National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Board of Sponsors
Be well advised. Nothing's more important than your Well Woman exam.
- An annual mammogram and Pap test can detect cancer early when it's easier to treat.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer women may face.
- Clinical breast exams should be scheduled once a year starting at age 40 or older, and every three years if you are in your 20s and 30s.
- Have an annual Pap test if you are older than 21 or have been sexually active. Contract your physician to establish an appropriate screening schedule.
HealthSelect is designed to encourage preventive care and does so by providing benefits for the following preventive services:
- Participants may receive one routine physical exam each calendar year.
- Women may receive one annual well-woman exam by an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) or a physician of family practice or internal medicine, if those service are not performed during their routine physical.
- Men age 50 and over are eligible for coverage for an annual diagnostic medical examination for prostate cancer. Men age 40 and over with a family history of prostate cancer are also eligible for this exam.
- Your medical condition or age may require regular preventive testing or services such as a mammography or bone density screening. HealthSelect allows coverage for medically necessary testing and services.
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month: Spina Bifida Association
Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the bones of the spine (vertebrae) do not form properly around the spinal cord. This can occur anywhere along the spine. Spina bifida is the most common of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects.
Spina bifida develops in a fetus early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. In the United States, about 1 in every 2,000 children is born with spina bifida. It is one of the most common birth defects, although the rates have steadily declined in recent years.
Having enough folic acid (a B vitamin) in your diet is an important part of preventing spina bifida and other neural tube defects. However, to be effective, folic acid needs to be consumed before a baby is conceived. To reduce the risk of spina bifida, most women need to consume 400 µg (micrograms) of folic acid a day. Women who are at risk (such as those who have already had a child with spina bifida) should take 4,000 µg of folic acid a day. You can get enough folic acid by eating foods rich in folic acid, such as avocados, black beans, and asparagus, or by taking a vitamin pill. Since 1998, the United States government has required that foods made from grains and sold in the United States be supplemented with folic acid to help reduce the risk of spina bifida.
Do not drink alcohol while you are pregnant. No amount of alcohol is considered safe during pregnancy. A child born to a woman who drank alcohol during pregnancy has an increased risk for spina bifida, as well as other problems.
Avoid exposure to excessive heat, such as saunas or soaking in a very hot bath, during the first weeks of your pregnancy. A high fever during the first weeks of pregnancy could also cause your baby to develop spina bifida.
HealthSelect offers expectant mothers access to the Special Beginnings Program that helps them and their babies get off to a healthy start by providing prenatal and postnatal health education, pregnancy risk assessment, educational materials and follow-up monitoring from pregnancy to six weeks after delivery. The Special Beginnings Program provides prenatal risk assessment education and coordinates with the patient's physician to provide case management services to help reduce the chance of low birth-weight infants and/or premature delivery. Call toll-free (800) 462-3275 to enroll or to ask questions.
Source: 1995-2007, Healthwise, Incorporated, Amy Fackler
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