Bothwell Foundation Is Offering Free Mammograms During Pinktober

A mammogram could save your life. If you need one, the Bothwell Foundation is offering mammograms during their Pinktober celebration. The best part, you can get one for free during Mammo Days.

Simply. mammograms can help your doctor screen for breast cancer, and if the mammogram comes back abnormal, your doctor can then do more testing to confirm you have it and start treatment.

According to breastcancer.org, most health organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, and the National Cancer Institute say women 40 years old and older should regularly get mammograms as part of their preventive health care routine.

Mammograms can help your doctor find breast cancer early. Catching breast cancer early provides more treatment options for patients and in many cases, if caught early, cancer can be removed without resorting to a mastectomy. The negatives? Mammography isn't perfect and occasionally false negatives or false positives do happen.

According to breastcancer.org here are three things you need to know about mammograms:

They can save your life. Finding breast cancer early reduces your risk of dying from the disease by 25-30% or more. Women should begin having mammograms yearly at age 40, or earlier if they're at high risk.
Don't be afraid. Mammography is a fast procedure (about 20 minutes), and discomfort is minimal for most women. The procedure is safe: there's only a very tiny amount of radiation exposure from a mammogram. To relieve the anxiety of waiting for results, go to a center that will give you results before you leave.
Get the best quality you can. If you have dense breasts or are under age 50, try to get a digital mammogram. A digital mammogram is recorded onto a computer so that doctors can enlarge certain sections to look at them more closely.

The Bothwell Foundation's Mammo Days are happening Friday, October 8, and Friday, October 29 between 8:00 AM - 12:00 Noon CDT. Women over 40 can request a free mammogram by calling 660-829-8888 and mentioning "Free Mammo Day". Mammograms will be at the Bothwell Diagnostic Center, 990 Winchester Avenue. Make your appointment today!

For more information on this and other parts of The Bothwell Foundation's Pinktober celebration including purchasing a Pinktober T-Shirt and Blue Jeans for Bothwell check out their flyer on Facebook.