Why is breast health important?

Breast health awareness

is a vital part of how you stay healthy. Breast cancer affects women, at a rate higher than any other cancer except lung cancer. Why is breast health important? Why should be one aware of it? The reasons are many. Your breasts can be affected by benign breast changes such as cysts or intraductal papillomas. Most women experience some form of breast changes, and it’s important to know your normal breasts and keep an eye on any changes and contact your health care provider.

Breast health begins with a sense of what’s normal for your breasts. To promote breast health, consider doing regular breast self-exams. With practice, you’ll discover how your breasts vary in sensitivity and texture at different times during your menstrual cycle. For many women, breast health includes concerns about breast lumps, breast pain or nipple discharge. It’s also important to understand the common screening and diagnostic tests for breast health, such as clinical breast exams, mammograms and breast ultrasounds.

Regular self-exams increase your familiarity with your breasts and allow you to spot changes. It’s important to do self-exams at the same stage of your menstrual cycle as some changes through your cycle are normal. Breast swelling and pain right before you start your period is fairly common. There is some question as to whether self-exams are valuable, but most doctors continue to recommend them. Be aware that most of the time if you do find a change it is not cancer. It is far more likely that it is something hormone-related. You should only do self-exams once a month. 

A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer. Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt. Annual mammograms are recommended for most women starting at age 40 and strongly recommended at age 45. 

They are particularly important if a past mammogram shows dense breast tissue, which increases risk and makes it harder for the radiologist to see tumours. Women 55 and older can drop to a schedule of every other year unless they have risk factors, but you should continue to get mammograms as long as you are in good health. For women with a strong family history or a known mutation, mammogram screening should start at the age of 30, and MRI screening is also recommended.

Why is breast health important? Knowing about the health of your breast can help you detect any form of symptoms of breast cancer. Having a first-degree relative like a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer doubles your risk. If you have a family history of breast cancer, consider having genetic testing to check for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which can increase your risk. Make sure your children of both sexes also consider testing.

If you have had breast cancer once, you are much more likely to have it again, including in the other breast. Having certain benign breast conditions such as ductal hyperplasia. Having dense breast tissue can be diagnosed during a mammogram. Being aware of these various risk factors is important as it can help you determine whether you should seek extra screening such as a breast MRI. Women can take precautions to reduce their risk of breast cancer. Exercising regularly and trying to maintain a healthy weight. Drinking a limited amount of alcohol. Start breastfeeding children if possible.

Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy do increase your risk of breast cancer; however oral contraceptives lower your risk of ovarian cancer. If you are on birth control, talk to your doctor and consider annual mammograms even if you are otherwise at low risk. Lifestyle changes, early detection through screening, and advanced treatment have the immense potential to prevent cancer, improve outcomes and survival rates. All we need is awareness of breast cancer to save lives before cancer gets a hold over the body.