Skip to main content

Reasons Why Young Women Should Perform Breast Self Exam



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, 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.
Remember, anytime you see or feel any kind of change in your breast(s) you should see your health-care provider. Only a qualified medical professional can definitively diagnose the cause of breast issues. Breast changes don't always mean breast cancer, but they do mean you should see your doctor. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Hard nipples" - areola or nipple skin

Someone once wrote"... when i get really cold, or get goosebumbs all over my body, the whole things really scrunch up, like, my entire areola scrunches itself up into a wrinkled little mound. it looks really weird and ugly, and i haven't ever seen other people's breasts do it. what is wrong with my areola/nipples??" The answer: Well nothing is wrong. This is what my areola does too. It's a normal reaction to the coldness or to irritation / stimulation. The little muscles in the areola do a similar goosebump thing as your other skin can do. People often call this phenomenon "hard nipples". Also note that skin on areola has less feeling or sensation to it than other areas of your body. If the areola was very sensitive, then breastfeeding would probably be quite uncomfortable because the baby pulls and tugs it! The nipples are sensitive but the sensitivity changes with hormonal changes, such as occur at mestrual cycle or pregnancy. Also this v...
8 comments
Read more

Mastectomy Drain Breast Cancer Treatment

The  purpose of drains after mastectomy  is to drain away the fluid that can gather in the armpit region or around the scar on the chest wall. Some people after mastectomy also find that fluid gathers around the shoulder blade area on their back - this seems more common if the muscle from the back has been used for  breast reconstruction  at the time the mastectomy was done. When mastectomy is done - and especially if the lymph nodes are removed from the axilla or armpit - then there is a lot of tissue fluid and lymph fluid left with no where to go. This fluid normally flows through the lymph channels but if they are cut then it can escape into the normal skin and muscle tissues. Your surgeon will place drains under your skin after mastectomy. These drains gather up the fluid and remove it to a bottle (or bottles) that you carry around with you. Some people use a  belt clip to attach the drain  to their waistband - making them more mobile. Others car...
8 comments
Read more

Youngest Breast Cancer Survivor

  No one is immune to Breast Cancer.  A four-year-old Canadian Girl, Aleisha Hunter, is reported to be the youngest Breast Cancer survivor in the world. On that note, she is also the youngest woman to ever have a mastectomy. At the age of two, her mother found a lump in her daughter's breast and the doctors confirmed that it was a very rare form of breast cancer. According to the article, less than five percent of women will have to have invasive breast cancer surgery before the age of 40. Luckily, this type of cancer is very slow moving and slow growing. So, she was able to be treated without chemotherapy and harsh radiation that would have harmed her developing immune system. I hope that she continues to heal and will realize how strong and special she is one day when she is older. Aleisha, you are strong and a survivor of a disease that claims a number of lives daily. Women and men alike have been stricken by Breast Cancer, although they are usually much older....
6 comments
Read more