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Do More to Stay Healthy: View tips for healthy living past menopause

Regular screenings for invasive breast cancer are important for all women, as they may help detect invasive breast cancer at the earliest possible stage. If you are at high risk for invasive breast cancer, you should talk to your doctor about invasive breast cancer screening, as the screening guidelines for women at high risk for invasive breast cancer may include supplemental or more frequent screenings.

Regular screenings include:

Mammograms
This is a low-dose X-ray of the breasts that may help detect invasive breast cancer while the tumor is still too small to feel in a clinical or self-exam. The American Cancer Society recommends you get one every year beginning at age 40, but they are especially important for women over age 50. Depending on your individual risk factors, your doctor may recommend more frequent or additional tests.

Clinical Breast Exams
This is a test your healthcare professional performs at your regular checkup. He or she will feel for lumps in the entire breast, underarm, and collarbone area, and look for visual changes like a rash or differences in size and shape of the breasts and/or nipples, and may also check for a nipple discharge. The American Cancer Society recommends having this exam every 3 years before age 40, and every year after that.

Breast Self-Exams
These should be conducted once each month. Contact your doctor if you notice unusual changes, such as:

  • A lump or thickening in the breast, underarm, or nearby
  • Nipple tenderness or discharge, or a nipple that turns inward into the breast
  • A change in the size or shape of the breast
  • Red, swollen, dimpled, or scaly skin on the breast or nipple
  • Pain or other symptoms that don’t go away

Supplemental Screenings
If you are at high risk for invasive breast cancer, you should talk to your doctor about other screening methods to supplement mammography. You may also want to discuss the possibility of more frequent screenings. Supplemental screening methods could include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound. MRIs have been able to detect tumors in very dense breasts, and can find very small tumors. So far, however, there is not enough evidence to recommend MRI or ultrasound instead of mammography in women at high risk for invasive breast cancer.

Indication for EVISTA® (raloxifene HCI tablets)
EVISTA is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis and for the reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

If you already have or have had breast cancer, EVISTA does not treat it or prevent its return, and it does not reduce the risk of all forms of breast cancer.

Indication for EVISTA® (raloxifene HCI tablets)
EVISTA is indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Indication for EVISTA® (raloxifene HCI tablets)
EVISTA is indicated for the reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer.

If you already have or have had breast cancer, EVISTA does not treat it or prevent its return, and it does not reduce the risk of all forms of breast cancer.

Indications for EVISTA® (raloxifene HCI tablets)
EVISTA is indicated for:

  • The treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
  • The reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
  • The reduction in risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women at high risk for invasive breast cancer

If you already have or have had breast cancer, EVISTA does not treat it or prevent its return, and it does not reduce the risk of all forms of breast cancer.

Important Safety Information About EVISTA

You should not take EVISTA if you have had or are at risk for getting blood clots in the legs, lungs or eyes, as it may increase the risk of blood clots. Stop taking EVISTA and call your doctor if you have leg pain or warmth, swelling of the legs, hands or feet, chest pain, shortness of breath or a sudden vision change, as these may be signs of a blood clot. Being unable to move around for long periods may increase this risk. If you will need to be still for a long time, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce the risk of blood clots.

EVISTA does not increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke in women who have had or are at risk for a heart attack; however; EVISTA increases the likelihood of dying from stroke in these women, should one occur. Before taking EVISTA tell your doctor if you have had a stroke, a mini-stroke, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, history of smoking, or believe you have other risk factors for stroke or a heart attack.

Before Taking EVISTA

EVISTA is not right for everyone. You should only take prescription EVISTA if you are past menopause. Before taking EVISTA, talk to your doctor about all your medical conditions. If you are pregnant, nursing or may become pregnant, do not take EVISTA, as it may cause fetal harm. Women with liver or kidney disease should use EVISTA with caution. EVISTA should not be taken with estrogens in the form of pills, patches or injections.

Side Effects

Side effects may include hot flashes, leg cramps, swelling, flu-like symptoms, joint pain, and sweating. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

For more safety information, please see the Medication Guide and full Prescribing Information.