Here is everything you need to know about getting screened for breast cancer and what is really involved.
When it comes to your breasts, it is a good idea to know what is normal and what is not normal. This is true no matter how old you are. Any sudden changes or anomalies need to be reported immediately to your health care practitioner. Know what the steps are for doing a self-assessment. Ask for leaflets about this at your doctor’s clinic, if possible. Also, they are able to do a clinical breast exam as well.
Essentially, mammograms are low dose breast x-rays that reveal views of your breasts and detailed images taken from various angles. These are done by two plastic plates compressing the breasts. This way, tissues of the breasts are revealed in clearer images. This method lasts for just a few seconds and may be a bit uncomfortable.
Mammogram Benefits
There are more than a few benefits of mammograms. For one thing, these ensure greater rates of survival through getting detected early and getting treated early. Mammograms result in better life qualities. This is due to the fact that early cancer detection means that women have more chances for less recovery time and less intensive treatments.
False positives might be one risk of mammograms. These are when tests indicate no growth of cancer when in fact there are. Getting exposed to low radiation levels are also possible risks. If you look at the benefits versus the risks, you will probably agree that early diagnosis through mammograms are worth it. After all, it is early identification and detection that holds the key to greater chances of living a healthy life by beating the disease.
Age Forty
Regular mammogram screenings are highly advised for those that reach a specific age. After all, a mammogram is the most dependable method of identifying and detecting the growth of cancer. It is recommended that once a woman reaches the age of forty, they need to talk to their health care practitioners about breast cancer risks and the advantages of getting mammograms. At the age of fifty, there should be mammograms every couple of years. Research suggests that those who get mammograms on a regular 2-year basis have less of a likelihood of getting false positives. Plus, if there is cancer present, this can be detected more accurately and much earlier.
Screening Mammograms
What is a screening mammogram? Typically, this is performed in order to find any microcalcification abnormalities. Essentially, these are small calcium deposits which indicate the onset of cancer of the breast. Typically, women go through this test regularly as a measure of prevention for abnormality prevention. This is what a screening mammogram is. Its aim is to find breast cancer earlier and thus start treatments for the prevention of its growth continuing. A positive prognosis is the result of early cancer detection. For this reason, you might want to ask your family doctor for more frequent screenings. If women find strange lumps on either breast, mammograms are the best bet for finding possible breast cancer symptoms and are recommended highly. These are called diagnostic mammograms.
Conclusion: If a mammogram test detects breast cancer, treatment can then be administered. When you look at the pros and cons of getting a mammogram, the pros really do outweigh the cons. In other words, you have more chances of getting treatment and living a good life if you detect breast cancer early.