At 34, I was nervous about my breast cancer risk. Here's what I did

As a health and medical reporter, I've covered a steady drumbeat of headlines about the alarming uptick in breast cancer cases among adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s. I've read the studies. I've spoken to concerned doctors, distraught patients. Even still, it took me a long time to face the fact that I myself was at an increased risk for breast cancer. By 34, I was already overdue for a conversation with my doctor about screening. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 40s. Thankfully, she has been in remission now for more than a decade, but her yearslong battle is still a hauntingly fresh memory. After doing some research, I enrolled in a program for younger adult breast cancer screening at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. After an initial consultation, I was scheduled