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Pink Zone!
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Join the fight to end breast, cervical and other women’s cancers with our UW-Milwaukee women athletes and Norris Health Center February 11th at Pink Zone!
Pink Zone! and you help create a community that cares about an issue that affects women of all ages and backgrounds, including students right here at UW-Milwaukee.
Come cheer on the Panthers women’s basketball team and help them in supporting the fight against cancers that affect women!
Wear pink to the game, and the cost is just $3 for non-students. Students are admitted free. Regular ticket prices are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and kids.
Saturday, February 11th
3:00p.m. Health Fair (Information, free food, prizes and much more!), Klotsche Center
4:00p.m. Women’s basketball UWM vs. Green Bay at the Klotsche Center
Money raised from the 50/50 raffle, t-shirt donations and silent auction of special Adidas women’s basketball shooting shirts will support women’s cancer screening at Norris Health Center for students who cannot afford these services.
Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition! Survivors will be recognized at the game and receive free admission and a t-shirt. To be admitted free and receive a special commemorative t-shirt from UWM Auxiliary Services, please contact the Panther Ticket Office at 414-229-5886.
So Pink Out!
Wear pink, attend an exciting basketball game, and help raise money and awareness for women’s cancer prevention initiatives at Norris Health Center.
For current recommendations on cervical and breast cancer screening, continue reading below.
Current Recommendations for Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening in Women.
Please Remember:
In every case, it is important to see how the guidelines that follow apply specifically TO YOU by speaking with your own primary care medical provider!
CERVICAL CANCER
The most recent recommendations for cervical cancer screening in women were issued in November, 2009 by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.
• Begin screening for cervical cancer in women by doing pap smears at 21 years of age, regardless of sexual history.
• For women aged 22-29, a screening pap smear is recommended every 2 years, as long as results remain negative (normal).
• For women aged 30 or older who have had 3 negative (normal) pap smears in a row, have no history of significant dysplasia found on a pap smear, have no history of HIV or a significantly weakened immune system, and were not exposed to DES when they themselves were a developing baby (fetus), a screening pap smear can be done every 3 years, as long as results remain negative (normal).
• For women aged 30 or older, consider doing a test for HPV DNA at the same time as the screening pap smear. A woman with low risk for cervical cancer, who has a negative (normal) pap smear and a negative test for HPV DNA (both tests done at the same time) should be screened next no earlier than 3 years from the time that both tests were done.
• Consider stopping screening pap smears at age 65-70 for women who have had 3 or more consecutively normal pap smears, and have had no abnormal pap smears in the past 10 years.
• All women younger than age 21 who are sexually active should have an annual pelvic exam to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, and should receive information on safer sex practices and contraception options, even though they do not yet need a pap smear.
• Annual gynecological exams are still appropriate for most women even though pap smears are not done annually. This provides an opportunity for counseling, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and to discuss other health concerns.
Remember that if a screening pap smear is abnormal, then the above recommendations do not apply.
BREAST CANCER
There is current controversy about a new set of breast cancer screening recommendations from the USPSTF that were released in fall, 2009.
The following recommendations had been and are still widely accepted by many medical authorities: Guidelines for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer (from the American Cancer Society website)
• Yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as the woman is in good health
• Clinical breast exam every 3 years for women in their 20’s and 30’s and every year for women 40 and over.
• Women should know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any breast change promptly to their health care provider. Breast self-exam is an option for women starting in their 20’s.
For more information see also
http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/FindCancerEarly/CancerScreeningGuidelines/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer
Summary of the Newly Revised 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force USPSTF recommendations on screening for breast cancer:
• The USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women in their 40s who aren’t at increased risk for breast cancer. The decision to start mammography before age 50 should be based on a woman’s risk for breast cancer and personal preferences about the benefits and harms.
• The USPSTF recommends mammography every two years for women ages 50 to 74.
• Current evidence is not sufficient to assess the effectiveness of screening mammography in women ages 75 and over.
• Current evidence is not sufficient to assess the effectiveness of clinical breast exam in addition to screening mammography.
• The USPSTF recommends against clinicians teaching women breast self-examination.
• Current evidence is not sufficient to assess the additional effectiveness of digital mammography or breast MRI instead of film mammography for breast cancer screening.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, Nov. 17, 2009, pp. 716–726.
To view the complete USPSTF breast cancer screening guidelines, go to:
http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/uspsbrca.htm
There will likely be further clarification of breast cancer screening recommendations in the near future. For now, speak with your medical provider about your own individual breast cancer risks, and follow your provider’s advice regarding screening. Performing self breast exams is still a good thing to do. If a woman is familiar with the way her breasts normally look and feel, she will be more likely to notice any changes early on and to report changes to her provider.
So stay tuned for future developments in breast cancer screening recommendations!
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New Year, New You!
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Have you made resolutions for the New Year? Would you like to be more active, and eat a healthier diet? Do you want to try to avoid colds and the flu? Norris Health Center would like to help you achieve your goals! Students who have paid segregated fees can use the services of the health center at a very low cost. There is no cost at all to be seen by a medical or mental health provider; there are small fees for medications and lab tests. You can check what services we offer on our website, just click on the services tab on our home page.
The Office of Health Promotion and Wellness offers many health information resources for UWM students.
Colds and Flu
Information on good habits for staying healthy, and deciding if it’s a cold or the flu can be found at http://www4.uwm.edu/norris/health_services/nhc_about_medical_flu.cfm
See the Health Highlights sidebar on our homepage at http:// www.norris.uwm.edu for links to current year information on Influenza: “Prepare Now to Beat the Flu” and “Norris Health Center Flu Self-Care Instructions.”
Nutrition and Fitness
Do you want to be more active? Get the latest guidelines on physical activity from the CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html
Did you know that the “Food Pyramid” is out, and “Choose My Plate” is in? Find the latest in on-line nutrition guidelines and tracking tools at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Is your weight holding you back? Then Step Forward to a Healthier You! If you are a UWM student with a body mass index (BMI of 30 or greater) this may be the program for you. (Not sure what your BMI is? Click here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/)
Stepping Forward is an 8-week program that includes nutrition and healthy behavior discussions, a low-impact fitness class and a support group. The program will help participants create a personalized action plan that will enable them to start making important behavioral changes in their lives to achieve a healthier weight. For further information visit the website at http://www.steppingforward.uwm.edu. You can also call Colleen Bernstein at 229-4716.
1/19/2012
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