With World Sexual Health Day on September 4, it’s a good time to take stock of the screenings and health checks women should prioritize in their twenties.
Your twenties move fast. Between job changes and apartment hunts, sexual health screenings often get pushed to “next month” for years in a row. It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll deal with it once things calm down, except things rarely calm down, and the appointments keep sliding further into the future. Meanwhile, your body doesn’t wait for a slower season to start changing, and some of the guidelines that apply to you right now won’t apply once you turn 30. September 4 marks World Sexual Health Day, and this occasion serves as the perfect nudge for you to stop postponing. Here’s what to get checked while you’re still in your twenties, before the big three-oh arrives and your body’s own guidelines start shifting.
READ ALSO: PCOS Gets A New Name: Why The Shift To PMOS Is A Win For Millions Of Women
Keep Up With Pap Smears
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends cytology alone every three years for women between 21 and 29. If you skipped last year’s appointment, this is the decade to fix that, since your options change once you cross into your thirties and doctors start adding HPV testing into the mix.
Make STI Testing Routine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all sexually active women under 25 get tested annually for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Once you turn 25, you don’t get to stop entirely. Yearly screening still applies if you have a new partner, multiple partners, or a partner who has an STI. HIV testing is also worth doing at least once between ages 13 and 64, and it’s easy to fold into a regular checkup rather than treating it as its own separate errand.
Don’t Skip The HPV Vaccine
A lot of women can assume they aged out of the HPV vaccine somewhere around their college years. That assumption is wrong. The vaccine is approved through age 45, and while routine vaccination targets people up to 26, your twenties are still squarely inside that window. If you never got the shot, ask your doctor about it now rather than waiting until you’re outside the range where it’s a straightforward yes.
Know Your Breast Cancer Risk Early
Ask your doctor for a clinical breast exam during your annual visit and get familiar with what feels normal for your own body so you notice changes as they happen. If breast or ovarian cancer runs in your family, mention it now rather than waiting until your forties, since that history can change when screening should start for you.
Ask About Your Thyroid And Fertility
A few things belong on your radar even without a formal screening guideline attached to them. Thyroid issues tend to surface in your twenties and thirties, and they can affect your period, energy, and mood long before anyone thinks to test for them. If children are part of your future plans, this is also the decade to ask your doctor about fertility and ovarian reserve, since that conversation is far more useful now than it is once you’re already trying to conceive.
Talk About Your Mental Health
Sexual health and mental health are more connected than most checklists admit. Building a relationship with a therapist, or simply being upfront with your doctor about stress, anxiety, or mood changes, tends to pay off more the earlier you start. Your twenties are a good time to normalize that conversation instead of waiting for a crisis to force it.
Why Women Should Build The Habit Of Getting Regular Screenings Now
You don’t need to fulfill all of this by spending an entire afternoon at the hospital, marathoning appointment after appointment. Start a simple record of your screening dates, vaccines, and family history while you’re still in your twenties, and every appointment after 30 becomes easier to navigate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Women in their twenties should keep up with Pap smears, STI testing, HPV vaccination, breast health checks, and regular conversations about mental health, thyroid health, and fertility.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends cytology alone every three years for women ages 21 to 29.
The CDC recommends annual chlamydia and gonorrhea testing for all sexually active women under 25. After 25, yearly testing is still recommended for women with a new partner, multiple partners, or a partner who has an STI.
World Sexual Health Day 2026 falls on September 4.
Women can ask their doctor about thyroid health, fertility and ovarian reserve, breast health, family history of breast or ovarian cancer, and mental health.
