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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to talk about mammograms, the best way to find breast cancer early.
Screening mammograms help catch breast cancer before symptoms start. A mammogram uses X-rays to see the inside of your breasts and can find potentially cancerous tissues before symptoms start. This is important because breast cancer doesn’t typically cause symptoms in the early stages.
Age 40 or Earlier
Most women (and those assigned female at birth) should start annual mammograms by the time they’re 40. If you have an increased chance of breast cancer because of a family history or other risk factors, ask your doctor about screening recommendations.
Experts believe that if everyone started screening by age 40, we could save nearly 20 percent more lives from breast cancer.
Breast cancer screening is usually 100 percent covered by insurance. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, call the Sage Screening Program at 888.643.2584 to ask about low- or no-cost screening options.
Easier Than You Think
You may have put off a mammogram because you don’t think you have time, or maybe you’re worried about what screening is like. But a mammogram appointment can take less than 30 minutes, with the mammogram itself lasting just 5–10 minutes.
Edina’s Kelly S. Furda, M.D., is a physician of diagnostic radiology at Park Nicollet Jane Brattain Breast Center in St. Louis Park.
