But what about when it comes to your health?

Keeping healthy in your 30s starts in your 20s (and even earlier), according to Dr. Sharon Domb, medical director, department of family and community medicine at Sunnybrook. She gave us 7 simple tips for how to get – and stay – healthy by your 30^th birthday and beyond:

1) Protect yourself against HPV

Dr. Domb recommends that women ensure they’ve completed the series of shots to be vaccinated against HPV (Human Papillomavirus). HPV can increase a woman’s risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as cervical, anal and head & neck cancers, making vaccination an important part of your healthy living toolkit.

2) Don’t put off Pap smears

They can be uncomfortable, and are often the most unpleasant part of an annual physical. But Pap smears look for abnormalities that may end up developing into cancer, so it’s important not to put off scheduling one. Beginning at age 21, women should get one every 3 years. “If there is an abnormal result, you will need to get Pap smears more often,” says Dr. Domb.

3) Keep fertility in mind

Fertility is highest in your 20s and early 30s. “You cannot depend on your fertility after your mid-30s,” says Dr. Domb. Issues can arise when putting off pregnancy because fertility significantly drops after the age of 35. While there is no way to preserve or prolong fertility, women can freeze their eggs. Dr. Domb recommends that egg freezing should be done no later than age 37.

If you are considering pregnancy in the near future, see your physician for a preconception appointment. “It’s important to do this well before you stop using your birth control. Your physician may do some blood work, and can also advise you on medications, alcohol, caffeine and smoking,” says Dr. Domb.

4) Get tested regularly for STIs

Some Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) have no symptoms and women don’t realize they’ve contracted an infection, which makes regular testing so important. “Left untreated, infections such as chlamydia can scar your fallopian tubes, which can impact your health and fertility later on,” says Dr. Domb. Most STI testing can be done with a simple urine sample, and doesn’t require a pelvic exam.

5) Watch for signs of depression

If you’ve been feeling down for more than a few weeks, tell your doctor. “If your appetite or sleep has been affected, you’re not enjoying the activities you once did, you are feeling withdrawn or you are having thoughts about suicide- these are signs of depression, and they should not be ignored,” says Dr. Domb.

6) Take a multivitamin with folic acid

Even if you aren’t planning on getting pregnant in the near future, taking folic acid before (and during) pregnancy can prevent major birth defects like spina bifida.

7) Swap beer for burpees

For women, no more than nine alcoholic drinks per week should be consumed. A drink is a glass of beer, a 5-oz glass of wine, or an ounce of hard liquor. “Consuming more alcohol than that may impact your liver, and can lead to liver disease,” says Dr. Domb.

At the same time, women in their 20s and early 30s should be getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. So set aside the glass of wine, lace up your running shoes and get your body moving!

The post 7 tips for staying healthy at 30 (and beyond) appeared first on Your Health Matters.

1) HPV causes cancer in men, too

When Michael Douglas candidly revealed his oral cancer was caused by HPV earlier this year, many people expressed surprise.

Even though HPV has traditionally been thought of as a disease that affects women and mainly causes cervical cancer, men are actually at higher risk of being diagnosed with certain types of HPV-positive cancers than women.

“It’s not well understood why men are at higher risk for HPV-positive oral cancer, but it does point out that vaccination in men is even more important than we may have previously thought,” says Dr. Durand. Physicians are learning more and more that HPV can also cause other cancers in both women and men, such as anal cancers and head & neck cancers (cancers of the base of the tongue, tonsils and soft palate).

2) Not all HPV infections lead to cancer

You’ve probably read some of the (slightly scary) statistics about HPV: 3 in 4 Canadians will get HPV in their lifetime. It can lead to a variety of cancers and cause genital warts, and there is no cure. But should this keep you up at night, worrying about the potentially deadly consequences of HPV?

Hardly, says Dr. Durand. “Most people who are infected with this virus will clear it- probably 80% of people. It’s the other 20% of people with a persistent infection who may be at risk of cancer, and it’s still only a very small percentage of those people who may go on to develop cancer,” she says.

Many people never even realize they’ve had an HPV infection, as there are usually no symptoms, and the infection often goes away on its own.

3) You’re never too old to get the HPV vaccine

What if you didn’t get the HPV vaccine back in middle school, and now you think it’s too late to get it?

[pullquote align=”right”]”Regardless of your age and your onset of sexual activity, we can vaccinate both men and women, and we can see a reduction in disease,” says Dr. Durand.[/pullquote]It’s actually not too late- the vaccine can still be effective, even in adults who’ve already been sexually active. “Many people think vaccination can only be done before the onset of sexual activity. But regardless of your age and your onset of sexual activity, we can vaccinate both men and women, and we can see a reduction in disease,” says Dr. Durand.

Anyone, male or female, over the age of 9 can be vaccinated. So, if you’ve put off getting the vaccine because you thought you were too old, it’s not too late!

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