The Essential Health Screenings Every Woman Over 40 Should Get

We always hear “get your mammogram,” but what about your thyroid, vitamin D, iron, or even your bones? If you’re over 40, this convo can change how you advocate for yourself at the doctor’s office.

This episode kicks off a special series with Dr. Kudzai Dombo, MD, FACOG, MSCP—a board-certified OB/GYN and menopause expert with 20+ years devoted to women’s health. Dr. Dombo has practiced and advocated for women across the globe and now focuses on supporting women through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.

Today, we start with the baseline labs and screenings every woman over 40 should know—plus how to read your risk, when to push for more, and what to ask when guidelines don’t tell the whole story.

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What you’ll learn

• Breast & cervical screening basics: When to start, how often, and when you can stop (mammogram, Pap + HPV).
• Colon cancer screening: Why guidelines moved from 50 to 45, and what “earlier” looks like with risk factors.
• Annual exam ≠ Pap only: Why pelvic exams, symptom checks, and imaging still matter—even if your Pap is spaced out.
• Heart health numbers that matter: BP, lipids, A1C, waist-to-hip ratio (and why CVD is the #1 killer of women).
• Thyroid & vitamin D: How low thyroid and low D can mimic menopause symptoms (fatigue, hair loss, temperature issues).
• Ferritin/iron: Why checking iron stores can explain hair loss and exhaustion.
• CMP/CBC: What these panels reveal about liver, kidney, anemia, and overall health.
• Lipoprotein(a): The one-time, genetics-based test that can change how tightly your BP and cholesterol are managed.
• Bone health reality check: Why waiting until 65 for a DEXA scan isn’t cutting it—and options if insurance says no.
• Personalized care: Why population guidelines are a starting point—not the finish line—especially for Black women and others with different risk profiles.

Download the companion resource: Your Health After 40: The Grown-Ass Woman’s Cheat Sheet — a one-pager covering screenings, hormones, supplements, and vaccines.

About our guest:

Dr. Kudzai Dombo, MD, FACOG, MSCP, is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and menopause expert with 20 years of experience dedicated to women’s health. Known for her deep commitment to both individual care and global health advocacy, she brings a unique cross-cultural perspective shaped by her upbringing in the U.S. and Zimbabwe.

Her career has spanned continents, with work for Doctors Without Borders and NGOs in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, El Salvador, South Africa, and Haiti, where she has advocated for women at every stage of life. In recent years, she has focused her practice on supporting women in midlife and the menopausal transition, most recently as a practicing physician and Director of Advocacy and Outreach at Alloy Women’s Health and Akasha Center for Integrative Health.

She is currently a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, and a member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health.

She loves the creative arts, enjoys traveling, and appreciates time with her family.