October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month! In case you didn't already know. What, with all the pink ribbons and items available for purchase with the proceeds benefitting cancer research and all. ;) By now, most of us, unless living in a cave, are well AWARE. While many people are supporting awareness and purchasing pink products to show their support for breast cancer research, there are other, much more important things to be focused on this month in the name of Breast Cancer awareness.

The first, very important thing to focus on is prevention. Though, there is no sure way to prevent this horrible disease, there are things we can do to take care of our bodies and lower our risk factors.

*Get plenty of physical activity

*Limit alcohol consumption

*Breast feed your babies

*Keep your weight in check

*Avoid exposure to environmental pollution



The second, is Early detection. We women, should be doing these self-checks EVERY month. We should be well aware of what our breasts look and feel like and be able to know when something just isn't right. Though I know self-exams are harder if you have large breasts, it certainly doesn't hurt to try your best at catching any abnormalities early. It is estimated that 12% or 1 in 8 women will develop Invasive (cancer has spread from original location into surrounding breast tissue, lymph nodes, and other parts of the body) Breast Cancer in their lifetime.

Though the majority of women who develop breast cancer are older, about five percent of breast cancer cases are in women under the age of 40! That's 1 in 20, dolls! There are tons more statistics we can discuss but I wanted to take this time to just talk about early detection and self-exams. It is scary to think of finding abnormal lumps and a lot of women choose not to do self-exams but the key to knocking out breast cancer is early detection and could save your life!

So, what are we looking for?

Signs of breast cancer include:
 *Lumps
*Change is breast skin color or texture (dimpling, puckering)
*Inverted nipples (they fold inward instead of sticking out)
*Change in nipple color
*Redness, swelling or pain of the breast(s)
*Fluid or blood dripping from the nipple

If you notice any of these signs, consult with your doctor to rule out breast cancer.

 

How do we do a self-exam?

 

The basic method is as follows:

*Examine your breasts in the mirror with your arms up, down, and on your hips looking for visible signs of the indications listed above.

 

*examine your breasts while sitting or standing

 

*Examine your breasts while laying down

 

*Press your fingers to your breast with a firm but gentle touch working around in a circular direction and feeling your entire breast.

 

*Squeeze your nipple to check for discharge that could be clear, yellowish, bloody.

 

 

I encourage you to check out this link to five steps to a proper self-exam and if anything seems off when doing your self-exam, please see your doctor.

 

Here's to healthy breasts but more importantly, healthy women and early detection!