prevention. diagnosis. treatment.

Get to know your family history! Talk to your relatives and see if there are any hints that cancer may run in your family. Both mother and father’s sides are equally important. It doesn’t have to be straightforward breast or ovarian cancer, either – sometimes relatives that died of “bone cancer”, “lung cancer” and “liver cancer” actually had the cancer start elsewhere and spread to other organs. Depending on your family history, your doctor may have additional recommendation for screening and imaging.

A monthly self breast exam after your period is a good idea to familiarize yourself with what your breast tissue feels like. Remember – there are plenty of healthy things that can feel like lumps. The more you are used to what your tissue texture is, the more likely you are to appreciate something different that deserved your doctor’s attention.

Get Active! Keeping your percentage of body fat low and exercising regularly is a great way to keep hormone fluctuations even and build calorie burning muscle to keep you fit for decades to come.

Staying on top of things with an annual clinical breast exam by your doctor can help identify areas we may want to keep tabs on and can serve to educate you on breast density and risk reduction.

Time to start regular imaging! A yearly screening mammogram is recommended for women over 40, unless you have started at an earlier age because of family history of breast cancer in relatives under 50. In this case, we start annual breast screenings when you are at least ten years younger than your relative was when they were diagnosed.

Ask your doctor if additional imaging because of the presence of implants or breast density is warranted to ensure early detection.

Stay on guard with healthy practices! Optimizing risk reduction by keeping alcohol intake down to three or fewer drinks a week as well as minimizing unnecessary hormone exposure are two of several ways to keep your risk in check. Take care of your spirit with mindful practices such as yoga and meditation.

Monthly self breast exams as well as annual breast screening studies and annual evaluation by your doctor are the keys to ensuring the most options for an excellent outcome should any area of concern arise.