A Reminder for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Green Mountains of Vermont have transformed to feature bright shades of red and yellow foliage. And as the Halloween season brews, black, orange, and purple begin to fill our neighborhoods. But it’s another color that comes to our minds this time of year - pink. 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month— a reminder for women in Vermont to take steps to reduce our risk of breast cancer. 

Reduce Your Risk

When our director of customer service, Janalee Willett, lost a friend to breast cancer, she made a promise to herself that she would always schedule her preventive care visits and screenings, and encourage others to do the same. Soon after making this promise, a screening mammogram discovered that she had a non-invasive form of breast cancer. 

“This came as quite a surprise as breast cancer does not run in my family, and I had none of the usual symptoms that would cause concern,” Janalee says. “Too often we assume that because we feel fine, everything is fine. That is why attending your preventive care visits and screenings is so important to your health and well-being. Be an advocate for yourself by taking action. I’m so thankful to have caught this early and receive the necessary treatment.”

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among Vermont women. These are some of the ways to reduce your risk: 

• Talk to Your Primary Care Physician
  Your doctor can help assess your personal risk and suggest how often you should be screened for breast cancer.
• Conduct Self-Exams
  You know yourself best. You can use your hands to feel for irregularities in your breasts. 
• Schedule Clinical Breast Exams
  Your doctor knows what to look out for. They can perform an exam with their hands to feel for lumps.
• Schedule Mammograms
  A mammogram is an X-Ray of the breast tissue. The machine is composed of two plates, designed to compress the breast and spread its tissue apart.

There are three different types of mammograms: screening, diagnostic and 3-D. A diagnostic mammogram includes more imaging than a screening and is typically reserved for patients with symptoms. (See list of symptoms below.) A 3-D mammogram allows doctors to see the breast in three dimensions and lowers the chance for a patient to be called back for more imaging.

You can use our price transparency tool located in the Member Resource Center to help decide where to go to get your mammogram. 

• Get a Second Opinion
  If you don’t feel comfortable with the treatment you are receiving, or simply want a second opinion, you should see another doctor. You can find a new doctor using our Find A Doctor tool. 

Know the Risk Factors 

One in eight women in the United States will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Being born female, getting older, and inheriting certain genes are risk factors out of your control. However, there are certain lifestyle-related behaviors that have been linked to breast cancer, including drinking alcohol and taking birth control. View a full list of lifestyle-related risks. 

Signs of Breast Cancer

• Lumps are the most common signs of breast cancer, but other symptoms are possible including: 
• Swelling of all or part of a breast 
• Skin dimpling 
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple retraction 
• Nipple or breast skin that is red, dry, flaking, or thickened
• Nipple discharge 
• Swollen lymph nodes under the arm or near the collar bone

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you should contact your doctor. Need help finding a doctor? Use our Find A Doctor tool.

Talk to Your Friends

Thanks to early detection associated with regular screenings, survival rates for breast cancer have increased nationally. That’s why it’s so important to continue spreading awareness. Now that we’ve checked in with you, we hope you will check in with your friends to make sure they’ve scheduled their preventive screenings this year.