It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to kick off its observance today, J C Blair Memorial Hospital hosted its annual Wear Pink Day Luncheon. Nurse Practitioner Ramona Shope told women who gathered in various shades of pink, that despite conflicting reports, many medical experts still recommend yearly mammograms starting at age of 40.
She also advised them to look for unusual changes in the breast, and to continue to do self-exams. “Most of the organizations have now said that they don’t think it’s saving lives, but I have seen for many of my patients, that they do come in finding the lump themselves, or a change in their breast, so we encourage it and we still support it,” she said.
Shope told the group that any lumps, any nipple retraction, redness around the areola, or change in the size of the breast should prompt them to seek medical attention.
She also noted that studies show that obese women, those who drink more than 3 alcoholic drinks a week, and those who’ve never given birth, or have given birth at a later age, have a higher risk of breast cancer. And she added that most women diagnosed with breast cancer, do not report a family history of the disease.