What you need to know about women’s health

[MUSIC PLAYING] KRISTI FUNK: They find Ductal Carcinoma In Situ,

DCIS, better than any other imaging tool we have. DCIS is the earliest we can find cancer

at stage 0, which never needs chemo and never kills. When you get a mammogram, you'll be in a private room,

disrobe from the waist up. Sometimes, you'll have a robe over your shoulders. But you'll be asked to stand up real close to that mammo

machine, actually with your arm kind of hugging it to get even closer. And then the technician will position your breast

on top of a plastic plate that's hopefully not too cold, and then she gently but firmly brings down the top plate

to compress-- that's a nice word for squash-- your breast. She'll step back behind a shield. She'll ask you to hold your breath while the machine beeps

and moves in an arc. A small dose of radiation will be beaming between those plates, producing the mammogram image

that we then read. Each breast is imaged twice, squishing you from left to right and from top to bottom.

If you still menstruate, time your mammogram to the second half of your cycle, meaning the two weeks before starting your period.

This is the luteal phase, and this timing correlates to less breast sensitivity, so less pain, which allows better compression and a more detailed image.

Speaking of pain, tip two-- if you're in the 55% of women who think mammos hurt a little-- or a lot-- try taking a couple acetaminophen,

like Tylenol, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen, 30 minutes prior to imaging. Tip three-- if you're going to a new place,

make sure you hand carry a CD with all your prior mammograms so that the radiologist has them so she can compare your current images to the old ones.

Otherwise, you might get called back for more squishing because they see something that might be nothing. And if they had the other ones, they would have known it's been there for a decade.

Finally, be on time. Large studies show that mammograms are most effective when women stick to a 12-month interval

between screenings. So if you're due for your mammogram, or overdue, book it today.

Hi. I'm Dr. Juliana Hauser, and I'm here to help us unpack and redefine the milestones

that we often miss. I'm about to turn 53, which is kind of upsetting.

But right now, it's OK. So about to turn 53, and we're going to talk about menopause. Yes.

So you're going through something that over half of us will be going through or have already gone through. And tell us, kind of basic, what's going on with you.

JENNY: There was sleep issues at first. I was just-- I couldn't sleep. A straight eight hours just couldn't happen.

I experienced every single thing, hot flashes, weight gain, dry skin, painful intercourse, like you name it,

it was pretty much textbook for me. But I don't want to make it so doom and gloom. But it also, at the same time, was freeing.

I was like, OK, like you just said, I'm done. It's finished. Let's move on to the next thing. You don't have to worry about this, this, and this.

And so it kind of was a balance, I guess, for me. What would you tell your younger self about this milestone?

I would say, get prepared, I think, because the more knowledge you have, the better the journey will be.