During these difficult economic times, some women are opting to skip their annual health screenings--the mammograms, Pap smears, physical exams, cholesterol checks, and so on that can really head off health troubles. They're opting to stay at work on the days they'd normally be taking off to do these things. A smart move? Uh uh.

I know that hindsight is 20/20, but what if you end up next year diagnosed with breast cancer and the doctor says, "Gee, this wasn't here 2 years ago but it's pretty big now. I don't see your mammograms from last year--did you switch facilities where you got it done?"

Your answer--"I didn't want to take half a day off from work to get the mammogram last year"--is going to sound pretty lame. Because you skipped that mammogram, you might be looking at a mastectomy now instead of a lumpectomy a year ago, or chemotherapy now instead of no drugs at all.

So getting checked is still a smart investment of your time. And if this is the year for a colonoscopy, don't delay that one either. Remember you are also setting an example for your children. How can we expect our kids to adopt good health care habits and lifestyles if no model is living in the home to demonstrate the right way to do it?

Even some mammography facilities offer Saturday hours, and some gyn offices have late evening hours.

Though you are under no obligation to tell your employer that you're taking off to get your breasts checked, I would hope that, if your boss did know why you weren't there Thursday afternoon, he/she would be pleased to learn that you take care of yourself. It's a good investment for employers to make, too.

At Johns Hopkins, employees can run over to our Breast Center during working hours, or before or after their shifts, to get their mammograms done. And yet I've heard oncology nurses say, when asked by a patient how often they themselves get a mammogram, "I don't have time, so I haven't gone in years." Wrong answer, both for the patient and for the nurse.

Remember, screening mammography remains our best course of action for achieving an early diagnosis. So schedule an appointment and go.