It’s a delicate topic many women don’t like to discuss. But colorectal cancer is very much a women’s health issue. Having a colonoscopy is your best prevention.
No other facility in Baton Rouge offers you the comfort and privacy you’ll find at Woman’s.
When it’s found early, colorectal cancer is easily treated and often cured. Colonoscopies can find and remove polyps (abnormal growths) before they turn into cancer.
Colonoscopies can also find colorectal cancer early on, when it’s most treatable. Having one colonoscopy every 10 years reduces the risk of colon cancer by as much as 60 percent.
All of the colorectal specialists and surgeons at Woman’s will help you feel more relaxed and confident about your screening or diagnostic colonoscopy. Learn more about our team and call one of them directly to make an appointment.
The American Cancer Society recommends women have a screening colonoscopy starting at age 50, then at least every 10 years.
Screen Sooner, More Often with Family History
If your parent or sibling was diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer before age 60—or if you have two first-degree relatives diagnosed at any age—you should be screened sooner and more often. Women with a strong family history should schedule a colonoscopy at age 40, or 10 years before the age your youngest relative was diagnosed, whichever is younger.
Screen Frequently if You Have a Bowel Disease
Women who have inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease may need to be screened every one to two years beginning about eight years after diagnosis.
Although many women don’t like to talk about colonoscopies, you should know they are usually painless. And at Woman’s, you’ll have the comfort of your own private room before and after your screening
Dr. Kerry Howell explains what to expect during your colonoscopy.
Video: The Basics of a Colonoscopy
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