One of the most important women’s health issues is breast cancer. According to statistics, 1 in 8 women in the United States gets diagnosed with it in their lifetime. Every year there are over 60,000 new cases of breast cancer detected in women, out of which over 12,000 are malignant cases. Therefore, it is necessary to get a mammogram every year to keep track of your health.
There are 2 types of mammograms, one is a screening mammogram which is for women who just want to get tested and have no visible symptoms. The other type is the diagnostic mammogram which is for women who have symptoms such as lumps and pain.
Here are 5 good reasons why you should be getting a mammogram:
- Early detection can save lives
Why wait for anything drastic to happen when you can get yourself tested easily? Early detection can do wonders by helping you beat breast cancer and staying ahead of the game. Breast cancer isn’t life threatening itself but if it spreads to other parts of the body and becomes metastasized, it can be fatal.
- The American Cancer Society and all the doctors say so!
It is recommended that all the women from the age of 40 onwards get themselves tested. According to the American Cancer Society’s research, women who are over 40 but haven’t hit menopause should get a mammogram annually, whereas post-menopausal women should get one every 2 years.
- Mammograms are painless
You have nothing to worry about when you go for a mammogram because it is not only safe and painless but doesn’t take more than half an hour.
- The risk increases with time
The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman age so it is imperative that you get yourself tested if you have crossed your forties.
- They are safe
There is a lot of misinformation that getting a mammogram is unnecessary because there are harmful rays and radiation emitted from the mammogram machine. But that is not the case. One screening per year will not do any damage to your health.
So call your health care provider and book an appointment as soon as you can.