Don’t wait to start self-exams and mammograms.“You’re never too young to start self-exams," Tami says, "and you should go for an annual mammogram as soon as possible, certainly by 40, but earlier if you have a history of breast cancer in your family.” Be your own advocate on the latter; controversially, the American Cancer Society recently raised its recommended age for starting annual mammograms from 40 to 45, yet most insurance companies will still cover routine mammograms at age 40, often younger. “If I’d followed the age-45 guideline, I wouldn’t be alive today,” Tami once said to me.
Terrified, I went and got my first at age 38 by asking my ob-gyn to write me a prescription. At the time I had no family history, but insurance did cover.
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