Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Did you know?

• The third Friday of October is designated as National Mammography Day, a day on which women can receive free or discounted mammography screenings at participating facilities.
• The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman grows older. The risk is especially high for women age 60 and older.
• A woman’s best overall preventive health strategy is to reduce her known risk factors as much as possible by avoiding weight gain and obesity, engaging in regular physical activity, and minimizing alcohol intake.*

If you are living with breast cancer or have had some form of breast mastectomy, especially if the lymph nodes were involved, your physician may advise you to avoid having blood pressure or venipuncture taken on the arm of the affected side. Many women have a warning to this affect engraved on their MedicAlert jewelry and also include detailed information about their condition in their MedicAlert personal health record.

For more information about breast cancer and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please visit NBCAM.org.

*Source: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website.