Dan Wang, MD
Women's health screening is where Chinese checkup packages are quietly excellent. Tests that are separate appointments at home — a smear here, an HPV test there, a breast ultrasound somewhere else, if you can get one — happen in a single morning, in one building, for a price that would barely cover the imaging alone in London or New York. Here is what is included, and the practical details that matter when you are planning around a trip.
What the screening covers
- Breast ultrasound: standard in every package. The SVIP tier upgrades this to automated breast volume ultrasound — a 3D whole-breast scan particularly useful for dense breast tissue.
- TCT cervical screening: the liquid-based cytology test, the current standard for cervical cancer screening.
- HPV genotyping: up to 28 high- and low-risk types in the upper tiers, far broader than the two-type tests common elsewhere.
- Pelvic ultrasound: transabdominal for all women; transvaginal available for married women or those who choose it.
- Gynaecological examination, with a female examiner.
- Tumour markers relevant to women: CA-125, CA 15-3 and others, as part of the 11-marker female panel.
- Everything in the general screening too: thyroid ultrasound (thyroid conditions are far more common in women), bone density screening, full blood work and imaging.
Timing it around your cycle
This is the detail that decides whether the morning works. The ideal window is three to five days after your period ends. Avoid the week before your period for breast-related follow-ups, and note that urine and stool samples cannot be collected during menstruation — the gynaecological exam and transvaginal ultrasound are also postponed until three days after it ends. If your cycle is regular, tell us the dates when you enquire and we will place the screening morning in the right part of your trip. If it is not, we plan flexibly.
Preparing for the morning
- For three days before a cervical smear: no douching and no vaginal medication, so results are accurate.
- Wear trousers and avoid underwired or metal-containing underwear — you will move between ultrasound, X-ray and examination rooms.
- Skip contact lenses that morning if your package includes eye-pressure or fundus checks; bring your lens case and drops if you do wear them.
- If you are pregnant or might be, tell the staff at registration: X-ray, CT and gynaecological items are excluded, and the rest of the screening proceeds safely.
Privacy and comfort
Gender-specific examinations are performed by female staff, and screening centres run women-only zones for the gynaecological and breast stations. If you would like an English-speaking companion with you through the morning — to translate, to explain, or simply to be there — we arrange one. Many of our clients tell us that companion is what turned an intimidating idea into an easy morning.
Which package to choose
The Essential tier ($549) already includes breast and pelvic ultrasound, TCT and the female tumour marker panel. The Comprehensive tier ($849) adds HPV-28 genotyping. The SVIP tier ($1,499) adds automated breast volume ultrasound — the choice if you have dense breast tissue or a family history that makes you want the deepest look available. Tell us your age and history and we will say which tier fits, including when it is the cheapest one.