October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month — an important time for women to learn more about how to detect breast cancer early and when to get regular checkups and screenings.

It is never too early to take charge of your health, and women of all ages should take steps to know their risks for breast cancer and get screened as appropriate. Planned Parenthood provides breast cancer education and screening to hundreds of thousands of women across the United States, and we recommend that all women take a few simple steps for early detection.

First, find out if you’re at risk for breast cancer. Talk to your family. You may be at risk if your mother, sister, or grandmother had breast or ovarian cancer, and you should tell your health care provider about your family history.
No matter how old you are or what your family history is, make healthy choices that can reduce your risk of breast cancer. Maintain a healthy weight, and make exercise a part of your life. Breastfeed if you can. Limit alcohol and don’t smoke.

We encourage women of all ages to practice breast self-awareness, which means knowing what your breasts normally look and feel like. Talk to a health care provider as soon as possible if you notice any changes.

Finally, women should get regular checkups and screenings as appropriate for their age and family history. Planned Parenthood and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommend a clinical breast exam as part of a well-woman visit every one to three years for women ages 20 to 39, and every year for women 40 and over. If a woman has a family history of breast cancer or other medical conditions, her clinician may recommend more frequent screening. Planned Parenthood and ACOG recommend that most women get yearly mammograms starting at age 40.

This year, thanks to Obamacare, more women than ever will begin to have access to preventive care and checkups that can help them take control of their breast health. Millions of women are now eligible to enroll in new, more affordable health insurance plans, and will have access to preventive care, including breast exams, without a co-pay.

Twenty-seven million currently insured women have already benefited from access to fully covered women’s preventive services, including breast exams and mammograms thanks to health care reform. When the law goes into full effect, 47 million women will benefit from this provision.

The new law also means that health insurance plans will no longer be able to deny anyone coverage based on pre-existing conditions like breast cancer. This will help women who have overcome breast cancer continue medical care for a more healthy future without fear of losing insurance coverage or going bankrupt.

Early detection is critically important, and the work that Planned Parenthood health center doctors and nurses do helps to identify potential cancers early — when it’s most treatable. Every year, Planned Parenthood health centers provide 640,000 clinical breast exams at health centers across the country, helping women take charge of their health and get the care they need.