Full body checkup for women in Dubai: what to check at 30, 40 and 50

Sabiyat Akhmedova — GP, obstetrician-gynecologist

A checkup is not “test everything”

Women often arrive with a list of forty tests from the internet. More is not more accurate. A good checkup answers one question: which diseases are a real risk for a woman your age, and where can they be caught before symptoms appear. That is what screening guidelines are for: the US ones (USPSTF, ACOG) and the local ones from the Dubai Health Authority. Anything beyond them only makes sense when there is a reason.

Take the CA-125 tumor marker “just to be safe.” The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in women without symptoms or a high-risk hereditary syndrome: neither CA-125 nor ultrasound reduced deaths in trials, while false alarms led to unnecessary surgery. That is why CA-125 is not part of our programs, and pelvic ultrasound is included as part of the gynecologist’s exam.

What to check at any age

• Blood pressure, weight, blood sugar and lipids. The DHA guideline advises adults from age 18 to have cardiovascular risk and blood sugar checked every 3 years, or yearly with risk factors; from 30, diabetes screening can be annual. In the UAE this is not a formality: the IDF estimates that in 2024, 20.7% of adults aged 20–79 here had diabetes, about one in five.
• Ferritin and a complete blood count. According to WHO, 30% of non-pregnant women aged 15–49 worldwide have anemia, and iron deficiency is the most common cause. Heavy periods are a common reason to check ferritin.
• Vitamin D. DHA advises measuring it at the first preventive visit to establish a baseline. A study of migrant women in Al Ain found deficiency in 67%. The US Endocrine Society advises against routine vitamin D testing in healthy people, so after the baseline, we repeat it only when there is a reason.

At 30: cervix, thyroid, pregnancy plans

The key screening at this age is for cervical cancer. Dubai follows the national schedule: a Pap test every 3 years at ages 25–49. ACOG’s 2026 update recommends HPV testing every 5 years at ages 30–65. Your gynecologist will choose based on your past results. The Pap test is not part of the checkup program. If you are due, the gynecologist can take it at the same visit for AED 300.

If you are thinking about pregnancy, a checkup is a convenient time to check what matters before conception: thyroid (TSH), ferritin, vitamin D and blood sugar. More in our article on pregnancy planning.

At 40: breasts, bowel, early signs of perimenopause

• Mammogram. DHA advises one every 2 years from 40; the USPSTF, every 2 years from 40 to 74. The GMS medical concierge arranges the mammogram at a partner center. The breast ultrasound in our programs adds to it, especially with dense breasts, which nearly half of women over 40 have (BCRF). Ultrasound cannot replace a mammogram.
• Colorectal cancer. In the UAE, screening starts earlier than in the US: the national guidance cited by DHA covers ages 40 to 75, with a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every 2 years or a colonoscopy every 10 years. You can do the FIT with us for AED 250. The USPSTF advises starting at 45. If you need a colonoscopy, the concierge arranges it at a partner hospital, where it is performed in the presence of our gastroenterologist Elena Kasimtseva.
• Blood sugar and weight. The USPSTF advises checking blood sugar in all adults aged 35–70 with overweight. Our programs include glucose and HbA1c.
• Perimenopause. Hormones begin to change long before the final period, so after 40 we look more closely at lipids, blood pressure and vitamin D. More in our guide to gynecology in Dubai and our article on menopause.

At 50: heart and bones

After 50, the national schedule moves the Pap test to every 5 years, through age 65. Mammograms and bowel screening continue. The focus shifts to the heart and bones: after menopause the lipid profile changes and bone is lost faster. That is why our programs include an ECG and an echocardiogram. The USPSTF recommends a bone density scan (DEXA) for all women from 65, and earlier after menopause if fracture risk is raised; DHA advises it every 3 years from 65, and before 65 after a risk assessment. If you need one, the concierge arranges it.

What our women’s programs include

Both programs take one or two days, and all examinations together take no more than six hours. Blood is drawn at the clinic, fasting.

• Consultations: a GP (an initial visit and an extended follow-up where we go through every result), a cardiologist and a gynecologist.
• Examinations: ECG, echocardiogram, and ultrasound of the thyroid, abdomen, kidneys and bladder, breasts with lymph nodes, and pelvic organs.
• 24 lab tests: complete blood count, glucose and HbA1c, cholesterol and its fractions, triglycerides, ferritin, vitamin D, TSH, liver and kidney markers, electrolytes, hepatitis B and C, HIV, urinalysis.

The Women’s Health Check-up Optimum is AED 10,200. The Women’s Health Check-up Premium is AED 12,800 and adds neurologist, dermatologist and gastroenterologist consultations to the same set. At the end you receive a detailed report in English and Russian that explains every result and gives you recommendations.

See the Women’s Health Check-up Optimum and Women’s Health Check-up Premium pages, and all programs under health check-ups. If you only need a gynecological exam, that is a separate visit: a gynecologist consultation is AED 600 (gynecologist in Dubai).

You can book a women’s checkup through the form on our website or on WhatsApp.

Sources

• Dubai Health Authority. Dubai Periodic Health Screening Guideline (2024)
• ACOG. Updated Cervical Cancer Screening Guidance (2026)
• ACOG. Why Annual Pap Smears Are History — But Routine Ob-Gyn Visits Are Not
• USPSTF. Breast Cancer: Screening (2024)
• USPSTF. Colorectal Cancer: Screening (2021)
• USPSTF. Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Screening (2021)
• USPSTF. Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: Screening (2025)
• USPSTF. Ovarian Cancer: Screening (2018)
• Endocrine Society. Vitamin D for the Prevention of Disease (2024)
• IDF Diabetes Atlas. United Arab Emirates
• WHO. Anaemia — fact sheet
• Al Anouti F. et al. Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Associated Factors among Female Migrants in the UAE. Nutrients (2022)
• BCRF. Dense Breast Tissue: Meaning, Risk & Screening Options

FAQ

What does a full body checkup for women include at GMS?

GP consultations (an initial visit and a follow-up to go through the results), a cardiologist and a gynecologist, ECG and echocardiogram, ultrasound of the thyroid, abdomen, kidneys, breasts and pelvis, and 24 blood and urine tests. The premium program adds a neurologist, a dermatologist and a gastroenterologist. Everything takes no more than six hours over one or two days.

How much is a women’s checkup in Dubai?

At GMS, the Women’s Health Check-up Optimum is AED 10,200 and the Women’s Health Check-up Premium is AED 12,800. The Pap test is not part of the program: if you are due, the gynecologist takes it at the same visit for AED 300.

When should I start mammograms and colonoscopy in the UAE?

Under the national guidance that DHA follows, mammograms are every 2 years from 40, and colorectal cancer screening runs from 40 to 75: FIT every 2 years or a colonoscopy every 10 years. In the US, colorectal screening starts at 45. At GMS, our medical concierge arranges mammograms and colonoscopies at partner centers.

Why a checkup instead of simply testing everything?

More tests do not mean more accuracy: extra markers bring false alarms. For example, the USPSTF advises against CA-125 screening for ovarian cancer in women without symptoms; in trials it did not reduce deaths but led to unnecessary surgery. In a checkup, tests are chosen for your age and a doctor goes through the results.

This article is for information only and does not replace a consultation. If you have symptoms, see a doctor.

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