Iowa Army of Pink

The Iowa Army of Pink is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate women and health providers on breast density.  We are an all-volunteer organization and have all been touched by a delayed diagnosis of breast cancer due to breast density.  Our founder, Bridget Pargulski, began lobbying the Iowa legislature in 2012 for notification of breast density to be included in the lay letter for mammogram patients.  In 2017, working with the Iowa Medical Society, a bill was passed and signed into law by Governor Branstad.  The Iowa Army of Pink then adjusted and re-organized as an educational organization to ensure that the women of our state understand the new information provided to them by this law.

WHAT IS DENSE BREAST TISSUE?

Breast Density is determined by the tissue differences of the breast. Fat does not show up on a mammogram, but fibrous and glandular tissue, or dense tissue, shows up white, as does cancer, making cancer hard to detect.

The photo on the left is a mammogram of a very fatty breast with a cancerous tumor. You can see how easy it is to spot. The mammogram on the right is of a an extremely dense breast. It is easy to imagine how hard It would be to detect cancer in this image.

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AWARENESS

Approximately 50% of the women in Iowa have dense breast tissue. Are you one of them? Chances are you don’t know.

IDENTIFICATION

Dense Breast tissue cannot be felt by you or your physician. It can only be determined by visualization on mammogram.

INCREASED RISK

In women with extremely dense tissue, cancer is 4-6 times more likely than in women with fatty breasts. Dense breast tissue is a stronger predictor for breast cancer than family history.

MASKING

Dense tissue shows up white on a mammogram- so does cancer, making it difficult to detect. In dense breasts, mammograms will miss 50% of cancers present, delaying diagnosis.

HOW TO DETERMINE BREAST DENSITY

Find out if you have dense breast tissue by contacting your mammography center. In many cases, your physician may not know.

A and B are considered fatty or not dense. C and D are considered Dense.

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NOW WHAT?

Dense tissue shows up white on a mammogram- so does cancer, making it difficult to detect. In dense breasts, mammograms will miss 50% of cancers present, delaying diagnosis.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

There are many things we can do to decrease the risk of breast cancer including regular exercise, stop smoking, limiting alcohol, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight.

IOWA LAW

Iowa's breast density inform law was signed by Governor Branstad on April 13, 2017 with an effective date of November 15, 2017. Information regarding breast density will now be included in the mammogram result letter mailed to the patient.

  1. 1. Every woman getting a mammogram will be informed of her density category:
    1. a. Fatty
    2. b. Scattered Fibroglandular Density
    3. c. Heterogeneously Dense
    4. d. Extremely Dense
  2. 2. Every woman categorized as:
    1. c. Heterogeneously Dense
    2. d. Extremely Dense
  3. will receive additional information noting the following:
    Having dense breast tissue puts one at an increased risk for breast cancer. Having dense breast tissue masks cancer on a mammogram making it difficult to detect.

THE LAW (SF 250)

GET INVOLVED

Get involved - Help us spread awareness on breast density. Tell others, talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about the impact of breast density on screening mammography.

Help us spread awareness by joining Iowa Army of Pink - email us or join our facebook group.

  1. 1. Volunteer – become an ambassador for us
  2. 2. Fundraising – Options:
    1. a. Have a Facebook fundraiser or add a donate button to your page, just search for Iowa Army of Pink in the FB non-profits
    2. b. Other small events – we would be honored to receive funds and would give public recognition for your donation
    3. c. Amazon – go to smile.amazon.com, search Iowa Army of Pink
  3. 3. Educational Materials – Iowa Army of Pink is proud to provide educational materials in English and/or Spanish for any one and any organization. To request materials for your upcoming event, please contact Brigid at IowaArmyofPink@gmail.com
  4. 4. Social Media – Follow us now! See us in action. Keep up to date on news regarding breast density. Find us on Facebook – Iowa Army of Pink

RESOURCES

DENSE BREAST INFO

Comprehensive dense breast tissue resource for women and physicians.

GO TO WEBSITE

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

Regular mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early.

OPEN ARTICLE

MAYO CLINIC

Dense breast tissue: What it means to have dense breasts

OPEN ARTICLE

Speaker Requests

The Iowa Army of Pink Ambassadors represent our organization at health fairs and educational programs in communities and businesses throughout Iowa. Our focus is on breast density and the various laws enacted and the research that has recently been published; We also discuss the importance of early detection and the various modalities available.

We have two medical directors:  Dr. Robert Shreck, a retired oncologist and Dr. Jean Paul, a family practitioner who is also a breast cancer survivor.  When we speak, we like to have one of the doctors and at least one breast cancer survivor.  We have spoken to groups of nurses & healthcare administrators, at health fairs for the public, over lunch & learns for business groups and even in homes, for groups of friends.

We do not charge to speak at programs, but donations are always appreciated to help offset the costs of materials for these programs. We are an all-volunteer organization.

For more information contact Brigid Greening – iowaarmyofpink@gmail.com or find us on Facebook – Iowa Army of Pink

MEDICAL CME

DENSE BREAST INFO

Link to medical CME for physicians, nurses, and radiation technologists.

OPEN ARTICLE

FREE CME

Dr. Robert Shreck provides CME through Des Moines University.

OPEN ARTICLE

CONTACT INFO