Here are a few things to remember when it comes to mammography and early detection of breast cancer:

Women 40 and older: Schedule your screening mammogram today. Mammography is considered the gold standard for early detection by the American Cancer Society. If you haven’t had a mammogram this past year, make an appointment with a breast imaging center as soon as possible and make this examination a regular part of your health maintenance plan.

Women under 40: You may be an asymptomatic patient. If you are under age 40 with a family history of premenopausal breast cancer in a first-degree relative, or were treated with mantle radiation for Hodgkin’s disease or lymphoma at a young age, you should receive a screening mammogram.

Women in your 20s and 30s: Pay attention. Make sure your health care provider performs clinical breast exams at least once every three years. You should also perform monthly breast self-exams. (Learn about how to perform a breast self-exam.)

Mammography is just part of the equation. In addition to yearly screening mammograms, women 40 and older should undergo yearly clinical breast exams when they visit their health care providers. Women are also encouraged to perform breast self exams.

Recognize the main signs and symptoms. The main signs and symptoms of breast cancer include, but are not limited to, palpable lumps or thickenings in the breast or underarm areas, nipple discharge and skin or nipple changes. If you experience any of these signs and symptoms, see your physician to determine what type of imaging may be necessary.

Don’t let fear get in your way.  Chances are that you don’t have breast cancer. But if you do, it’s better to know about it as early in the disease process as possible, when doctors have the best chances of treating it successfully. And if it’s the radiation exposure that concerns you, consider this: according to the American Cancer Society, the radiation dose from one mammogram is similar to that experienced during one flight from New York to California on a commercial jet.

Remember: No woman is exempt from breast cancer. There are many risk factors associated with breast cancer, including family history. If you have a risk factor, it doesn’t mean you will automatically get this disease. And if you don’t, it doesn’t mean you won’t. Bottom line: Every woman should educate herself about breast cancer and make breast examinations a priority. Seventy to 80 percent of women who get breast cancer have no significant risk factors for the disease.

For more information about breast cancer and mammography, visit www.cancer.org.