Take Control of Your Breast Health This October
It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month – time to check your screening is up to date, writes Dr Hayley Glasson in this partner content with Bulli Medical Practice
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the perfect time to make sure your screening is up to date. In Australia 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed by age 85 making it the most common non-skin cancer. The good news is that mortality rates are falling by 2.1% each year, thanks to earlier detection and improved treatments.
Screening Has Changed
Population screening is offered from age 40, and while biennial mammograms remain the standard we now know that individual factors matter. An important risk factor is breast density: how much glandular and fibrous tissue you have compared to fatty tissue. Since mid-2025 breast density has been routinely reported on imaging. Denser breasts carry a modestly higher lifetime cancer risk and can also make cancers harder to detect on standard mammograms.
Know Your Personal Risk
Breast density is just one piece of the picture. Free online tools like iPrevent combine your medical history, family history, reproductive history, genetics, medication use and lifestyle to generate a personalised 10-year and lifetime risk score. Your GP will take the result and other factors into account, and may recommend starting screening earlier, screening annually or adding MRI or contrast-enhanced mammography (although access can be limited).
What You Can Do Right Now
There are several evidence-based ways to reduce your risk:
- Minimise alcohol intake
- Stop smoking
- Maintain a healthy weight after menopause
- Stay physically active
- Breastfeed if you are able to
And, as always, if you ever notice a change in your breast see your GP as soon as possible.
Early assessment saves lives.
This October, book a dedicated breast health conversation with the team at Bulli Medical Practice. We can help you calculate your iPrevent score, review your screening history and build a plan tailored to you.
Call us on 4284 4622 or book online.
About the writer
Dr Hayley Glasson graduated from the UNSW in 2008. She worked as a GP in the Kiama area before moving to the northern Illawarra and now works at Bulli Medical Practice. Hayley has a special interest in women’s health. She also loves paediatrics and has a Diploma of Childhood Health from Sydney University.
Illawarra Flame partner content with Bulli Medical Practice, a proud supporter of local independent news.
