a microscope.

When Every one to three years. Annual tests are a must if you’ve ever had abnormal results, says Vivien Brown, a Toronto-based family physician and Toronto president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada. However, if you’ve always been clear of irregularities, had three consecutive normal results and haven’t changed sexual partners, a pap test every few years should suffice.

Why To detect precancerous cells in your cervix so they can be treated before they progress into cancer. “It’s important to understand that you feel nothing with cervical cancer — generally, it’s asymptomatic — so this is the way you pick up on it,” says Brown.

Prep Refrain from sex for a day or two before the test. “It can interfere with the sample, as sometimes we see sperm on the pap results,” says Dara Maker, a family physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

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