01 / Screenings
What to get checked in your 30s
Each row names the body that recommends it, the grade it gave, and the date of that recommendation. Recommendations change; the date tells you how current the row is.
Blood pressure
Confirm a high office reading with out-of-office measurement before treatment.
Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (A1C, fasting glucose or OGTT)
Starts at 35, so on this page it applies from 35 to 39.
Cervical cancer screening
A December 2024 draft update proposes HPV primary screening (clinician- or self-collected) every 5 years at 30 to 65; not final as of 2026-08-19.
Depression screening
Anxiety disorder screening
Insufficient evidence at 65 and older.
Unhealthy alcohol use screening and brief counseling
Hepatitis C screening
HIV screening
Hepatitis B screening
Syphilis screening
Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening
Insufficient evidence for screening men.
Weight and BMI, with referral to intensive behavioral programs when BMI is 30 or higher
The topic is being updated; the 2018 statement remains current.
Influenza vaccine
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap or Td)
Pneumococcal vaccine
Routine vaccination begins at 50.
COVID-19 vaccine
CDC's separate COVID vaccine considerations page could not be verified on 2026-08-19; check the current schedule.
02 / Numbers to track
Biomarkers worth knowing this decade
Fasting plasma glucose
FPGNormal (below the prediabetes range): under 100 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol
HDL-CLow (a major risk factor): under 40 mg/dL
Hemoglobin A1C
A1CNormal (below the prediabetes range): under 5.7 %
LDL cholesterol
LDL-COptimal: under 100 mg/dL
Triglycerides
TGNormal: under 150 mg/dL
What changes in your 30s
Blood pressure screening becomes yearly at 40, but the US Preventive Services Task Force already recommends checking every 3 to 5 years through your 30s, more often if you have overweight or obesity or readings at the high end of normal. Glucose screening starts at 35 for adults with overweight or obesity, and repeats about every 3 years while normal. Cholesterol testing has no fixed USPSTF interval in your 30s; the 2018 AHA/ACC cholesterol guideline suggests risk assessment from age 20 with lipids every 4 to 6 years in adults free of disease.
Two one-time tests belong in this decade if you have never had them: hepatitis C (adults 18 to 79) and HIV (15 to 65). Both are USPSTF Grade A or B and both are simple blood tests.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a full physical every year in my 30s? ▼
No US body recommends a fixed annual physical. The USPSTF recommendations above set what to check and how often; a visit every year or two that covers blood pressure, weight, mental health and the tests due for your age does the same job.
When should I start checking cholesterol? ▼
The 2018 AHA/ACC guideline suggests a first lipid panel and risk assessment in your 20s and every 4 to 6 years after that if you are healthy; the USPSTF ties statin decisions to ages 40 to 75, so a baseline in your 30s tells you where you are heading before that window opens.