Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is often open about her medical history, including a battle with thyroid cancer when she was 28 and fertility struggles after turning 40. This weekend, she used her platform as an actress to encourage her more than 13 million Instagram followers to take care of their breast health and go get a mammogram (if they're old enough to need one, of course).
Seemingly to prove that mammograms aren't that awful, the actress posted a Boomerang of herself at an appointment. In the post, Vergara is wearing a white robe standing in front of a mammogram machine and smiling, either just about to get one or just after her appointment was done, and wrote, "You have to do it!!!"
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She's not wrong, though it's important to remember that her words only apply to people who are 45 or older.
In 2015, the American Cancer Society changed its breast cancer screening guidelines to suggest women (and other people assigned female at birth) start getting mammograms at 45 instead of 40 like they previously said. At 45-years-old Vergara just hits this recommended screening date, though the star posted a similar photo of herself last year as well.
Of course, the age guidelines are just guidelines and there are certain reasons, like a family history of the disease, that could make getting screened earlier a good idea. As with most health decisions, it's important to check in with your doctor about the best age to start getting yearly mammograms.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For more stories about detecting, treating, or living with breast cancer, click here.
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