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Take Charge of Your Health
7 Tests for Every Woman By Teri Brown
While no one is exactly sure what causes breast cancer, there are some risk factors that make you more likely to develop the cancer. These include being over 40 years of age, having a mother or sister who has had breast cancer, having your first child at an older age or never having had a child or habitual alcohol use. The most classic symptom of breast cancer is a lump in the breast tissue, but shortness of breath and bone pain in the chest wall are also symptoms.
Test Schedule: Though most experts suggest a yearly mammogram after the age of 40, Dr. David Ansell, chairman of Internal Medicine for Mount Sinai Hospital of Chicago, Ill., says the advantage of having mammography done annually between the ages of 40 and 50 is being debated. "Some experts only recommend mammograms when women reach 50 because the evidence for mammography benefit is negligible in women 40 to 50," says Dr. Ansell.
How the Test Is Done: Mammograms use a machine that compress the breast and take X-rays of the breast tissue. The breasts must be compressed in order to see the tissue more clearly.
Cervical Cancer
What It Is: Cervical cancer is the growth of cancerous cells in the cervix. It is second only to breast cancer in its incidence in women.
Causes and Symptoms: Abnormal cell changes within the cervix can be caused by infections along with certain human papillomavirus (a virus that can cause genital warts). The symptoms of cervical cancer can include pain during sexual intercourse or abnormal vaginal discharge.
Test Schedule: The recommendations for pap smear screening for cervical cancer for women is at the onset of sexual activity or at age 18. "After three normal pap smears in a row, a woman can get pap smears every three years until the age of 65," says Dr. Ansell. "High-risk women, those with HIV and those with a history of an abnormal pap smear or STDs should be screened yearly."
How the Test Is Done: A physician will take a small scraping of cells from the cervix and place them on a slide.
