Breast Self Exam

Think you’re too Young for Breast Cancer? Think Again, You're not!

When you're young, breast cancer is probably the furthest thing from your mind. However, it shouldn’t be. Although breast cancer in young women is significantly less common among those from 20 to 39, it does happen. Don’t believe it won’t happen to you, I personally knew a young woman only 21 or 22 who had breast cancer. Finding time to incorporate breast self exam into your monthly schedule is easy when you realize just how important it is.

1.                Except for certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in women of all ages. Although the most confirmed and noteworthy risk factors for developing breast cancer are gender and growing older.

2. Younger women diagnosed with breast cancer often experience a more aggressive cancer and a lower chance of survival. This fact alone is enough to make early detection and breast self exam crucial for younger women.
3. Generally, screening mammograms are recommended at age 40. Sadly, this occasionally results in younger women not being diagnosed with breast cancer until the cancer is in a later stage, and can lower their chance of survival.
4. Because breast tissue isn't as thick when you're younger it can make diagnosis of breast cancer difficult. For this reason young women should begin monthly breast self exam at age 20, so that you can become familiar with how your breasts look and how they feel, thereby making it easier for you to notice any changes in your breasts.
5. Because the lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in seven for American women, establishing good breast health practices while you are still young can reduce your chance of getting breast cancer at a later stage.

  How to Perform a Breast Self Exam

1.                Stand in front of a mirror. Look for any changes such as puckering, changes in size or shape, dimpling, or changes in your skin texture.

2.               Look for changes to the shape or texture of your nipples. Gently squeeze each nipple and look for discharge.

3.               Repeat these steps with your hands on your hips, over your head, and at your side.

4.               Raise your right arm and examine your every part of your left breast. Move in increasingly smaller circles, from the outside in, using the pads of your index and middle fingers.

5.               Gently press and feel for lumps or thickenings.

6.               Using body cream, if neccessary, continue to circle and gently massage the area outside your breast and under your arm.

7.               Repeat with your left arm and right breast.

8.               Lay down. Put a pillow under your right shoulder, and your right hand behind your head. Again gently massage and feel your breast for lumps or other changes.

9.               Repeat with towel under left shoulder with left hand behind head.

Tips:

1.                Menstruating women should do breast self-exam a few days after their periods end. Women who use oral contraceptives should do breast self exam on the first day of a new pill pack.

2.               Post-menopausal non-menstruating women should pick a day and do breast self exam on the same day each month. Notify your physician immediately if you notice any changes or lumps.

3.               Breast self exam should be a routine part of every woman's life. Talk to your daughters about the importance of breast self exam so it will become a routine part of their lives.