2024 has been a giant 12 months for me. I turned 40 in April. It’s an age I’ve dreaded for the previous ten years. Not for any explicit motive, however I think it has one thing to do with wanting to carry onto my youth in any manner attainable. Critically, I virtually received bangs. (Thanks to my buddies who assured me it will be a mistake.)
One factor that wasn’t on my radar was getting a mammogram. The truth is, when my major care doctor talked about writing me a prescription for one at my yearly appointment final fall, I used to be stunned.
I assumed to myself, “However I’m too younger for a mammogram!” My physician assured me that I used to be not too younger and, actually, on the good age to get my first mammogram. Based on the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), girls with a median breast most cancers danger ought to start receiving mammograms at age 40.
I known as to schedule my mammogram for late April and didn’t give it some thought once more till I acquired the alert that it was arising. The alert additionally reminded me not to wear deodorant, perfume, lotions, or oils on the day of my examination as a result of they might intrude with the screening machine.
Was I nervous? Just a little. Principally as a result of I wasn’t certain what to anticipate. I had requested a few of my buddies, who all turned 40 this 12 months, and it turned out that I used to be the primary one taking the plunge. I additionally requested my mother, and her reply was, “Properly, it’s uncomfortable, however it doesn’t harm. You’ll be advantageous.” The tone of her voice felt prefer it was a “ceremony of passage,” like a promenade, commencement, or marriage ceremony.
After I arrived on the workplace, I acquired a clipboard of papers to fill out, in addition to a wristband. Then, I waited for about quarter-hour earlier than I used to be taken again. The tech led me right into a room the place I might change out of my shirt and bra and right into a robe that opened within the entrance.
The tech then took me to an examination room and positioned my breasts in between two plastic imaging plates. She talked me via repositioning every breast to take a number of photographs and angles. For me, it felt like my breasts had been being pinched. It was uncomfortable, however it was crucial for her to flatten them as a lot as attainable to make sure she was in a position to get a transparent image of all the breast. I took deep breaths all through all the course of. She instructed me that my breasts were dense, which meant that my breasts had comparatively extra milk glands, milk ducts, and supportive tissue than fats, which may typically make detecting a most cancers harder. Due to this fact, she needed to take a number of extra X-rays than deliberate. Nonetheless, all the course of took ten minutes in whole.
My outcomes had been accessible in my on-line chart the subsequent day, and a message from my PCP stated that my mammogram was regular and that I ought to get my subsequent one in a 12 months.
Yearly Mammograms Are Necessary within the Battle Towards Breast Most cancers
Breast cancer is the second commonest most cancers amongst girls within the U.S. It’s additionally the second-leading reason for most cancers loss of life amongst girls within the U.S. For non-Hispanic Black girls and Hispanic girls, breast most cancers is the main reason for most cancers loss of life. Concerningly, breast most cancers has been increasing among younger Asian American and Pacific Islander women.
Whereas mammograms don’t stop breast most cancers, they’ll save lives as a result of they’ll discover breast most cancers early. And the sooner it’s discovered, the higher likelihood there may be at beating it. The truth is, discovering breast most cancers early reduces the danger of dying from the illness by 25 to 30 percent or more.
That’s why getting a mammogram yearly is so vital to the struggle in opposition to breast most cancers. For me, I’ve determined that I’ll name to make my mammogram appointment yearly on the week of my birthday. It’s an effective way to recollect to do it, however it’s additionally a present of well being I may give to myself.
When to Get a Mammogram Earlier than You’re 40
Whereas breast most cancers screenings are advisable for ladies starting at 40, about 4 % of all breast cancers recognized within the U.S. happen in girls beneath 40.
So, in case you are in your 20s or 30s, it’s vital to carry out breast self-exams as soon as a month about one to 2 weeks after your menstrual cycle to turn into acquainted with the best way your breasts usually feel and appear in order that it will likely be simpler to establish any modifications or abnormalities, like lumps or pores and skin discoloration. In case you discover any modifications, contact your gynecologist immediately. They could schedule you for a mammogram. It’s additionally essential to go to your gynecologist for preventive care yearly, as they carry out breast exams throughout your appointments, too.
No matter your age, breast self-exams and common gynecologist visits are instruments that assist detect breast most cancers early.
Suggestions for Your First Mammogram
Listed below are some useful suggestions to bear in mind earlier than your first mammogram:
- Make the appointment earlier than you flip 40 so that you’re able to go after your birthday.
- Hold your menstrual cycle in thoughts when scheduling. The examination could be extra uncomfortable proper earlier than or throughout your interval, when breasts are typically extra delicate.
- Don’t put on deodorant, lotion, fragrance, or oils, as it would negatively have an effect on the machine’s capability to take high quality photos.
- Put on snug clothes, particularly footwear. You’ll be standing throughout the examination.
- Breathe and loosen up. Sure, it may be uncomfortable, however tensing up might make it extra uncomfortable. So, take deep breaths throughout the course of, and it will likely be over earlier than you understand it.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The technicians will information you thru all the course of and can attempt to make the entire expertise as snug as attainable.
