Climb your family tree. Coming up with a complete family history of illnesses will also require a little attention and, depending on what you discover, may affect the types of tests you'll need. While there may well be hundreds of diseases that can be passed along genetically, there are, in fact, only a few that you really need to be concerned with. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend mammograms before the age of 50. But one may want to make an exception for women who are at high risk by evidence that their mother or sister had it, especially if the cancer was pre-menopausal.
Osteoporosis is another concern for women.
A family history of heart disease or any cancer including ovarian, colon, breast, uterine and pancreatic should also be discussed with your doctor. Prepare your files. You'll want to make sure your doctor has records from any other physicians you may have visited. You'll also want to inform her of any medications you are taking and any problems that you feel you may be experiencing because of them. You may also want to prepare a list of current health complaints complete with symptoms and dates if possible.