01 / Screenings
What to get checked in your 70s
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 screening (A1C, fasting glucose or OGTT)
The American Diabetes Association sets no upper age: it recommends testing adults of any age with overweight or obesity who have a risk factor (Standards of Care in Diabetes 2026).
Cardiovascular risk assessment and statin decision (lipid panel plus 10-year ASCVD risk)
Grade C at 7.5% to under 10% risk for ages 40 to 75. USPSTF's statin statement is graded I, insufficient evidence, for adults 76 and older.
Colorectal cancer screening
USPSTF, Grade C: "Evidence indicates that the net benefit of screening all persons in this age group is small."
Breast cancer screening (mammography)
USPSTF: "the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening mammography in women 75 years or older."
Lung cancer screening (low-dose CT)
Cervical cancer screening
Quoted exactly: "The USPSTF recommends against screening for cervical cancer in women older than 65 years who have had adequate prior screening and are not otherwise at high risk for cervical cancer."
Prostate cancer screening (PSA)
Quoted exactly: "The USPSTF recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men 70 years and older." Grade C, an individual decision, applies at 55 to 69.
Osteoporosis screening (bone density, DXA)
Insufficient evidence for screening men. USPSTF states no upper age for women.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening (ultrasound)
Selectively offered to men 65 to 75 who never smoked (Grade C). USPSTF's graded recommendations are bounded to 65 to 75; it publishes no separate grade for screening begun after 75.
Depression screening
Anxiety disorder screening
Quoted exactly: "The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for anxiety disorders in older adults."
Hepatitis C screening
Quoted: "The USPSTF also suggests that clinicians consider screening persons younger than 18 years and older than 79 years who are at high risk for infection."
HIV screening
Quoted: "The USPSTF recommends that clinicians screen for HIV infection in adolescents and adults aged 15 to 65 years. Younger adolescents and older adults who are at increased risk of infection should also be screened."
Influenza vaccine
Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap or Td)
Shingles vaccine (recombinant zoster, Shingrix)
Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV20 or PCV21, or PCV15 then PPSV23)
ACIP lowered the routine age from 65 to 50 in October 2024.
RSV vaccine
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
Apolipoprotein B
ApoBRisk-enhancing factor: 130 or higher mg/dL
HDL cholesterol
HDL-CLow (a major risk factor): under 40 mg/dL
Hemoglobin A1C
A1CNormal (below the prediabetes range): under 5.7 %
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein
hs-CRPLow relative risk: under 1 mg/L
LDL cholesterol
LDL-COptimal: under 100 mg/dL
Total testosterone
TTHarmonized normal range: 264 to 916 ng/dL
Triglycerides
TGNormal: under 150 mg/dL
eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)
eGFRG1: normal or high (CKD only with damage markers): 90 or higher mL/min/1.73m²
Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D)
25(OH)DDeficient: under 12 ng/mL
What changes in your 70s
PSA-based prostate screening becomes a Grade D at 70: the USPSTF recommends against it, after grading it an individual decision (Grade C) from 55 to 69. Cervical cancer screening and routine HIV screening ended earlier, at 65, for people with adequate prior screening or without an increased risk. Colorectal cancer screening becomes a selective, individual decision (Grade C) from 76 to 85, having been Grade A through 75. The prediabetes and type 2 diabetes recommendation covers ages 35 to 70 and states no position beyond it, and the statin recommendation becomes Grade I, insufficient evidence, at 76 and older.
What continues: annual blood pressure checks, depression screening at any age, osteoporosis screening for women 65 and older with no upper bound stated, and lung cancer screening through 80 for people with a 20 pack-year history. The one-time abdominal aortic aneurysm ultrasound for men who have ever smoked closes its window at 75. The RSV vaccine becomes recommended for all adults at 75, rather than only those at increased risk.
This ledger lists the screenings and vaccines we have a dated primary source for. Four other USPSTF-recommended screenings on the 60s hub are not yet listed here for lack of a source we have verified, not because they end at 70: unhealthy alcohol use screening (Grade B, all adults 18 and older), hepatitis B screening (risk-based), syphilis screening (risk-based), and weight and BMI screening (Grade B, BMI of 30 or higher). Each still applies at this age; ask a clinician if any is relevant to you.
Frequently asked questions
Should men over 70 still get a PSA test?
No, by USPSTF's own grading. The USPSTF recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men 70 years and older (Grade D). Between 55 and 69 it is an individual decision (Grade C).
Does colorectal cancer screening continue past 75?
The USPSTF's Grade A recommendation covers ages 50 to 75. From 76 to 85 it becomes Grade C: clinicians should selectively offer screening rather than screen everyone, because the evidence indicates the net benefit of screening everyone in that age group is small.
When does the RSV vaccine become recommended for everyone?
ACIP recommends a single RSV dose for all adults 75 and older. Adults 50 to 74 are recommended a dose only if they are at increased risk of severe RSV disease.