As women, we face many special concerns that call for heightened awareness about our health. This is especially true for breast care.

Breast cancer is today's second leading cause of cancer death in American women (lung cancer is the first). Just being a woman puts us at risk for breast cancer. While it's impossible to know who will get breast cancer and who will not, 20 percent of the cases in the United States can be linked to a handful of known risk factors.

Risk factors are those characteristics that can increase your chances of developing breast cancer. Screening for risk factors

provides us, and our doctors, with important information

- but they cannot predict our chances of developing breast cancer exactly. The known risk factors for breast cancer are:

€ Age: The risk of developing breast cancer increases as women age.

€ Family history: Breast cancer often runs in families. The risk for breast cancer increases by the number of close relatives, such as a mother, sister or daughter who have had the disease. (However, breast cancer also occurs in women with no family history.)

€ Age at first period: Women who begin menstruating before age 12 have a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer.

€ Age at first pregnancy: Women who have their first, full-term pregnancy after age 30 have an increased risk for breast cancer.

€ Having no children: Having no children means you are experiencing continuous cycles until menopause which increases the risk for breast cancer.

While research continues to seek ways to prevent, detect and treat this disease, it is essential for us to stay informed, no matter how low or high our risk of developing breast cancer is. We can make smart decisions about our health, seeing our health care professionals, performing monthly self-exams and scheduling regular mammograms. When we take advantage of preventative screening opportunities, we will be taking important steps to find breast problems early, when they can be treated most successfully. And you don't have to go far for prevention.

Locally, the Cayuga County Department of Health and Human Services has a cancer-screening program called The Healthy Men and Women Partnership. This program addresses the problem of no insurance or inadequate insurance coverage as a result of funding granted through the New York State Department of Health and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The Healthy Men and Women Partnership is able to provide mammograms, breast exams and instruction in breast self-examination at no cost to women who meet eligibility requirements.

Currently, the Partnership is extending an invitation to all women aged 30 years and older, who live in the southern part of Cayuga County to participate in a very special health and beauty event to be held in Moravia on Saturday, May 5. The event, “Pamper Yourself, Pamper Your Health,” will start at 9 a.m. and end at noon. (This event is also held for women who live in the northern part of the county every October).

We know that prevention and education is key to maintaining our good health. If access to women's health services is limited because of transportation, insurance or financial challenges - come to this event and receive a free blood pressure check, diabetes screening, clinical breast exam, colon cancer test kit and information on health issues.

There will also be free manicures, pedicures, massages, hair and make-up consultations and cooking demonstrations. Child care, refreshments, door prizes and give-away items are also available. Note that the Partnership will provide no cost or low cost mammograms in the same location Wednesday, June 13.

Pre-registration for both events is required. Call the Department of Health at

253-1455 for more information and to ask Danielle to sign

you up.

For more information on breast care, contact The American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

Elane Daly is director of health and human services for Cayuga County. She can be reached at 253-1560 or cchealth@dfa.state.ny.us