ladies (and gentleman), feel your boobies
it will probably save your life. a new recommendation came out from the u.s. preventative task force says that women don’t need regular mammograms until the age of 50 (the previous recommendation was age 40) and that self-exams don’t do much good either. the task force recommends that instead, women talk with their doctors about the benefits and risks of screening (this does not apply to women with family histories).
why not?
the task force says that “mammograms cut the risk of dying from breast cancer by about 15%, both for women in their 40s and 50s. but because younger women have such a low overall risk – the 10-year breast cancer risk for a 40-year-old is only 1.4% – their absolute reduction in death is very small.” it goes on to say that young women may actually suffer from getting these screenings “women are at risk from false alarms, also known as “false positives,” which occur when mammograms produce suspicious findings in women who are really cancer-free. these women may experience additional pain, expense and worry because of additional scans and biopsies.” finally, it is unclear whether the news included in the recommendation will cause insurance companies to stop authorizing the procedure for those who want them.
i’m not sure what the right answer is, other than, as this featured organization recommends–’feel your boobies‘. it’s the only way to know about changes to your body.
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