October is Reminder Month: Mammograms and Breast Exams!

Halloween sales have been going on for a month now. In a few weeks we’ll be seeing mistletoe and cornucopias filling stores (if you haven’t already…). Time flies! Before Breast Cancer Awareness Month slips from our hands, before we’re overwhelmed by end of year holidays… it’s time to make sure you schedule your mammogram.

If you’ve been putting off taking care of an issue or concern, it’s time for that diagnostic mammogram. Remember, many findings are benign, so don’t panic. And early detection saves lives, so if there’s something – the sooner the better!

If you’ve been putting off your annual screening mammogram, now is a great time! Many insurance plans run on a calendar year basis, so now might be the best time to go to your friendly neighborhood radiologist before the end of 2013.

Remember: the rules of mammograms are simple – annually from the age of 40; potentially earlier exams if you’re in a high risk category, as with a family history.

And this is so, so important: most breast cancers do NOT occur in families. More than 80% of cases have no family history. Your greatest risks are being a woman and getting older – hard to change that!

In addition to your mammograms, don’t forget your monthly self-exams and clinical breast exams. Keep up the healthy behaviors and eschew the bad ones!

PS Quick reminder: Dr. Harrison’s webinar is today at 11:30a CST. You can RSVP here.

Image credit: Pink Pumpkins?? by Paul Johnson (via Flickr) Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Originally published 10/9/13 on mammographykc.com.