Breast cancer screenings
Cervical cancer screenings
TESTS
RISK FACTORS
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Breast self-exam
•
•
Women 19 and over: every month
Exam by physician
•
•
Women under 40: every 2 to 3 years
•
•
Women 40 and over: every year
Mammogram
•
•
Women 40 and over: every year
•
•
Women at higher risk: talk with your doctor
•
•
Gender – being a woman
•
•
Aging – as you age your chance of
breast cancer increases. Most breast
cancer is found in women over 60.
•
•
Genetic risk factors (family members)
•
•
Family and personal history of cancer
•
•
Race and ethnicity
•
•
Dense breast tissue and certain
benign breast conditions
•
•
Having children at an older age
•
•
Never having children
•
•
Using oral contraceptives
(birth control)
•
•
Hormonal therapy use for
many years
•
•
Drinking high amounts of alcohol
•
•
Being overweight and having a lack
of physical activity
TESTS
RISK FACTORS
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
•
•
Pap test: women within 3 years of sexual
activity or age 21, whichever comes frst
•
•
Women ages 19 to 39: every year
•
•
Women ages 30 to 69: every 2 to 3 years
for women with 3 normal Pap tests in a row
•
•
Women ages 70 and older: with 3 or more
normal tests in a row and no abnormal
tests in the last 10 years, women may stop
having this screening exam
•
•
HPV infection
•
•
Immunosuppression (such as HIV that causes AIDS)
•
•
Chlamydia infection
•
•
Birth control use for 5 or more years
•
•
Multiple full-term pregnancies (3 or more)
•
•
First pregnancy at a young age (under 17)
•
•
Poverty
•
•
Chemical exposure to DES (a drug prescribed to
pregnant women from the 1940s to 1970s)
•
•
Family history of cervical cancer
•
•
Smoking
•
•
Diet low in fruits
and vegetables
Source: American Cancer Society website: cancer.org
2 ·
My Health
Finding cancer early is the best way to treat it and beat it. And the simplest and
most efective way to fnd cancer before it spreads can be a screening or test,
depending on the type.
Some breast and cervical cells may grow faster than other cells. Tis uncommon
cell activity can become a mass of cells called a tumor. Not all tumors are
cancerous. Some are benign (not cancerous). However, cancerous cells can spread
to other parts of your body and can cause other problems inside your body.
Here are three important steps every woman should take:
1
Know your risk factors (the things that put you at greater risk for cancer).
2
Change things
you
can control in your lifestyle (lifestyle factors, like what
you eat and do).
3
Get regular screenings and women’s health tests (see “Tests”).
What all mothers, daughters and sisters need
Women’s health tests and checkups for you