We emphasize many aspects of wellness - including optmizing breast health.  Women must obtain regular mammograms, and we order these for you either before you leave our clinic or we can call you with convenient times. Some women with dense breasts may do better with an MRI.

An important evaluation of your risk of breast cancer includes genetic testing if you have certain risk factors.  We offer genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer within our office.  This is called BRCA testing:  BRCA1 (on chromosome 17) and BRCA2 (on chromosome 13)  One in 400 women will test positive for this genetic test which significantly increases the chance of developing breast cancer.

According to the National Institutes of Health, there will be an estimated 192,379 new cases of breast cancer and 40,170 deaths (http://www.cancer.gov/breast).  Only a fraction of these cases (approximately 10%) are related to BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Learn more about inherited breast cancer and what can be learned through genetic testing.

Further, we offer risk assessment of a woman' risk of breast cancer.  This can be done through on-line programs (see below).

Breast cancer is common - one in eight women will develop breast cancer.  You can learn your estimated individual risk through a consultation with the Women's Wellness Clinic.

There are several on-line programs to assess your risk of breast cancer:  for instance the GAIL model (see the following link: http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/ ).  We  can review this with you.

There are risk and protective factors for breast cancer.  Female gender and increasing age are important risk factors that can be modified.  The modifiable risk factors include:  exercise, diet, lifestyle, and environment.  There are foods which can help protect you against breast cancer - find out more through our providers at the Women's Wellness Clinic.