Going out for cocktails with your girlfriends, getting a manicure, going on holiday: these are the sort of fun events where one might whip out a phone to snap a pic for social media. Going for a mammogram however? That is never anyone’s idea of a fun time.
But, actress Sofia Vergara appears to have enjoyed her recent breast screen, so much so, that the Modern Family star posted a video to Instagram of herself getting checked for breast cancer.
In the clip that has been watched over one million times, Sofia, 45, is dressed in a robe, posing in front of a mammography machine. The Colombian actress smiles from ear-to-ear while her she throws her arms into the air.
“You have to do it!!!!” she wrote in the caption to her Instagram following of 13.2 million.
The month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Australia, but also in America, where the actress resides. The vivacious brunette is using her platform to influence greater positivity for (the dreaded) breast screen in the hopes that other women – her friends, family and fans – will follow suit and get checked too.
And it seems that her followers got the message:
“Going to make my appointment tomorrow!” one wrote on in the comments section of the video.
“Well done! It’s awesome to encourage other women to have their mammograms,” said another.
In Australia, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the age of 85, making it the most common cancer for Australian women.
When it comes to screening for breast cancer, mammograms are still the best tool available. Women between the ages of 50 and 74 are invited to have a free mammogram every two years by BreastScreen Australia. Women between the ages of 40-49 and 75 and over also have the opportunity to have a free mammogram too. While these ages present as a sort of guideline for when a women should get tested for breast cancer, it is always important to speak with your GP to have your own personal risks assessed.
Current research shows, the reduction in breast cancer mortality that mammograms deliver outweighs any potential risks from radiation. Sofia is well aware of this fact and has not been shy in posting about mammograms in the past.
In 2016, the actress shared a pre-mammogram selfie on Instagram. “It’s that time of year,” she wrote.
For more information on mammograms visit BreastScreen Australia, or speak with your trusted GP.
