At 70, you’re at an age where some screenings become more important, others should continue on schedule, and a few are no longer recommended. The mix depends on your sex, smoking history, and overall health. Here’s a practical breakdown of the tests and screenings that apply to you right now.
Screenings Everyone at 70 Should Get
Regardless of sex or risk factors, several screenings are recommended for all adults at this age. Blood pressure checks should happen at every doctor visit. High blood pressure is the single biggest modifiable risk factor for stroke and heart disease, and it often causes no symptoms at all.
Colorectal cancer screening remains a strong recommendation through age 75. If you’ve been getting regular colonoscopies or stool-based tests, keep going. After 75, the decision becomes more individualized based on your health, life expectancy, and whether you’ve been screened consistently in the past. After 85, screening is generally no longer recommended.
Diabetes screening with a blood sugar or A1C test is reasonable every three years if your previous results were normal. If you have risk factors like obesity or a family history, your doctor may check more often.
Depression screening is recommended for all adults, including older adults. This is typically a brief questionnaire during a routine visit. Depression in older adults is underdiagnosed and often looks different than it does in younger people, showing up as fatigue, sleep changes, or loss of interest rather than sadness.
Hepatitis C screening is recommended for all adults up to age 79. If you’ve never been tested, it’s worth doing. Many people with hepatitis C don’t know they have it, and effective treatments are available.
The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit
If you’re on Medicare, you’re entitled to a yearly wellness visit at no cost. This isn’t a head-to-toe physical in the traditional sense. It’s a structured check-in where your provider reviews your medications, updates your health risk assessment, creates or updates a prevention plan, and checks your cognitive function through observation or a brief screening tool. Think of it as the appointment where you and your doctor map out which screenings and vaccines you actually need in the coming year.
Screenings for Women at 70
Mammograms are recommended every two years through age 74. After that, the formal recommendation ends, but the American Cancer Society advises continuing as long as you’re in good health and expected to live at least 10 more years. If you’re healthy and active at 70, you likely have several more rounds of screening ahead.
A bone density scan (DEXA scan) is recommended for all women 65 and older. If you haven’t had one yet, get one. Osteoporosis causes no symptoms until a fracture happens, and a DEXA scan can catch bone loss early enough to treat it. If you’ve already been screened and your results were normal, your doctor will advise on when to repeat it. Risk factors that raise your fracture risk include low body weight, a parent who broke a hip, smoking, and heavy alcohol use.
Screenings for Men at 70
If you’ve ever smoked (defined as 100 or more cigarettes in your lifetime), you should have a one-time abdominal ultrasound to check for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. This is a ballooning of the body’s largest artery, which can be fatal if it ruptures but is treatable when caught early. The screening window is ages 65 to 75, so at 70 you’re right in the middle of it. Men who have never smoked may still benefit from screening on a case-by-case basis, but it’s not a blanket recommendation.
PSA testing for prostate cancer is not recommended for men 70 and older. Studies consistently show no reduction in prostate cancer deaths from screening in this age group, and the harms, including false positives, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment of slow-growing cancers, outweigh the benefits. If you’re currently getting PSA tests, this is worth discussing with your doctor.
Bone density screening in men lacks a clear recommendation. The evidence isn’t strong enough in either direction. If you have risk factors like long-term steroid use, low body weight, or a history of fractures, your doctor may recommend a DEXA scan on an individual basis.
Screenings Tied to Smoking History
Smoking history triggers two additional screenings. The abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound for men is one. The other is an annual low-dose CT scan of the lungs for both men and women aged 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history (roughly a pack a day for 20 years, or equivalent) and who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. Lung cancer screening catches tumors early, when they’re most treatable. If you’ve been smoke-free for more than 15 years, annual screening is no longer recommended.
Eye and Hearing Checks
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years after age 65. This goes well beyond a vision test for glasses. Your ophthalmologist checks for glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. All four conditions become significantly more common after 65, and most progress slowly enough that early detection makes a real difference in preserving your vision.
Hearing loss is extremely common at 70, yet formal screening guidelines from the major task forces haven’t been established. In practice, if you notice yourself turning up the TV, struggling in group conversations, or asking people to repeat themselves, bring it up at your next visit. Untreated hearing loss is linked to social isolation and faster cognitive decline.
Vaccines to Stay Current On
Several vaccines are specifically recommended for adults 65 and older. If you haven’t already received them, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about catching up.
- Shingles (Shingrix): Two doses, given two to six months apart. Recommended for all adults 50 and older, even if you’ve had shingles before or received the older vaccine.
- Pneumococcal vaccine: Protects against pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections. The specific type and number of doses depend on what you’ve received previously, so your doctor will check your records.
- RSV vaccine: Recommended for adults aged 50 through 74 based on individual risk and shared decision-making with your provider. RSV can cause serious illness in older adults.
- Tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis (Tdap/Td): A booster every 10 years. If you can’t remember your last one, you’re probably due.
- Flu and COVID-19: Annually, every fall.
Heart Health and Cholesterol
Cholesterol and cardiovascular risk should be part of your ongoing conversations with your doctor. For adults 40 to 75 with at least one risk factor (high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoking) and a 10-year cardiovascular event risk of 10% or greater, statin therapy is recommended for prevention. At 70, most people with any combination of these risk factors will meet that threshold. If you’re not already on a statin and have risk factors, ask your doctor to calculate your 10-year risk.
Cognitive Function
There’s no single blood test or scan that screens for dementia in a routine setting. Instead, cognitive assessment at 70 typically happens during your annual wellness visit through direct observation and conversation, sometimes supplemented by a brief screening questionnaire. Your doctor may also ask a family member or close friend whether they’ve noticed changes in your memory, judgment, or ability to manage daily tasks. These informal checks can flag early cognitive changes that warrant further evaluation.
Putting It All Together
The list can feel overwhelming, but most of these screenings don’t happen every year. A practical approach: use your annual wellness visit as the anchor. At that appointment, review which screenings you’re due for, update your vaccine history, and flag any new symptoms or concerns. Many of the one-time screenings (abdominal ultrasound, bone density, hepatitis C) can be checked off and not repeated. Others, like blood pressure, happen at every visit with no extra effort. The goal isn’t to run every possible test. It’s to catch the specific conditions that are most likely, most treatable, and most consequential at your age.