October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an opportunity to turn awareness into practical action. Understanding your personal risk, knowing what is normal for your breasts, discussing screening with a healthcare provider, and keeping up with recommended mammograms can all support your breast health.
Breast cancer screening can help identify cancer before symptoms appear. Finding breast cancer earlier may provide more treatment options and improve outcomes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Because screening needs can vary by age, health history, and individual risk, breast health is not one-size-fits-all. The following steps can help you have a more informed conversation with your healthcare provider.
- Understand Your Personal Risk
Breast cancer risk is influenced by a combination of factors. Some can change over time, while others cannot. Factors that may affect risk include:
- Age
- Personal history of breast cancer or certain breast conditions
- Family history of breast or ovarian cancer on either side of the family
- Inherited genetic changes, including changes in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes
- Dense breast tissue
- Previous radiation treatment to the chest
- Reproductive and hormonal history
Having one or more risk factors does not mean that someone will develop breast cancer. Likewise, breast cancer can occur in people without a known family history or other clear risk factors.
Share as much of your personal and family health history as possible with your healthcare provider. This information can help guide decisions about when screening should begin, how often it may be appropriate, and whether additional evaluation should be considered.
- Know What Is Normal for You
Breast self-awareness means becoming familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel. It does not require following a specific examination schedule. Instead, it can help you recognize a change that should be discussed with a healthcare professional.
Changes worth bringing to a provider’s attention may include:
- A new lump, thickened area, or swelling in the breast or underarm
- A change in breast size or shape
- Dimpling, puckering, redness, or another change in the skin
- A nipple that begins turning inward
- New nipple discharge
- Persistent pain in one area
- Any other new or unexplained change
These changes can have causes other than cancer. However, it is important to have a healthcare provider evaluate something new rather than waiting for the next routine screening. A normal mammogram in the past also should not prevent someone from reporting a new concern.
- Discuss Breast Cancer Screening With Your Provider
A mammogram is an X-ray image of the breast that can help find cancer before it is large enough to feel or cause symptoms. For most people of screening age, mammography is the primary test used for routine breast cancer screening.
Recommendations about when to begin mammograms and how often to receive them can differ among medical organizations. Individual needs may also change based on personal risk, family history, previous results, breast density, and overall health.
Questions to ask your healthcare provider include:
- What is my personal risk for breast cancer?
- When should I begin or continue mammogram screening?
- How often should I be screened?
- Does my family history affect my screening plan?
- Do I have dense breasts, and what does that mean for me?
- Could I benefit from genetic counseling or additional testing?
The National Cancer Institute recommends discussing personal and family health history with a provider when making decisions about mammography.
- Keep Up With Recommended Mammograms
Once you and your healthcare provider have agreed on a screening schedule, make it easier to follow through. Record when your last mammogram occurred, set a reminder for the next one, and make sure your provider receives any results completed at another facility.
Whenever possible, keep copies of previous mammogram reports or let the imaging center know where earlier images were taken. Comparing current and previous images can help a radiologist identify changes over time.
A preventive care appointment is also an opportunity to review whether you are due for breast cancer screening or other health services. Integrated Healthcare Systems offers primary and women’s healthcare services that include annual examinations, health education, preventive care, and disease screenings.
Make Breast Health Part of Routine Care
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a helpful reminder, but attention to breast health matters throughout the year. Learning about your risk, noticing changes, talking openly with a healthcare provider, and following an individualized screening plan can make breast health easier to act on.
Early detection can make a meaningful difference. Ask your healthcare provider when and how often you should be screened based on your age, health history, and personal risk.
