October is breast cancer awareness month. I think at this point most of us have someone in our lives that have been touched by this disease or worse has lost someone. My Grandmother passed away from breast cancer; she battled it twice. She fought it the first time when she was 60 and had a recurrence later in life which caused her death.
Awareness months are a great idea because it makes us stop and remember those that have lost their lives and celebrate the ones that have survived! It also shows us that we need to slow down and take the time to go have our Mammograms.
I know many women are nervous to have a Mammogram because they think it will hurt or they don’t think they need one because no one in their family has ever had breast cancer. Both of these reasons are not true. Yes, having a Mammogram is not the most comfortable thing you could have done, but it could save your life. It is a quick test and will not take much time out of your day.
Breast cancer does not discriminate by age; the current recommendation is to begin having Mammograms at age 40 unless there is a family history or you detect a lump. You should always talk to your doctor and see when they recommend you have one. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better.
Every woman, no matter her age, should be performing regular breast self-exams. You can ask your doctor for a guide the next time you have an office visit or you can click this link and it will take you to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for more information.
Currently, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. We can all do our part and help each other by encouraging one another to have our yearly Mammograms. I will link several websites below if you would like to read more information. As always, contact and talk to your physician for more information.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer.html
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/breastcancerawareness/index.htm
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