Check-up Checklist: What to ask your doctor in your 40s and 50s, according to experts

January 29, 2025 | 2 min read

Your 40s and 50s are years of big accomplishments, big responsibilities, and big transitions. It’s also the time that big health questions may start to occupy more of your attention.

“This is a period in our lives where a lot of major metabolic changes, new risk factors, and stressors can emerge,” explains Dr. Stephen Pomedli, Primary Care Physician with Cleveland Clinic Canada, Manulife’s medical director. “It's a good time to review your family history of major medical conditions, check on several key measurements of metabolic health and double down on what you’re doing to support preventive actions."

Here are some questions to consider discussing during a regular check-up with a primary care doctor or nurse practitioner when you’re in your 40s or 50s, recommended by medical experts:

What to ask your doctor about healthy behaviours

• Share the major responsibilities and stressors in your life and review how they might be affecting your physical and mental health.
• Ask about healthier habits that can improve how you feel every day—especially those related to slowing metabolism.
• Ask which lifestyle changes might have the greatest impact on your future health, and practical strategies to make these daily habits. “The goal is to identify day-to-day changes that are not only going to help with your ongoing concerns, but that can also help from a preventive health standpoint,” says Dr. Pomedli.

• Ask whether you’re due to undergo testing for colorectal cancer, such as home-based stool tests or colonoscopies. If you have a prostate, ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening.
• If you have breasts, ask for your doctor’s recommendations about when to start breast cancer screening with mammograms.
• If you have a cervix, check with your provider about when you are next due for testing for cervical cancer.
• If you smoke or have smoked regularly in the past, ask your doctor if you would benefit from tests to check for lung cancer.

What to ask your doctor about vaccines

• Ask about routine vaccines that may need to be updated, and if there are age-related vaccines that you may now be eligible to receive, such as the vaccine for herpes zoster (commonly known as shingles).

What to ask about cardiovascular disease

• Ask what symptoms of cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack) you should be on close watch for—and that you can ask family and friends to look out for, too. “The goal is not to scare anyone or raise alarms, but it’s good for everyone to be aware,” Dr. Pomedli says.
• A few simple tests – like a blood pressure test, or tests to check blood sugar and cholesterol levels – can help flag conditions that don’t always have obvious symptoms¹ and disproportionately affect individuals over the age of 40.² These tests “can give us a sense of what your risk factors are and how to manage them,” says Dr. Al Qahwash, DPT and Director, Cardiac Care and Critical Care at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, home of the Manulife-supported PREVENT Clinic.
• It's good to raise what, if any, weight management strategies might be beneficial, Dr. Qahwash adds. “In our 40s and 50s, our metabolism starts to slow. Research shows that even slow and steady weight gain of 1-2 pounds per year can significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, while effective weight management has been associated with a 30% reduction in heart disease risk over time.”

• If you menstruate, ask about peri-menopausal or menopausal symptoms you should watch for.
• If you are experiencing changes in your menstrual cycle or have stopped menstruating and are experiencing symptoms related to these changes, ask what treatments or approaches might be helpful.
• Ask what you can do to maintain bone health and whether you might benefit from earlier testing for low bone density. 

Ultimately, annual appointments can be an opportunity to take more control over your health and ask for clarity and context around health recommendations and how they apply to you. “You should not be afraid to ask for some feedback on your health,” says Karen Cutler, Head of Underwriting and Chief Underwriter for Manulife’s Individual Insurance business. “If this information isn’t conveyed back to you, you can’t make changes, if they’re needed.”

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat a condition. If you have questions or concerns about your specific situation or are seeking medical advice, contact your medical doctor or your healthcare provider.

Cleveland Clinic Canada
Manulife is proud to have Cleveland Clinic Canada on board as Medical Director for our Group Benefits operations. Cleveland Clinic Canada has a wealth of global healthcare expertise and shares our goal to help Canadians live longer, healthier, and better lives. Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit organization that has been at the forefront of modern medicine since 1921. In recent years, Cleveland Clinic has worked with progressive companies in Canada and around the world to prioritize the health and well-being of their employees, customers, and communities.

St. Mary’s PREVENT Clinic
In alignment with our Impact Agenda and our commitment to sustained health and well-being, Manulife Canada is proud to support the PREVENT Clinic powered by Manulife. Located within the St. Mary's Cardio Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the clinic serves as a multidisciplinary, risk-factor reduction program