This is the biggest health challenge women face in their 30s

2)        A high-risk test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes 99.7 percent of all cervical cancer, every five years

3)        Co-testing with the high-risk HPV test and cytology every five years

The decision depends on women’s personal preference and risk factors, which she should discuss with her provider.

No other cancer screenings are routinely recommended for all women in their 30s, but there are several that women in higher risk groups may opt to undergo. By their 30s, most women should have a good understanding of their family medical history; if not, this is the time to gather that information.

National cancer screening recommendations are based on what’s appropriate for the general population overall, so it’s aimed at women with average risk for disease, Gover says. That means guidance may differ for those at higher risk for certain conditions due to family history or preexisting conditions. 

If a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, had colorectal cancer or breast cancer in their 40s or 50s, it’s recommended you take “a more personalized approach to cancer screenings,” says Suresh Nair, a medical oncologist at Lehigh Valley Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A good rule of thumb is to start screening for either of those cancers 10 years before the youngest age of diagnosis of a relative, he says. Ideally, you’d “meet with a genetic counselor and develop your own individual risk profile and shared decision model,” he says.

Colon cancer rates are rising among younger adults, so it’s important to know whether you’re in a higher risk group that would benefit from starting screening earlier. Similarly, a baseline mammogram isn’t typically recommended until women turn 40, but the calculus changes for those with a strong family history of breast cancer or who carry a genetic mutation, such as a BRCA gene, that increases their risk.

(Colon cancer is rising among young adults. Here are signs to watch for.)

Finally, people with a strong family history of melanoma will want to be more vigilant about self-checks for evidence of potential skin cancer.

These aren’t the only cancers that run in families, but they’re the ones for which routine screening methods exist. If you’re at risk for a family cancer syndrome or have a known genetic mutation that increases your risk of a particular cancer, you should be having ongoing conversations with your PCP about whether there are other screenings you should consider.