Five reasons you should get a mammogram








(NC) -- Would you know if you had breast cancer by feeling your own breasts? Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Canadian women. One in nine women is expected to develop the disease in her lifetime.

While it is important for you to know what is normal for your breasts, getting regular mammograms is the most reliable way to detect breast cancer early. That's because the average lump found through regular mammograms is as small as the size of an apple seed. In comparison, a lump found by feeling your own breasts could be about the size of a cherry tomato.

The Canadian Cancer Society is urging women aged 50-69 to get a mammogram every two years.

Here are our five reasons you should get a mammogram:

Detect breast cancer before any symptoms develop. A mammogram takes an X-ray picture of your breast. On average, regular mammograms find lumps when they're smaller and easier to treat – about the size of an apple seed.

It can save your life. When breast cancer is found early, the easier it is to treat and the better the outcome. Today, 88% of women survive breast cancer thanks to improvements in early detection and better treatment.

It's easy to book. Making an appointment for a mammogram is as simple as getting a referral from your healthcare provider or by calling the Ontario Breast Screening Program directly at 1-800-668-9304.

It's free. In Ontario, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funds breast screening services for women. Getting a mammogram every two years won't cost you a thing.

Set an example for others. Once you've started having mammograms, you'll be a model to other women in your life. Empower them to do the same by joining the Canadian Cancer Society's Women to Women movement to spread the message that mammograms save lives. Visit cancer.ca/womentowomen to learn how.


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