October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Show your body love and respect with regular self-checks. Regularly checking your breasts may help you find breast cancer early, when it’s more likely to be treated successfully.
For a quick guide to giving yourself a breast exam, visit https://www.breastcancer.org/screening-testing/breast-self-exam-bse.
If you have a lump, it may not be cancerous, but please see your doctor right away to be sure. Please talk with your provider if you notice any changes in your breasts such as nipple discharge, thickening of the skin, sudden change in size or shape of the breast or changes to how the nipple looks.
Dole VA follows American Cancer Society guidelines:
- Women aged 40-44 at average risk should consider the option of scheduling yearly screenings.
- Women aged 45-54 should schedule a mammogram screening every year.
- Women 55+ can begin receiving mammograms every two years or continue yearly if they choose.
Women should continue to receive a mammogram if they are in good health. Please discuss screening with your Primary Care Provider or OB/GYN.
Women who are at an increased risk (family history, genetic tendency, past breast cancer) should talk with their health care providers about the benefits and limitations of starting mammography screening earlier, having additional tests (breast ultrasound, MRI), or having more frequent exams.
Contact your PACT team to get a consult entered, or you can call one of our Women’s Health Nurse Navigators at 316-685-2221, Ext. 53830 or 50640.