The self assessment tools listed below can help you better understand your own health needs, create your own health care plans, and test your knowledge of women's health topics. Finding answers to your health questions can help you make decisions about caring for yourself and deciding when to seek professional health services.
Note: These tools are not intended to provide a diagnosis or treatment. If you identify a health problem through the use of these tools, or have concerns about your health, contact your health care provider.
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Breast Health: How to Do a Self-Breast Exam
Many people know at least one woman who has experienced breast cancer. Although breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, there are many effective treatments available. Tumors that are detected at the earliest possible time may be up to 100% treatable. This online tool from the Susan G. Komen Foundation shows you how to do a self-breast exam and tests your knowledge on early detection of breast cancer. |
Cervical Cancer Screening: Find clinics offering free or low cost cervical cancer screening (pap smears)
This Web site allows women to search by zip code, city, or program for clinics offering free or low cost cervical cancer screening (pap smears). The site also has a description of eligibility criteria for programs offered by these clinics, as well as additional cervical cancer screening resources. |
Depression: Screening Test
Everyone experiences times of joy, happiness, challenge and sorrow throughout life. But if you've been feeling "down" for more than a few weeks or are having difficulty functioning in daily life, you may be suffering from a common yet serious medical illness called clinical depression, a condition that is twice as common in women as men. Depression is treatable but many people do not seek the professional help they need. This confidential online test will determine whether you may have symptoms of depression. As with any other illness, you should see your health care provider if you think you might have symptoms of depression. |
Diabetes Risk Test
There are 20.8 million Americans with diabetes -- and nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million people) do not know it. Take this test from the American Diabetes Association to see if you are at risk for having diabetes. Diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. If you are a member of one of these ethnic groups, you may need to pay special attention to this test. |
Family Health History
Knowing your family’s health history is a powerful tool for knowing your health risks. The Surgeon General has created a new computerized tool to help make it easy for anyone to create a sophisticated portrait of their family's health. |
Family Planning: Choosing Birth Control
Sponsored by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals this site provides a comprehensive self assessment tool for a woman who wants to choose a birth control method that is right for her. All methods are considered, including abstinence. Values and beliefs as well as lifestyle risk are also included in the criterion for choosing the best method for you. |
Financial Well-being
Budgeting and taking control of your finances can help minimize some stress from money issues. The National Center on Women and Aging features the best resources for women’s financial planning and saving including financial calculators to help women of all ages plan their finances. |
Heart Health: Create a Personal Profile
Heart disease is a primary health concern for women in the United States. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Create a personal profile of your health and lifestyle with information specific to your health needs. |
Heart Attack Risk
This risk assessment tool uses information from the Framingham Heart Study to predict your chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. This tool is designed for adults aged 20 and older who do not have heart disease or diabetes. |
Health Care: Navigating the System
Navigating the health care system is often challenging. Learning to advocate for your own health needs can help. These online learning modules from the Center for Spirituality and Healing provide information on communicating with your health care provider, finding a provider and deciding on therapies. |
Health Careers Exploration for Youth
Lifeworks is an interactive career exploration web site for middle and high school students. The "Career Finder" can be used to generate a customized list of careers especially suited for users' skills and interests. Users can browse for information on more than 100 medical science and health careers by title, education required, interest area, or median salary. LifeWorks promotes awareness of the wide variety of occupations in health and medical sciences and the range of opportunities at different education levels. True stories illustrate the variety of real-life career pathways, from the carefully planned to the unpredictable. |
Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is an inability to hold your urine until you get to a toilet. Women experience incontinence twice as often as men. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract account for this difference. But both women and men can become incontinent from neurologic injury, birth defects, strokes, multiple sclerosis, and physical problems associated with aging. This website features several excellent clinical tools that can be downloaded including a bladder diary and a patient questionnaire that can be completed at home or in the waiting room. |
Internet Health Information:What's Reliable?
The Internet can be a valuable source of health and medical information. However, sometimes medical information on the Internet may be overly simplified, incomplete, or even inaccurate. Please read this article from the Journal of the American Medical Association on how to find credible health information on the Internet. |
Mature Women: Tools for Health Risk and Assessment
This site offers easy self health checks using self test questionnaires or health calculators. Self test tools include: Heart attack risk, nicotine dependence, target heart rate, adequate sleep, common risk factors, ideal weight, risk of type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, BMI calculator, depression and irritable bowel syndrome. |
Mature Women: Depression Screening Test
Depression affects twice as many women as men. Women’s risk of depression also increases with age. This online assessment tests for depression in older people using the Geriatric Depression Screening Scale to evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms in older people. It's a self-rating tool that's easy to use. |
Nutrition: Menu Planner
The interactive menu planner is designed to guide daily food and meal choices based on one day's calorie allowance. It may be used in advance to plan a meal, or at the end of a day to add up total calories, as well as fat, and carbohydrates consumed. |
Nutrition: Restaurant Food Information
It is often difficult to know the nutritional value of foods when eating out. Here you will find nutrition information for items at many popular restaurants. |
Nutrition and Physical Activity: Planning and Tracking
MyPyramid Plan is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. This tool can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for you. For a quick estimate of what and how much you need to eat, enter your age, sex, and activity level in the MyPyramid Plan box. For a detailed assessment of your food intake and physical activity level, click on MyPyramid Tracker. Use the advice "Inside MyPyramid" to help you Make smart choices from every food group, Find your balance between food and physical activity, and Get the most nutrition out of your calories. |
Sexually Transmitted Infection and HIV Risk Assessment
More young women are being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS than ever before. Fortunately, there are many steps that we can take to protect ourselves from HIV. Take an anonymous risk assessment test to find out your risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). |
Smoking: Your Quit Smoking Plan
Over 20% of American women smoke. In addition to the known health problems related to smoking, research has shown that smoking may have unique detrimental effects on women compared to men. Quit Plan offers interactive tools to help Minnesotans quit smoking today. Quitting smoking has many immediate and long-term health benefits, and is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of conditions such as heart disease and lung cancer.
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