The fight against breast cancer is a journey filled with mixed emotions such as fear, uncertainty, strength, hope, and resilience. Globally, it’s the most common cancer and the second most common cancer among American and Australian women—so it’s a tough one many women and their loved ones face.
But there's hope— and it lies in early detection. A breast self-exam is an early detection tool you can do today to join this fight. Since October is #BreastCancerAwareness Month, it's the perfect time to arm yourself with the right information and learn how to perform a self-exam. So let's walk through it together!
Did You Know?
When breast cancer is detected early in its localized stages, the 5-year survival rate is an impressive 99%. While around 15% of women diagnosed have a family history, the majority do not—which is why routine checks and early detection are vital for all women. Today, there are over 4 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. alone. Let’s keep that number growing!
How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam
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Get in position: Raise one arm and place your hand behind your head.
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Apply pressure: With your other hand, use the pads of your 3 middle fingers to apply gentle yet firm pressure to the breast.
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Check for knots: Check the entire breast and armpit area, first in circles, then up and down. Check for thickenings or knots.
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Check for changes: Feel for changes in size or shape. For example, check for swelling or lumps.
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Manually check the nipple: Pinch the nipple to check for discharge, bleeding or pain.
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Visually check the nipple: Check for nipple inversion, change in direction, nipple rash or crusting.
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Have a look: Now you can relax a bit. Visually inspect your breasts for any dimpling, puckering or rippling.
Don’t Forget Your Annual Mammogram
In addition to the important self-exam, what can you do to take control of your breast health? First, keep in mind that the purpose of a breast self-exam is to become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel so you’ll be better prepared to find any abnormalities in the future. Any changes or concerns should be reported to your healthcare provider.
Next, don’t forget the importance of regular mammograms and clinical breast exams as a method of prevention. A mammogram is a low dose x-ray picture of the breast, which gives doctors the ability to find abnormalities or changes in the breast. These screenings also help to find breast cancer early.
Mammography and Younger Women: What You Should Know
Due to denser breast tissue, these screenings are less effective in younger women, which can make abnormalities harder to detect. This could mean you get false positives or negatives, especially for women under 50 or with a family history.
For this reason, regular mammograms are generally recommended starting from age 40. Women younger than that can focus on self-exams and clinical breast exams. These women can also choose to discuss screening options with their healthcare provider based on their risk factors.
Share the Knowledge. Share the Hope.
When you’re done with your self-exam, share this post with a woman you love! It's a small step that can make a huge difference in everyone’s health journey. Together, we can raise awareness and help defeat breast cancer.
To support breast cancer research to prevent, detect, stop and treat breast cancer Qure will donate $2 from every order to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
