Screenings for women
Participation in the screening is free for all insured and uninsured individuals who belong to the target group for the screening in the current year. Additionally, any further examinations and treatments identified during the screening are also free of charge.
Breast cancer screening
In Estonia, women aged 50-68 years are invited to breast cancer screening at two-year intervals. In 2024 we invite women (including uninsured) who are born in 1950, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974.
In 2024, we will also send SMS notifications to women about the arrival of the mammography bus in their residential area.
The aim of breast cancer screening is to detect breast cancer at an early stage and in this way reduce the amount of painful and costly treatments and the rate of mortality.
The Health Insurance Fund pays for the screening of all health insured women
Cancer develops in the human body over a long period of time and often in its early stages it shows no apparent symptoms. Breast cancer can be detected by screening before the impact of the tumour can be felt and it spreads to the body. Breast cancer screening means that a woman undergoes a radiologic examination of the breast, also known as mammography. This is a short and in most cases painless procedure.
Early detection of breast cancer is crucial because it allows for quick initiation of the treatment, if necessary. Early detected breast cancer is more easily curable.
In most cases, women turn to a doctor when they suspect breast cancer, when they have complaints or symptoms occurred, for example, they have discovered a “lump" in a breast. In addition, it is worthwhile to be alert to other warning signs, such as a change in the breast shape, spots, or increased lymph nodes in the armpits. When these signs occur, you should contact your doctor.
Breast cancer can be detected before cancer has been noticed and has spread in the body. An option for an early detection of breast cancer is a radiological examination of the breast or mammography. Mammography is an examination with the radiation dose safe for the health. An early detected breast cancer is more treatable, allows the use of breastsparing surgery techniques and is a prerequisite for the overall healing.
Cervical cancer screening
Cervical cancer screening In Estonia, women aged 30-65 years are invited for cervical cancer screening at five- years intervals In 2024 we invite women (including uninsured) who are born in 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994.
The main cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is spread primarily through sexual contact. If a woman is infected with certain types of HPV, it may result in changes in the cervical cells, thereafter precancerous states, and cervical cancer. This process is usually long, lasting even from 10 to 25 years. The cell changes can be detected by cytological (diagnosis by cells) study, known as the PAP study, which is a method for early detection of cervical cell changes recognized around the world. Regular participation in screening helps detect possible cell changes and precancerous conditions in a timely manner when they are treatable.
How to participate in breast cancer screening and cervical cancer screening?
You will receive an invitation to participate in screening to the address in the population register. In parallel with the invitation sent to your home, an electronic invitation will arrive in your E-health patient portal. However, all invitations may not necessarily reach their destination for one reason or another. The most frequent cause is inaccurate data in the population register. If your birth year, however, is in the list of this year's recipients of the invitation, and you know that you have not made the relevant tests or studies done over the last 12 months, you do not necessarily have to wait for an invitation. You should simply call to the health care institution most convenient for you. When registering, in particular, the birth year and the validity of the health insurance are checked. When arriving at the screening, bring an identity document with you.
You can find the contact details of the health care institutions carrying out early detection studies of breast and cervical cancer in here.