Before we get to the serious stuff, here are a few interesting facts about breasts:
*The modern bra (invented by Ida Rosenthal and her husband William, of Maidenform) was invented in the 1920s.
*In ancient Rome, women would wrap bandages around their chests to keep their breasts in place when playing sports.
*The smallest bra size is AAA, and the largest size is an L.
One more fact: Breast cancer is the 2nd most lethal cancer (after lung cancer), so please take time for self-care.
If you notice any lumps or other changes. If you're in your 20s-30s, you should get a breast exam every 1-3 years (and don’t forget about those self-exams!).
Men can get breast cancer too, but asking questions can be hard if you don’t know what to ask.
arly detection and prompt treatment can turn a breast cancer sufferer into a breast cancer survivor. Various organizations, such as The American Cancer Society, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the US Preventative Task Force to name a few, have developed guidelines for how best to screen average-risk women for breast cancer based on age. The guidelines vary slightly but generally agree that breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 and occur every 1-2 years. Informed decision-making between patient and provider should guide the details of frequency and when to stop screening.
Mammography is the gold standard for most accurately detecting breast cancer over all other imaging modalities. For this reason, imaging centers do not offer ultrasound, also known as sonography, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a substitute for mammograms. Ultrasound, MRI, or thermography may be used as an adjunct to mammograms, however. Thermograms show heat patterns that may indicate cancerous changes, but the FDA does not endorse the use of thermography alone to detect early-stage breast cancer as according to the FDA acceptable scientific evidence is lacking for accuracy.
Still, a very large portion of breast cancers are initially detected by the person with cancer, so self-breast awareness is very important. Pay attention while bathing or dressing to changes in the contour or appearance of the breasts as well as to their texture. Report any bulges, dimpling, thickening, lumps, skin or nipple changes, nipple discharge, or new asymmetry to your care provider promptly. It is common for one breast to be larger than the other unless perhaps this is a change for you.
Once a breast change is noticed, you can expect your care provider to order a diagnostic rather than screening mammogram often along with an ultrasound. The mammogram detects densities and patterns of densities through x-ray while the ultrasound defines fluid vs. solid characteristics through sound waves. If the appearance of the abnormal area then warrants correlation with the microscopic characteristics of the cells at that location, a biopsy will be recommended.
