Dr. J’s Easy Wins for 2026
By Dr. Michelle Jacobson, OBGYN & Co-Founder, Coven Women’s Health
Every January, I see the same pattern: women feeling pressure to “fix everything” about their health all at once — new supplements, new workouts, new diets, new routines.
As a physician, I want to gently push back on that.
Before you spend money, energy, or mental bandwidth on big lifestyle overhauls, there are a few simple, evidence-based steps that can give you an incredible return on investment for your health — especially when it comes to hormones, energy, mood, and long-term disease prevention.
These aren’t flashy. But they work.
Here are the easy wins I recommend to almost every patient as we head into a new year.
Part 1: Easy Baseline Wins for Your Hormonal Health in 2026
1. Make Sure You’re Up to Date on Routine Screening
Preventive care doesn’t get enough credit, but it saves lives and catches problems early — when they are easier to treat.
Here are a few basics to check off:
Pap tests (cervical cancer screening)
Most guidelines recommend:
Starting at age 25
Every 3 years if results are normal (or every 5 years with HPV testing, depending on your province and provider)
If you’re not sure when your last one was, that’s your sign to ask.
Mammograms (breast cancer screening)
In most provinces:
Routine screening starts between 40–50, depending on risk and local programs
Earlier if you have strong family history or genetic risk factors
If breast cancer runs in your family, it’s worth having a conversation sooner rather than later.
Colon cancer screening
Usually begins at:
Age 50, or earlier with family history or symptoms
These screenings don’t directly measure hormones, but they are part of the bigger picture of protecting your long-term health — and they’re often overlooked by busy women who put themselves last.
2. Do Simple Self-Checks (Yes, They Still Matter)
This isn’t about anxiety — it’s about familiarity with your own body.
Monthly breast self-exams: noticing new lumps, skin changes, or nipple discharge
Paying attention to changes in your cycle, bleeding patterns, pelvic pain, or new symptoms
You don’t need to panic about every change, but you do deserve to take changes seriously and get them checked.
You know your body better than anyone.
3. Ask for Basic Lab Work That Can Explain “Mystery Symptoms”
So many women come in saying:
“I’m exhausted, foggy, anxious, or not feeling like myself… but I’ve been told everything is normal.”
There are a few very common issues that are easy to test for and easy to treat, including:
Iron levels (ferritin), especially if you have heavy periods
Vitamin D
B12
Thyroid function
Basic metabolic markers
Low iron alone can drive fatigue, brain fog, hair shedding, shortness of breath, and exercise intolerance — and it’s incredibly common in menstruating women.
These aren’t exotic tests. You can ask your GP for them, access them through clinics like ours, or discuss whether testing makes sense based on your symptoms.
4. Consider Genetic Counselling If Cancer Runs in Your Family
If you have:
Multiple relatives with breast, ovarian, colon, or pancreatic cancer
Family members diagnosed at younger ages
Known genetic mutations in your family
Genetic counselling can help determine whether testing is appropriate and what screening or prevention strategies might be recommended for you.
This is not about jumping to surgery or scary interventions. Often it simply means more tailored screening and better long-term planning.
5. Book a Health Navigation or Hormonal Health Review — Even If You Don’t Know What’s “Wrong”
One of the biggest barriers women face is not knowing:
Which symptoms matter
Which provider to see
What tests or next steps are actually useful
This is exactly why health coaching and structured hormonal health assessments exist.
Sometimes the biggest win is:
Organizing your health story
Reviewing symptoms and risk factors
Making a clear plan instead of guessing
You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from that kind of support.
6. Please, Don’t Feel Like You Have to Do Everything at Once
If you do one or two things from this list, that’s already meaningful progress.
Health does not improve through guilt, fear, or internet overwhelm.
It improves through steady, informed, realistic steps — and care that respects your whole life, not just your lab results.
