Know what changes to report, understand your screening plan, and turn awareness into action.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast health deserves attention throughout the year.
You do not need to become an expert at examining your breasts. Start by understanding what is normal for you, knowing your personal risk, and creating a clear plan with your healthcare team.
Screening means looking for cancer before symptoms appear. Mammograms can detect changes that are too small to feel.
Diagnostic evaluation investigates a concern, such as a new lump, nipple discharge, or an abnormal screening result. It may involve an examination, diagnostic mammography, ultrasound, or other testing.
This distinction matters when making an appointment.
Instead of saying only, “I need a mammogram,” explain:
“I have noticed a new change in my breast, and I need an assessment.”
Your healthcare team can then arrange the appropriate next step.
Contact your healthcare team promptly about:
These changes can have causes other than cancer. An assessment helps determine what is happening.
Do not wait for your next screening appointment to report a symptom—even if a recent mammogram was normal.
Become familiar with how your breasts usually look and feel during ordinary activities, such as bathing or dressing.
Breasts may change with menstrual cycles, pregnancy, breastfeeding, aging, and medications. The goal is to recognize a new or unusual change and communicate it.
A formal monthly self-examination routine is not required for everyone. Checking at home cannot rule out cancer or replace recommended screening.
For women in its screening population, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammography every two years from ages 40 through 74.
This recommendation does not cover every situation. People with certain inherited gene changes, previous breast cancer, high-risk breast lesions, or chest radiation at a young age may need a different approach.
Other organizations, including the American Cancer Society, recommend different screening intervals.
Ask your healthcare team:
“Which screening schedule are we following, and why is it appropriate for me?”
For women age 75 and older, the USPSTF finds insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine screening. The decision should consider individual health, preferences, and potential benefits and harms.
Share cancer history from both your mother’s and your father’s family.
Useful details include:
Mention breast or ovarian cancer, breast cancer in a male relative, and several affected relatives.
A mother, sister, or daughter diagnosed with breast cancer—especially at a young age—is a reason to discuss your risk early. It does not automatically establish one screening age for everyone.
Your clinician may recommend a formal risk assessment, genetic counseling, earlier screening, or additional imaging.
You do not need a complete family history before asking for help. Bring what you know.
Breast density is assessed on mammography. Dense tissue can make cancer harder to see and is also associated with increased breast cancer risk.
If your report mentions dense breasts, ask how that affects your overall risk and screening plan.
Additional ultrasound or MRI is not automatically necessary for everyone with dense breasts. The USPSTF finds insufficient evidence to determine the overall benefits and harms of adding these tests after an otherwise negative mammogram solely because of density.
Screening can reduce breast cancer deaths, but no test is perfect.
Mammograms can miss cancers. They can also identify findings that require further testing but turn out not to be cancer. Screening may sometimes detect cancers that would never have caused harm during a person’s lifetime.
Understanding these possibilities helps you make informed decisions and prepare for follow-up.
At your next appointment, ask:
“What is my personal breast cancer risk?”
“When is my next mammogram due?”
“Does my family history or previous breast testing change the plan?”
“When should I expect results, and whom should I contact if I do not receive them?”
Record the next step and its due date. If additional testing is recommended, confirm how it will be arranged.
If a symptom persists or worsens after an assessment, contact your healthcare team again.
Tell the clinic if insurance, transportation, language, or cost makes care difficult.
Ask about financial assistance, interpreters, and patient-navigation services.
CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program supports screening and diagnostic services for eligible people with low incomes and inadequate insurance. Eligibility and available services vary by program.
Regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding or reducing alcohol can help lower breast cancer risk.
Discuss the benefits and risks of hormone medications with your clinician rather than stopping prescribed treatment on your own.
Healthy habits cannot eliminate every risk. A breast cancer diagnosis is not evidence that someone failed to take care of themselves.
Use our printable resource to:
Download the Breast Health Action Plan
Keep the completed worksheet private and bring it to your visit. It is a planning tool, not a diagnostic test or validated cancer-risk assessment.
This month, choose one action: report a change, check your screening date, or begin a conversation about your risk.
RECOGNIZE • REASON • RESPOND
Learn the WHY, not just the answer.
— Dr. Miry Fear
Blueprint Clinical Education
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Breast Cancer: Screening. Final recommendation, April 30, 2024. Supports screening ages and intervals, populations covered, and evidence limitations for dense breasts and adults age 75 and older.
Read the USPSTF recommendation
American Cancer Society. Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer. Revised July 23, 2026. Covers screening schedules, higher-risk screening, risk assessment, and breast awareness.
Read the ACS screening guidance
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screening for Breast Cancer. Updated September 22, 2026. Explains screening tests, benefits, limitations, and access.
Learn about screening
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of Breast Cancer. Updated September 22, 2026.
Review breast changes to report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diagnosing Breast Cancer. Explains diagnostic mammography, ultrasound, and further evaluation.
Learn about diagnostic testing
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Reducing Risk for Breast Cancer. Updated September 22, 2026.
Understand risk factors
Explore risk-reduction steps
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Updated September 18, 2026.
Learn about screening assistance
Educational content checked October 23, 2026. Screening recommendations above reflect U.S. guidance.
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