One month ago I started this site. I wanted to share my experience with the hope of increasing awareness about breast cancer. When I started researching breast cancer, I found one statistic particularly alarming: only 10% of the women who should get annual mammograms actually get them. I wonder what the statistics are about monthly self breast exams? Here is one way to find out. For a month you've been reading my site. In this last month, did you do your monthly self exam? Or did you make sure that the woman in your life did hers?

Here is the run down on self exams, clinical exams, and mamograms:

1. Every woman should begin performing monthly self breast exams (BSE) no later than age 20. Two great resources to help you effectively perform your monthly BSE are the Susan G. Komen Foundation (this has video and audio instructions) and The BSE Five Step Instructions from breastcancer.org.

2. Every woman should have a clinical breast exam annually at the time of her annual check up. This is simply an exam performed by your doctor. Having a trained, fresh set of hands performing the exam could pick up things you might miss.

3. Annual mammograms should be done beginning at age 40. If you are in a higher risk group, discuss this with your doctor. I got my baseline mammogram (initial mammogram) at age 35 due to the risk factors present in my family. While it didn't prevent me from getting breast cancer, the awareness certainly helped me to catch it early.

Well, what are you waiting for?