The letter from BreastScreen has been under the fruit bowl since autumn. The bowel screening kit is in the bathroom drawer, still sealed. You've meant to book the GP three times, and each time a deadline, a school pickup or somebody else's appointment got there first.

Women's Health Week runs from 7 to 11 September, and this year's theme is do it anyway. Not do it perfectly, or do it once your calendar clears. Just do it, in whatever small version fits the week you're actually having.

So here's the check-in. Five minutes to read, one appointment to book, and a few habits worth keeping long after Friday.

Why the checklist changes in your 40s and 50s

This is the decade when several of Australia's national screening programs start posting things to your address. It's also the decade when your body is going through the biggest hormonal shift since your twenties, which makes it easy to file every new symptom under menopause and leave it there.

Fatigue, low mood, aching joints and broken sleep can all belong to perimenopause. They can also belong to something else entirely, and the only way to sort one from the other is to get looked at. Booking the check isn't fussing. It's the fastest way to stop guessing.

There's a practical reason to do it now, too. Screening programs are set up to catch things before you can feel them, which is exactly when they're most treatable and least disruptive to your life.

The screenings you're eligible for right now

Four checks run as organised programs in Australia, which means the eligibility and the cost are already decided for you. No referral hunting, no wondering what it's worth.

Check	Who it's for	How often	Cost
Cervical Screening Test	Women aged 25 to 74 who has ever been sexually active	Every 5 years	Medicare rebate applies. Ask the clinic if they bulk bill
Breast screen (mammogram)	Invitations go to women aged 50 to 74. Women aged 40 to 49 can book without one	Every 2 years	Free through BreastScreen Australia
Bowel screening kit	Ages 45 to 74. Kits post automatically from 50. Women aged 45 to 49 request their first one	Every 2 years	Free
Heart Health Check	Age 45 and over, 35 and over with diabetes, 30 and over for First Nations peoples	Yearly	Covered by Medicare, free where the practice bulk bills

Two of those have changed recently enough that plenty of women haven't heard. Bowel screening now starts at 45 rather than 50, and if you're between 45 and 49 you can request your first free kit rather than waiting for one to arrive.

And cervical screening no longer has to involve a speculum. You can choose to collect your own sample with a swab, which takes about half a minute and can be done in the clinic. If avoiding that appointment has been about the appointment itself rather than the time, this changes things.

The Heart Health Check is the one most women have never been offered. It's a 20 minute conversation with your GP or practice nurse about blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and family history, ending with a plan. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, and our guide to heart health through menopause covers why this stage of life is worth paying attention to. You can ask for one by name at your next visit.

The checks nobody posts you a reminder for

Beyond the four programs, Jean Hailes lists a longer set of checks worth doing by age. None of them will chase you. You have to ask.

• A skin check, especially if you grew up on Australian beaches before anyone mentioned sunscreen
• An eye test and a hearing test, both of which drift so slowly you adapt without noticing
• A dental check, which tends to be the first thing dropped when money is tight
• A bone health assessment, worth raising if you've broken a bone easily or have osteoporosis in the family
• A menopause assessment, so your symptoms get recorded properly rather than mentioned in passing

You won't do all of those this week. Pick the one you've deferred longest and book it while you're thinking about it.

How to get more out of one GP appointment

Most women get about 15 minutes and arrive with six things to raise. Then they mention the easiest one, run out of time, and leave with the real problem still in their bag.

A few things that help. Ask for a long appointment when you book, and say it's for a health check so the receptionist allocates the time. Track your symptoms for a fortnight beforehand, because "I'm tired" lands differently to "I'm waking at 3am four nights out of seven." Write down your three questions and lead with the one you're most likely to leave out.

Then ask what happens next if the first approach doesn't work. If you're brushed off, that's information about the doctor, not about you, and you're entitled to another opinion. Our overview of perimenopause and menopause symptoms is a useful thing to read before you go.

Five small habits worth keeping after Friday

Women's Health Week gives each day a theme, and each one translates into something small enough to survive a busy fortnight.

1. Add protein to breakfast. Most of us load it into dinner and wonder why 11am feels so long.
2. Walk while you're on the phone. It counts, and it's the version of exercise that survives a bad week. If you want more, strength training after 40 earns its place twice over.
3. Pick a bedtime and hold it for a week. Consistency does more for how you feel than any single late night undoes, and restless nights during menopause respond well to routine.
4. Take three slow breaths before you answer the phone. It's not a wellness practice, it's a pause, and it works.
5. Message the friend you keep meaning to call. Connection is the habit most likely to be dropped in your 40s and 50s, and the one you'll miss most.

Where to start this week

You don't need to do all of it. Choose the one thing you've been carrying around the longest, and get it booked before Friday. Everything else can wait for the next reminder letter, which is exactly what it's there for.

Your health, your rules, your pace. Do it anyway.

This article is general information only and isn't a substitute for personal medical advice. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.