His ’n’ hers health checks every couple should have

Knowing the way your body works offers you the best chance of staying healthy. Some checks you can do yourself, but adults aged 40-plus should be able to book a free mid-life MOT at their doctor’s surgery. Here’s what you need to know...

Check your blood pressure

High blood pressure is symptom free – so more than 5 million people in England are unaware they have it. If your blood pressure is above 120/80mmHg, it’s too high. If you’re over 40, have your level checked at least once every five years by your GP or practice nurse. If you have other health issues, make that once a year, says the Blood Pressure Association.

Keep bad cholesterol at bay

Too much of the wrong cholesterol in our blood can increase the risk of vascular diseases. Measured through a simple finger-prick blood test, your total cholesterol level should be below 5mol/L. Equally important is the ratio of bad LDL cholesterol to good HDL cholesterol. Maintain the proper ratio between the two to avoid the risk of heart attack and stroke. Your doctor will work out the ratio when you know your cholesterol numbers. It should be tested every five years.

Sugar levels should be low

It’s important to be aware of the symptoms of diabetes, including increased thirst, tiredness, thrush infections and weight gain, but make sure your blood sugar levels aren’t too high. In non-diabetics, readings should be 4.0 to 5.9mol/L before meals, rising to no more than 7.8mol/L 90mins after eating.

MORE: 6 AT-HOME HEART CHECKS YOU NEED TO DO RIGHT NOW

Work out your Body Mass Index

This is useful as a general indicator for measuring if you’re a healthy weight for your height – but BMI has its limitations. For example, muscle weighs more than fat, so super-fit athletes can have a very high BMI. Online BMI tools can help you see how you both measure up. Whether you’re an apple or pear shape can also be an indicator of health. A high waist measurement is also a risk factor for diabetes: women should measure less than 31.5in; men less than 37in. Measure around your belly button, not where your trousers sit – and don’t suck in!

Best news for bowels

Any changes in bowel habits, such as constipation, then diarrhoea and/or blood in your stools, should be investigated. It could be piles, colitis, Crohn’s or even bowel cancer – the third most common cancer in men. An NHS screening programme, the faecal occult blood test, is available to anyone aged 60-74. You should be sent the home test kit every two years through the post until you reach the age of 74. An additional test now gradually being introduced to those over 55 is bowel scope screening, in which a thin, flexible instrument is used to look inside the lower part of the bowel and remove any small growths, called polyps that could eventually turn into cancer.

Give skin some attention

Moles that change shape, size or colour, which have ragged edges or are itching or bleeding, could be the first signs of malignant melanoma. And there’s a greater risk if there is any kind of family history. Check each other for areas you can’t see, such as your back.

MORE: GIVE YOURSELF A HEALTH MOT

Well Women should also...

• Know your breasts.

Get used to looking at and feeling your breasts, as well as being aware of how they may feel at different times of the month. Some women have tender and lumpy breasts, especially near the armpit, around their period. And after the menopause, normal breasts feel softer, less firm and not as lumpy. Examine breasts in the shower, running a soapy hand over each one up to the arm pit and collar bone. Look out for changes in size, puckering, dimpling or thickening, as well as nipple discharge or a moist, red area on your nipple that doesn't heal easily. It’s also important to tell your GP if you see any change in nipple position, such as your nipple being pulled in or pointing differently, a rash on or around your nipple, any discomfort or pain in one breast, particularly if it’s a new pain and doesn’t go away. Women aged 50-70 are automatically invited for screening every three years, but you may be eligible before the age of 50 if you have a family history of the disease.

This detects early abnormalities that could lead to cancer of the cervix, especially important as the disease is symptomless at first. Women aged 25 to 64 are invited for a free cervical screening test at their GP’s surgery – every three years for those aged 25 to 49, and every five years for those aged 50 to 64. Over 65s are only screened if they haven’t been screened since the age of 50 or have recently had abnormal tests.

... And for the Well Man?

• Test those testicles

Men should check themselves regularly for lumps, increases in firmness or an unusual difference between one testicle and the other. The best time is after a warm shower when the skin is relaxed. Report any worries to a GP.

There’s no screening programme for prostate cancer, but going to the loo more often than usual, the urgent need to go with nothing much coming out, or blood in urine or semen, could be signs of the disease. One marker for prostate cancer is a raised level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). In men aged 50 to 69, PSA level is considered raised if it’s 3ng/mL or higher – but this could also be down to an enlarged prostate, prostatitis or a urinary infection. Get your man to ask for a test if he is concerned.

Offered by the NHS to all men in their 65th year, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening is a way of detecting a dangerous swelling of the aorta – the main blood vessel that runs from the heart and through the abdomen to the rest of the body. An AAA usually causes no symptoms, but if it bursts, it can be fatal.

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