Women Team Up For Breast Health

Regular mammograms are essential for early breast cancer detection, and after age 40, women should be getting them every year. By following through with your yearly appointment, you are decreasing your chance of getting breast cancer, a disease that has no signs or symptoms in its beginning stages. So screening is essential.
Why start at age 40? Dr Susan Love shares her wisdom: “This has to do with the age and how breasts change during our lifetimes.” She also reveals that individuals with a significant family history of breast cancer should begin yearly appointments at age 35.
A mammogram is an X-ray image where the individual’s breasts are “compressed between two firm surfaces to spread out the breast tissue.” After the image is taken, the doctor can easily see if there are signs of cancer in the tissue. The mammogram can even be done in less than 30 minutes!
Many women are nervous for their first appointment, and to alleviate the stress, they’ve made their yearly mammograms into a girls’ day out!
“The buddy system is quite effective for many things we like to put off,” said Mindy Burgess, Breast Heath Nurse Navigator of the Sheila R. Veloz Breast Imaging Center. “So why not use it for mammograms?”
After a nice lunch and manicures, friends or mothers and daughters can go to the imaging center for their annual check-up.
Doing it with a buddy reduces the stress of going through your first appointment alone, especially if you are going with a veteran screener. The Sheila R. Veloz Breast Center is supporting this “treat yourself” mentality by having “Mammo Mondays” twice a year where refreshments, a mini massage, and a goody bag are offered.
Burgess also urges women to make monthly self breast exams part of the routine. Be sure to visit a professional every year for an in-depth check or instruction on how to self-check, as well.
To book an appointment for your yearly mammogram, visit www.henrymayo.com or call 661-253-8822.