I know that this is supposed to be a PMS site and this is related because in a woman’s overall health it is important to stay as healthy as possible and many of the symptoms and health issues we have are interrelated.  Bloating, mood swings, breast tenderness, food cravings, headaches and more can all come with PMS, but some women experience those symptoms and others that might or might not be related to PMS.

There are many women in the US who go through the year not having detection tests done even after the recommendation from their doctors to do so.  It is important for every woman to have a yearly physical examination with pap smear and when age appropriate or symptoms are present to have an annual mammogram, too.  It doesn’t make sense for a woman to get one part of her body “fixed” or cared for and not the others.  We all need to be taking part in detection tests for cancers and other problems like endometriosis, cysts, and other issues that plague women these days.

Pap Smears are a screening technique to determine cancerous or pre-cancerous changes of the cervix. HPV is now an epidemic and many women are affected by these changes.  During the test, cells are scraped from the cervix and then evaluated microscopically.   Pap smears are not diagnostic tests, but they are screening tools used to find any abnormal cells or dysplasia in the cervix.  When women are faithful in having regular Pap smears, they increase their chances for early detection and treatment of any potential problems.  This is one of the best tests a woman can take.  Despite these positive factors, every year, about 14,000 American women are diagnosed with the condition and about 3,900 die from it. This test can be a lifesaver, because cervical cancer detected in its early stages has a cure rate of 90 percent.  You are worth the test!

Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet women are still not getting them. You might think the main reason is health care funding, but it’s not poor access to health care that’s to blame!  Most insurance programs help cover mammograms and if not there are free or significantly reduced tests that are available to women.  Mammograms are usually a black and white picture of the breast tissue on a large sheet of film that is read, or interpreted, by a radiologist.  The test doesn’t take very long and could very well save your life.

Breast cancer still remains the number two cause of cancer-related deaths for women but regular mammograms can detect tumors, cysts and calcifications.  The doctor may investigate these abnormalities further, to determine their effect on your body.  Breast cancer usually appears in the form of calcifications, architectural distortions, or abnormal densities.  Breast cancer will strike an estimated 180,000 women this year.  It is vital to get checked!

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