BreastScreen Aotearoa
This is the name of New Zealand's National Breast Screening Programme, which aims to reduce deaths from breast cancer among New Zealand women by detecting cancers when they are small. The programme offers free screening mammograms (breast x-rays) to all women aged 45-69 years.

How to take part in the programme:

• You can make your own appointment by phoning BreastScreen Aotearoa on 0800 270 200. This number is used whereever you live and will direct you to your local Breast Screen appointment centre.
• You are welcome to take a friend or family member with you for support when you attend any Breast Screen service. Some women may decide to attend in a group. If you wish to make your appointment at the same time as your friend(s) please let them know whan you make the appointment.
• Once you have had your first mammogram, you will be recalled by the programme every two years for further mammograms.
• Information on the programme in Maori, six Pacific languages and seven Asian languages is available by ringing BreastScreen Aotearoa.

All Screening and assessment services offered as part of the BreastScreen Aotearoa programme are free.

Breast cancer statistics
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in New Zealand. Each year about 1600 women develop breast cancer, and about 580 New Zealand women die from the disease.

Nearly 10% of New Zealand women will develop breast cancer and the chances of developing breast cancer are similar for Maori and non-Maori women.

Breast cancer is not common in women under the age of 40. The risk of developing it increases as women get older. Three-quarters of the women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, and 84% of the women who die from it, are 50 years and older.

Risk and prevention
Many women are unsure of their risk of breast cancer, and of what mammography can offer. While some women are at greater risk of breast cancer because they have a family history of the disease, most women who develop breast cancer have no relatives with the disease. Even among women who do have relatives with breast cancer, many will never develop it.

Currently we know little about what women can do to prevent breast cancer occurring . At present, mammography screening offers the best method of identifying breast cancers when they are small and most treatable. A radiologist views two images of each breast to determine if there are changes in the breast tissue, which may indicate the presence of a cancer.

The BreastScreen Aotearoa programme is designed especially to give women aged between 45-69 years, without breast symptoms or breast disease, access to free mammography.

			Signs of Breast Cancer:
	a new lump or thickening a change in breast shape or size puckering or dimpling of the skin any change in one nipple, such as: a turned in nipple a discharge that persists without squeezing lumpiness in one breast soon after your period ends pain in the breast that is unusual. These signs may not mean you have cancer, but you need to check them with your doctor, even if you have recently had a mammogram.

			What are mammograms?
	Mammograms are x-rays of the breast. The aim of mammography is to find very small cancers before a lump can be felt. Treating breast cancer when it is small gives a woman a better chance of successful treatment. It also increases the likelihood that she can be offered surgical options, which conserve the breast. Mammograms can be used in two ways: As a wellness check for women with no symptoms. These are called screening mammograms. To check a breast lump or a change that can be seen or felt. These are called diagnostic mammograms. A mammogram is carried out by a radiographer. She will position one breast at a time between two plates on the x-ray machine. The plates compress the breast so that it is flattened as much as possible. This is necessary to give the best image of the breast and reduce the radiation dose. Having a mammogram takes only a few minutes. Most women find it uncomfortable, but some find the procedure painful. If you feel pain, tell the radiographer during the mammogram.

			Post Examination
	Most women have no after effects. If a women has previously experienced pain they may like to take a mild pain relief after their mammogram. As per the International Quality Standards for mammography, all mammography examinations are read by at least two Radiologists. Following the second read a report will be sent to your Doctor. Mammography images are essential for comparison each time a woman presents for their mammography appointment.