Be Your Own Advocate
There’s been a study going around proposing younger women’s risk for breast cancer has been on the rise since the 1970′s. The study findings are worrisome, but don’t let them completely scare you. Keep in mind that there are many other ways to support how misleading it is. While the incidence rate for women ages 25 to 34 has statistically gone up, this may simply be owed to improved study measures, research pursuits recently targeting this group, and many other factors. One should also take note that the actual number of women under 40 diagnosed with cancer is about 800. Most importantly, early detection is the key to survivability and treatment. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much insight as to the cause of the observed increase in the study. You can find it in the latest issue of JAMA (Journal of Medical Association), NPR, and Seattle Times.
This brings me back to a CYB Party I went to a couple nights ago at a local women’s shelter. There, our breast health instructor Elizabeth said, “Don’t ever, ever hesitate to speak up for yourself. If you do the self breast exams regularly, you’ll know when something is not normal. Always take the very best care of yourself”, which is pretty much in line with what Alison Henning, the woman who inspired the study, had to say on the matter. I realize how important being proactive of my own health is, especially when I look back on recent doctor appointments and remember that I’m given something of a brush on the breasts rather than full clinical breast exam. I also felt a bit glanced over when only a handful of the hundreds of free/reduced cost mammography programs I compiled for a national resource list, offered these services to women my age. So what can you do? Be your own advocate.
Educate yourself.
Know your breasts.
Listen to your body.
Trust your intuition.
Act on it.
Check Your Boobies can send you monthly reminders via e-mail or text message! Sign up for reminders here! And with that, we end the second month of 2013. I don’t know why I’m counting but it seems that time is flying way too fast not to.
-Connie
