Expanding Fall: Embracing Teal, Pink, and Red for Women Beyond Pumpkin

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By Alicia Wanek

By Alicia Wanek

Just when you think you’re resigned to the discomfort of heated car seats and high utility costs, a refreshing change comes. You step outside one morning and feel the crisp air that signals autumn’s arrival. For women, as pumpkin lattes and cozy sweaters reappear, it’s also a time to prioritize health. September marks ovarian cancer awareness month with its Why Teal campaign, and October brings breast cancer awareness month, recognized by its iconic pink ribbon. Although extending into winter, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign in February concentrates on raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, highlighting that these conditions are among the leading causes of death for women in the U.S.

Women often neglect their own health, but assessing disease risks, noting any unusual symptoms, and making lifestyle changes are essential. After all, caring for yourself is crucial to caring for your family. Women should not forget to arrange for screening and diagnostic imaging to evaluate their overall health, particularly for ovarian and breast cancers and heart disease. Recent advancements in radiologic imaging can detect early-stage diseases before they present symptoms.

Early detection is vital. Ovarian cancer identified in its early stages has a 90% five-year survival rate, while breast cancer’s rate is 93%. Furthermore, up to 90% of heart attacks are preventable with timely diagnosis and treatment.

Envision Imaging, with six locations in the DFW area devoted to women’s health exams, provides a wide range of options for patients and physicians to screen for and identify diseases.

TEAL (Tell Every Amazing Lady About Ovarian Cancer)

Ovarian cancer typically shows few or no symptoms and does not appear on an annual Pap exam, making ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) exams necessary for diagnosis. Patients should be aware of their risk factors and seek immediate medical attention if experiencing any symptoms (see list below) that warrant further investigation.

Think Pink

Fortunately, breast cancer screening mammograms are available, and Envision offers cutting-edge 3D mammography. Women aged 40 and older or those at increased risk (see list below) should have an annual mammogram. Envision provides additional services beyond screenings—initial 3D imaging results can lead doctors to further investigate breast health using ultrasound, diagnostic mammography, or breast MRIs. Full-field digital imaging can now detect previously undetectable breast cancer nodules. Women with dense breast tissue can greatly benefit from these advanced techniques, as they have a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer, and dense tissue complicates detection on traditional mammograms.

Go Red

Vascular imaging to assess a patient’s heart attack risk is crucial for evaluating heart health, as cardiovascular disease can be “silent,” with 70% of heart attack patients in the low clinical risk category. Many don’t exhibit symptoms before an event, and the average age for sudden coronary death is just 50. Envision offers more than 20 vascular assessment options, particularly targeting cardiovascular function, such as vein and artery ultrasounds, vein mapping, and coronary CT angiography (CTA).

Artificial intelligence (AI) has started to play a pivotal role in radiologic imaging to lower heart attack risk, functioning effectively even before symptoms arise. Envision now enables patients to assess their risk beyond conventional CTA. Cleerly employs AI to analyze CTA results for high-risk plaques typically linked to heart attacks. Although not universally covered by insurers yet, patients can opt to upload their CTA results to Cleerly’s platform and often receive same-day results. According to Ron Guillot, Senior Director for Cleerly, “We detect, characterize, and quantify coronary plaque.” This approach serves as a diagnostic screening for the heart, similar to screenings for other diseases like colon, breast, skin, and lung. Utilizing AI, Ron explains, “We accomplish in about seven minutes what would take an imaging expert seven to nine hours.” After experiencing the Cleerly procedure, Internal Medicine physician Dr. Ron Colson remarked, “I was impressed with the new technology. It’s certainly superior to anything I’ve encountered, and I’m curious about its potential in my practice moving forward.” With a significant increase in heart attack risk for women post-menopause, this method may be an excellent way to assess cardiovascular health and pursue medical intervention for risk reduction.

Forbes magazine has declared the top fall trend for this year to be chartreuse, but teal, pink, and red will always hold significance as reminders to acknowledge your risk of specific cancers and heart disease. Enjoying an occasional pumpkin latte this season is essential, but caring for your health is crucial too. Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, consult your doctor about any concerning or new symptoms, and make use of the latest in diagnostic imaging.

Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors

Family history
Age
High number of lifetime ovulations
Breast cancer
Hormone replacement therapy
Fertility treatments
Being overweight
Endometriosis

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

Bloating
Pelvic or abdominal pain
Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
Frequent and urgent need to urinate

Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Age
Genetic mutations such as BRCA1 or 2
Menstrual periods before age 12 or after age 55
Dense breasts
Personal history of breast cancer or breast disease
Family history of breast or ovarian cancer
Being overweight, particularly after menopause
Alcohol use
Hormone replacement therapy
Reproductive history – First pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy

Breast Cancer Symptoms