The American Academy of Family Physicians currently recommends that women 40-49 get a mammogram every 1-2 years and 50+ every year. BUT I would suggest discussing this with your dr. I get one every year because of my family history. My mother's oncologist (who is GREAT, but the way) suggested it. If you feel you need one more often than your dr is telling you, demand it. OR find another dr!
And of course, there's NO AGE LIMIT on when you should start doing monthly self breast exams! A friend and I stopped at the booth our local hospital had at the MumFest (www.mumfest.com) this past weekend where they had a "visual" that you could actually feel the fibrous tissue in one and then a simulated breast with lumps. My friend was not blessed in the chest area and never realized you can feel the glands in your breast. She went home that night and did a breast exam. She realized that she was doing it wrong! SO, if you are feeling NOTHING, talk with your dr and he/she may have something like this that they can show you with.
When we got to the booth there was a woman in there with her teenage daughter. The daughter kept rolling her eyes at her mother who was telling her she needed to be doing this! PLEASE do not let this be YOUR daughter! Talk to her regularly and honestly!
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1 comment:
THANK YOU for doing your part and posting this valuable information. If only one woman heeds your advice and gets a mammogram, seeing that it's not as bad as she may have envisioned, then you've provided a valuable service. In my volunteer activities in this area, I'm seeing more and more young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Get in the habit of doing the monthly BSE so you'll know when something is not right. I'm one of many who is living proof that mammograms do save lives. Thanks, again, for posting this vital information. BTW, I agree that our daughters (and sons) need this info as well. I am heartened by the numbers of young people I see volunteering and participating in the local Race for the Cure. Everywhere we look, there is hope!
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