Milestone Medical Tests in Your 50s: Vitamins Depots Guide to Smart Screening (Men & Women)

By Vitamins Depots

January 28, 2026 3 min read

Excerpt:

Your 50s are a key decade for prevention—especially heart health, diabetes risk, and cancer screening. Here’s a simple, practical checklist of medical tests to discuss with your clinician, plus what “risk-based” tests may apply to you.

Why your 50s matter

Risk for conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers rises in midlife. The goal of screening is simple: catch issues early (or prevent them altogether).

This article is general education. Your exact schedule depends on family history, symptoms, medications, and your clinician’s guidance.

The “Core” tests to keep up with in your 50s

1) Blood pressure checks (very important)

At least yearly for many adults in midlife (more often if elevated or if you have risk factors).

High blood pressure often has no symptoms—so measurement matters. (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

2) Diabetes / Prediabetes screening

Commonly recommended for adults 35–70 who have overweight/obesity (and sometimes earlier/more often if risk is high). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

3) Cholesterol (lipid panel)

Many healthy adults check cholesterol about every 4–6 years, and more often if risk is higher (diabetes, heart disease, strong family history, etc.). (CDC)

4) Depression screening (mental wellness check)

Routine screening for depression is recommended for adults in primary care settings (when support/referral is available). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

5) Colorectal cancer screening

Recommended for adults 45–75 (multiple test options exist: stool tests, colonoscopy, etc.). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Milestone cancer screenings (often missed)

Breast cancer screening (women)

Mammography is recommended every 2 years for women 40–74 (for average risk). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Cervical cancer screening (women with a cervix)

Ages 30–65 (typical options):

Pap test every 3 years, OR
HPV test every 5 years, OR
Co-testing every 5 years. (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Lung cancer screening (high-risk current/former smokers)

Annual low-dose CT for adults 50–80 with 20 pack-year history who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Prostate cancer (men)

Many guidelines emphasize shared decision-making (a discussion about pros/cons) around PSA testing, often starting around age 50 for average risk (earlier for higher risk). (cancer.org)

“Once-in-adulthood” or occasional screens worth confirming

Hepatitis C (HCV)

One-time screening is recommended for adults 18–79 (and sometimes repeated if risk continues). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

HIV

Recommended screening for people 15–65, and older adults at increased risk. (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Bone health in your 50s

Routine osteoporosis testing is usually emphasized later (often 65+ for women), but in your 50s it can be risk-based (early menopause, long-term steroid use, prior fractures, very low body weight, etc.). (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

Quick “Doctor Visit Checklist” (copy/paste)

In your next checkup, ask:

“What’s my blood pressure trend and target?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)

“Do I qualify for diabetes screening?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)
“When is my next cholesterol test due?” (CDC)
“Which colon cancer screening option fits me best?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)
Women: “Am I up to date on mammogram and cervical screening?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)
Smokers/ex-smokers: “Do I qualify for lung CT screening?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)
Men: “Should we discuss PSA screening based on my risk?” (cancer.org)
“Can we do a quick depression screen as part of my wellness checks?” (uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org)