Susan G. Komen for the Cure recommends that you make these actions a part of your life:

1. Know your risk by learning about your family health history and talking to your health care provider about your own personal risk.
2. Ask your doctor which screening tests are right for you if you are at a higher risk.  Have a mammogram every year starting at 40 if you are at average risk.  Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at 20 and every year starting at age 40.
3. Know how your breasts look and feel and report changes to your health care provider right away.
4. Make healthy lifestyle choices that may reduce your risk of breast cancer. 

1-877 GO KOMEN   www.komen.org

EARLY DETECTION

If breast cancer is found early, there are more treatment options and a   better chance for survival.  A mammogram can find breast cancer before it can be felt.  However, it is not perfect.  But, when a mammography is combined with clinical breast exam your chances for finding cancer are even greater.

Remember; even if you feel healthy now, just being a woman and getting older puts you at risk for breast cancer.  Getting checked regularly can put your mind at ease.  Finding cancer early may save your life.

FACTORS THAT MAY INCREASE YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER

• BEING A WOMAN
• GETTING OLDER - THE OLDER YOU GET, THE GREATER YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER
• HAVING AN INHERITED MUTATION IN THE BRCA1 OR BRCA2 BREAST CANCER GENES
• HAVING A PREVIOUS BIOPSY SHOWING HYPERPLASIA
• LOBULAR CARCINOMA IN SITU (LCIS)
• A FAMILY HISTORY OF BREAST CANCER
• HAIVNG HIGH BREAST DENSITY ON A MAMMOGRAM
• BEING EXPOSED TO LARGE AMOUNTS OF RADIATION, SUCH AS VERY FREQUENT SPINE X-RAYS FOR SOLIOSIS OR TREATMENT OF HODGKIN'S DISEASE AT A YOUNG AGE
• A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BREAST OR OVARIAN CANCER
• STARTING MENOPAUSE AFTER AGE 55
• NEVER HAVING CHILDREN
• HAVING YOUR FIRST CHILD AFTER AGE 35
• HIG BONE DENSITY
• BEING OVERWEIGHT AFTER MENOPAUSE OR GAINING WEIGHT AS AN ADULT
• HAVING MORE THAN ONE DRINK OF ALCOHOL PER DAY
• POSTMENOPAUSAL HORMONE USE (CURRENT OR RECENT USE) OF ESTROGEN OR ESTROGEN PLUS PROGESTIN
• BEING YOUNGER THAN 12 AT THE TIME OF YOUR FIRST PERIOD
• CURRENT OR RECENT USE OF BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

A MAN'S RISK

Known factors that increase your risk of breast cancer include:

• a genetic condition such as Klinefetler's syndrome that is associated with high estrogen levels
• family members (male or female) with breast cancer, especially with a BRCA2 mutation
• chronic liver disorders, alcoholism and obesity
• getting older