Nearly half of all women don’t check their breasts. Are you one of them?
It’s always important to check your breasts but as October is Breast Cancer Awareness month we thought you could all do with a reminder! When was the last time you checked your breasts?
We’ve recently heard quite a few questions about breast screening and mammograms so we thought we’d share what we’ve learnt:
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A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast which Doctors use to look for early signs of breast cancer. They can detect the cancer up to three years before it can be felt.
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The NHS automatically offers screening to all women every 3 years between the ages of 50 and 71. If you are a trans man, trans woman or are non-binary you may be invited automatically (if you’re registered as a female with your GP), or you may need to get in touch with your GP surgery or call the local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
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If you are over 71, you can still have breast screening for free every 3 years if you ask. Call your local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
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If you have symptoms, whatever age you are, see a GP straight away for an urgent referral to a breast unit, or contact your local breast screening service.
How do I check my breasts and what am I looking out for?
Check out this very helpful guide from ‘Breast Cancer Now’ which lists the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and illustrates how to check your breasts.
Help us make things a little bit better for someone else
Have you, or someone you know, recently had breast cancer? How was your treatment? Did you get diagnosed quickly? Is there anything you would change about your care?
Tell us your story so we can help other people like you
Struggling to cope? Call Macmillan’s cancer support line on 0808 808 00 00 or use their online chat if you need to talk. They are available any of the week between 8am and 8pm.
