What is breast self-awareness?
Breast self-awareness focuses on having a sense of what is normal for your breasts so that you can tell if there are changes—even small changes—and report them to your ob-gyn or other health care professional.

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Why is breast self-awareness important?
Breast cancer often is found by a woman herself. This happens in almost one half of all cases of breast cancer in women aged 50 years and older. In women younger than 50 years, more than 70% of cases of breast cancer are found by the women themselves.

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How can I talk with my doctor about mammography and breast health?
If you are aged 40 years or older, you can start the conversation with these questions:

• What are my chances of having breast cancer?

• When should I start getting regular mammograms?

• How often should I get them?

You can ask more specific questions based on your age. If you are aged 40–49 years:

• What are the pros and cons of getting mammograms before I turn 50?

• If you are aged 50–75 years:

• What are the pros and cons of getting mammograms every 2 years instead of every year?

If you are older than 75 years:

• Do I need to keep having mammograms?

You and your ob-gyn or other health care professional should share information, talk about your wishes, and agree on when and how often you will have breast screening. See more on mammography here.