NOW Foundation Informs Women of Breast Implant Risks, Creates Fact Sheet for Distribution

National Now Foundation Times >> Fall 2007 >> Breast Implant Risks

NOW Foundation Informs Women of Breast Implant Risks, Creates Fact Sheet for Distribution

By Taryn Kloster, NOW Foundation Intern

NOW staff photo by Holly Manning

NOW Communications Intern Lateshia Beachum passes out the NOW Foundation Breast Implant Fact Sheet to students at American University in Washington, D.C.

The NOW Foundation participated in American University's (AU) Oct. 2 "Breastival" by passing out fact sheets, questionnaires, and educational brochures on breast implants to college students. The concept of the Breastival was developed by the Johns Hopkins University Medical School for students to learn specifically about women's health issues, and occurs on many campuses during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

NOW Foundation's Women's Health Project managed the table at AU's event, which attracted 60 organizations and was attended by over 1,200 students.

NOW Foundation interns quizzed students on breast implant "facts and myths," handed out the Foundation's breast implant fact sheet, and informed students that after a 14-year ban, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved marketing silicone-gel breast implants to women aged 22 and older.

The information covered in the fact sheet handed to AU students included the risks of implants, their ability to hide breast cancer, their link to diseases, their ability to make breasts super-sensitive and hardened, and their tendency to leak. Furthermore, the students were informed that insurance companies tend to restrict or deny coverage to women who have implants, which many students did not know.

X-Ray picture of implant from InTheKnow.org

photo coutesy of InTheKnow.org

NOW Foundation aims to inform women that, despite what popular culture tells them, breast implants are unglamorous and unhealthy, and NOW Foundation thoroughly did this through educating and empowering students at AU's Breastival.

For a copy of the NOW Foundation breast implant fact sheet, go to http://www.now.org/implantfacts.pdf