Your Monthly Love Letter: Taking Charge of Your Breast Health

One of the best tools we have in fighting Breast Cancer is early detection!  And it starts with you.  From monthly self-exam to annual mammograms to paying attention when ‘things just don’t feel right,’ taking part in your breast health is one of those tender acts of self‑care that keeps paying you back for decades. 

Ladies, you’ve heard it a hundred times, and here it is for #101: your most powerful tool is self‑checks! No one knows your breasts (or your body) better than you. What if every month you thought of your monthly self-exam as a little love letter to yourself - a moment where you pause, honor your body, and choose your future well‑being?  Regularly checking each month can help you notice changes early, and early detection saves lives.

If you’re over 40, that love letter should also include a yearly mammogram.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s about the MOST uncomfortable thing to have to do, but having an annual screening sets a baseline and allows your doctors to best support you.  From my own mammograms, I’ve had two benign lumps detected, removed, and I have peace of mind.  For those of us moving through perimenopause and into menopause, breast health continues to be just as essential as ever; our bodies are evolving, and staying on top of our health is one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves.

Now, for women with dense breasts, that love letter probably needs an extra chapter. Dense tissue can make mammograms harder to read, which is why ultrasound is such an important companion tool. For those of us living in Connecticut, we’re now protected by law: the state requires that ultrasound be made available to women with dense breasts. Trust me, take the ultrasound – it is also a live-saving detection tool because mammograms don’t catch everything.  You might even enjoy watching the technician’s screen – I love to ask questions about what they’re scanning!  And here’s a delightful surprise - if your insurance won’t cover it, ask for the cash price. Don’t be shy. You’ll be shocked at how affordable it usually is.

Here’s a resource I recently learned about, particularly for women with dense breasts. Are You Dense?, right in Woodbury, CT, offers support to help educate women (and men) about breast density, screening options, and the importance of advocating for your own breast health.  As I said, owning your breast health starts with YOU!

If you're out of monthly self-check practice, maybe this October, for Breast Cancer Awareness, you might be inspired to start up again! Wishing you healthy and well ~ Jen

Jennifer Rizza - Therapeutic Yoga, Reiki Master Teacher, Lifestyle Wellness Coach, Creator of Cultivate Your Purpose