Recent efforts from medical professionals and interest groups like Breast Cancer Awareness Month facilitated open discussion around breast cancer. However, the stigma around health, especially women’s health, is still prevalent in society. This stigma leads to decreased awareness of the issue and more women being diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, heightening the risk and making treatment less effective. Many women feel ashamed talking about their breast health openly, as gender discrimination and sexualization still persist. Thus, they may miss important information about necessary check-ups and early signs of illness. Unfortunately, this was the case in my discussion with two neighbors, with both showing a lack of knowledge on the subject.
The two neighbors are women in their late forties at a greater risk of developing cancer, as it increases with age. I taught them the basic facts about breast cancer, including the necessity to start doing mammograms and talk to their primary care doctor about it. One woman responded that their primary care mentioned mammograms, but did not go into the details and if she needed to do one. I further explained that it is recommended to do a mammogram at least once in two years starting from the age of 50 or late 40 (Britt et al., 2020). Both women responded positively to my concern and noted this fact for the future.
After the discussion, my neighbors were overall prepared for reducing their risks of breast cancer. Fortunately, both neighbors did not have any family history of breast cancer, which could increase their risk of developing one (Alexander et al., 2020). However, this fact also contributed to their general lack of knowledge. Both women are also leading a healthy lifestyle as prevention measures against any diseases. Moreover, they planned to visit their respective primary care doctors to request and discuss mammogram options to monitor any negative changes and treat the illness immediately if it occurs.
References
Alexander, L. L., LaRosa, J. H., Bader, H., & Garfield, S. (2020). New dimensions in women’s health. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Web.
Britt, K. L., Cuzick, J., & Phillips, K. A. (2020). Key steps for effective breast cancer prevention. Nature Reviews Cancer, 20(8), 417-436. Web.