Every woman should know how to check her breasts, just as every man should know how to check his testicles (and breasts too).
You know you’re own body better than anyone else, so being able to notice when something is different or doesn’t quite feel right is the best indicator to get yourself checked out.
There’s plenty of information available on getting your breasts checked – how and why you should do it.
NHS UK – how should I check my breasts?
Breast Cancer Care – signs and symptoms
WebMD – breast cancer and breast self-exam
CoppaFeel – plenty of info on how to check and you can set an SMS reminder to check regularly.
If you’re not comfortable or confident checking your own, get your partner to check them for you or ask your doctor or nurse at the surgery.
Not all lumps and bumps are going to be cancer – 90% of them aren’t but if your worst fear is ‘cancer’ and that’s what stops you from going to the doctor – JUST DO IT. Putting it off is not going to make it go away – whatever ‘it’ might be. If you need treatment of any kind – better to start it sooner than later. If it’s benign, a cyst or nothing to worry about – then your fear is put to rest.
Be Aware – mammograms are not 100% accurate, as I found out when a second tumour was only discovered in my left breast after surgery. In my case there were other visible changes, so I wasn’t too surprised. They are also less reliable if you have denser breast tissue and certain types of cancer are more difficult to detect.
If in any doubt get yourself checked.
Breast self-examination (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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