The odds are high that you know and love someone who has had breast cancer. In the United States, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. It used to affect women over the age of 62 primarily, but the last decade has shown a slow but steady increase in breast cancer diagnoses for women under the age of 50.
This is a scary possibility for young women and many are looking for ways to be proactive about breast cancer prevention and early diagnosis.
A regular, healthy period is essential for good breast health and development, as is avoiding hormonal birth control—a known contributor to increased breast cancer risk. (If you’d like more information on the connection between periods, pregnancy, and breast cancer risk, check out our предыдущая статья on this topic!)
How is breast cancer detected?
Thankfully, breast cancer isn’t as deadly as it once was due to modern treatments and earlier methods of detection. Today, there are multiple tools available for breast cancer diagnosis, like:
- Routine mammograms (starting at age 40)
- Clinical breast exams (conducted by a skilled medical professional)
- Breast ultrasounds
- QT Imaging (a new alternative for younger women or women with dense breast tissue)
Breast self-exams can clue you in to what’s normal (or not!) for you
While the above tools all involve working with medical professionals and modern technology, women can also choose to do at-home self-exams to more easily notice any changes in their breasts. It’s not formally recommended as a necessary practice by some physicians, yet 25% or more breast cancers are first found through self-exams like these [1]!
The biggest benefit to a monthly breast self-exam is the ability to know what your breasts normally look and feel like, so that you can more quickly identify a change that doesn’t go away.
There are many reasons why even healthy breasts might change throughout a menstrual cycle, but if those sudden changes don’t go away with the start of a new cycle, it may be worth investigating. Lillie D. Shockney, who is the Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer, encourages women to “establish a regular breast self-exam” because “40% of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump.”
Whether you do a formal self-exam each month, or simply stay generally aware of the size, shape, and color of your breasts in order to spot changes, your own participation in your breast health can have an impact on future diagnoses and treatment.
Whether you do a formal self-exam each month, or simply stay generally aware of the size, shape, and color of your breasts in order to spot changes, your own participation in your breast health can have an impact on future diagnoses and treatment.
How to do a breast self-exam
· Choose the best time in the menstrual cycle
Menstrual cycles are a key part of women’s reproductive health and they will help you identify the best time to complete a breast self-exam. Throughout a menstrual cycle (the time between one period to another), a woman’s body produces two dominant reproductive hormones: эстрадиол и прогестерон. Each of these hormones has an impact on the breast tissue, as well. You may notice that your breasts feel larger around the time of овуляция (when an egg leaves the ovary) or that they become sore a few days before your period begins. Because of these changes, it’s best to do a breast exam close to the end of your period, when you are spotting or immediately afterward. Your reproductive hormones are relatively low during this time and should allow for a good baseline exam.
· Feel the breast for any lumps, tenderness, or areas that feel harder/thicker
You’ll want to feel for any changes in the breast, so it’s best to methodically feel each breast while in two separate positions: standing (often in the shower) and laying down. Use three fingers, start in one direction, and move them across each breast and into the armpit area. Repeat from the other direction. While the process is the same, it’s important to do so from both positions, as laying down will flatten the breast area and allow additional areas to be examined.
· Using a mirror, look at your breasts for changes in shape, look, or discharge
Stand with your hands on your hips and look in the mirror for any changes to your breasts. Examples of this may be dimpling, swelling, changes to the size, shape, or color of your nipples, or discharge from your nipples (unrelated to breastfeeding). Pay special attention to changes to only one breast. The National Breast Cancer Foundation рекомендует repeating this examination while flexing your chest muscles.
How do I know what’s normal or abnormal in a breast self-exam?
Remember that it is normal for your breasts to change throughout a menstrual cycle or during pregnancy and postpartum! Do not worry if you experience monthly changes, like tenderness or an increase in size, that go away with the start of a new period. Similarly, it is common to have issues like clogged milk ducts, engorgement, or mastitis while breastfeeding. With proper treatment, these issues should resolve. While the breasts undergo many changes during pregnancy and postpartum, it is okay to continue breast self-exams during this time (especially after a breastfeeding session, when milk ducts are not as full).
It’s also completely normal to notice that your breasts do not look exactly the same. All breasts are asymmetrical, similar to how most of us have one foot that’s slightly larger than the other! This is nothing to be concerned about, thankfully.
However, any of the following would be considered abnormal during a breast self-exam:
· A new lump or spot that feels harder/thicker than other areas
· A change in size for one breast only
· Redness or rash
· Tenderness unrelated to menstrual cycle
· Nipples which are leaking clear or bloody discharge or feel especially tender
If you experience any of the above, it’s best to get the opinion of a medical professional who has the appropriate tools to investigate. Breast changes aren’t always due to breast cancer, but since early detection is key to breast cancer survival, it’s worth getting it checked quickly.
Prioritizing preventative care services like clinical breast exams and mammograms can have a tremendous impact on our women’s health outcomes. There are other preventative services, like PAP smears, that are designed to provide early detection of cervical cancer or concerning infections.
If all this focus on breast health has made you wonder why breasts sometimes get tender before the period, you may be interested in learning more about Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS). Breast tenderness is a common symptom of PMS, which you can more easily track if you chart your menstrual cycles using a Метод информирования о бесплодии (FAM).
Ссылки:
[1] Huang N, Chen L, He J, Nguyen QD. The Efficacy of Clinical Breast Exams and Breast Self-Exams in Detecting Malignancy or Positive Ultrasound Findings. Cureus. 2022 Feb 21;14(2):e22464. doi: 10.7759/cureus.22464. PMID: 35371742; PMCID: PMC8942605.