Although October is the month of Breast Cancer awareness you should be getting in with your checkups on all parts of your body including your breasts!
Don't know about Breast Cancer? Scared to learn about it? Well, don't be! The purpose of awareness is to educate yourself on being alert to the many changes of your body (especially your breasts)
Breast cancer is when malignant cells form in the tissues of the breast.
Our breast is made up of ducts and lobes. Smaller sections of lobes are called lobules and then end in dozen of tiny bulbs that can produce milk. The lobes, lobules and bulbs are linked by tiny tubes called ducts. (all of this is what gives breast that "squishy" feeling and makes it one of the softest parts of our bodies.
Each breast also has blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels carry an almost colorless fluid called lymph. Lymph vessels lead to organs called lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They filter substances in lymph and help fight infection and disease.
The most common type of breast cancer is ductal carcinoma, which begins in the cells of the ducts. Cancer that begins in the lobes or lobules is called lobular carcinoma and is more often found in both breasts than are other types of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is an uncommon type of breast cancer in which the breast is warm, red, and swollen.
So are you at risk? How are you at risk? There are many factors: age, hereditary, treatment with radiation therapy to the chest/breast, taking hormones or even drinking alcoholic beverages etc.
How can you prevent it? Because there are various risks on getting breast cancer, your BEST prevention is checkups! Mammograms[low radiation x-ray of the breast] and physical breast exams are the way to go. Spotting irregularity with the shape of your breast of even the feel and sharing this with your doctor is a great way to tackle the problem early!
Women in their 40s should be getting yearly mammograms. But just because your younger than 40 doesn't mean you should wait to do exams! When your in the shower, or even lying down on your bed you should be gently massaging the breast in a circular motion first and then move up and down from the top of the breast down to the nipple and all around. Get a feel for the shape and feel of your breasts so that if one day something doesnt feel right..you can head to your doctor who can then check it out!
My mom is a breast cancer survivor so I have to be very cautious about my breast exams (my doctor performs them on me and sometimes I do them myself)
Here is a website to learn more about Breast Cancer awareness and things you can do to help with the cause:
