Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
October is breast cancer awareness month and we want to do things differently by focusing on breast health at different times in your life with some suggestions on how to take better care of the girls!!
In Your Teens
Breasts changes start to occur early in adolescence, in fact it is one of the first signs of puberty. As breast tissue responds to the body’s hormonal changes, a young adolescent’s breast will changes in shape and size.
It is not uncommon for breasts to grow slightly uneven and hang slightly differently. Young women may also notice some hair growth on their nipples; finally because breasts tissues is responsive to hormones, young women may notice breast tenderness before their cycle. All these are normal variance of puberty, and don’t mean anything specific. It is important for parents to discuss what is normal and abnormal breast changes so young women can be empowered to discuss their body and the changes brought on by puberty with their pediatricians and Ob/Gyns.
In Your 20’s & 30’s
A common complaint at that stage is of breast lumpiness. Lumpy breasts are generally a sign of fibrocystic breast disease which can be exacerbated by caffeine. Fibrocystic breast disease is generally benign and can be managed with with decreasing caffeine consumption, wearing a proper fitting bra and NSAIDs.
Women in this stage may also continue to experience breast changes associated with pregnancy. In pregnancy, breasts tissue responds to the high hormonal environment in the body and become lumpier, with a darkening of the nipples. Cysts and other benign breast lumps can become bigger during pregnancy but will generally remain benign. However if you have any concerns, you should discuss them with your healthcare provider. After delivery, breasts tissue will enlarge as the mammary glands respond to the changing hormonal environment to enable milk production.
Though we strongly believe in breastfeeding here on HMHB, we also believe that women should make informed decision regarding whether or not to breastfeed. If a woman chooses not to breastfeed, her breasts will stop making milk after a few days. This process can be facilitated by wearing a tight fitting bra, sports bras work best and using NSAIDs for the pain.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
One of the most important thing that women can do at this stage is to establish good general health habits: healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, limit alcohol consumption to less than a drink a day if any at all, quitting smoking if they smoke, and exercise with a minimum of 150 minutes a week. All of these health habits have been associated with decrease risk of breast cancer.
Breast Health in Your 40’s and beyond
Your breasts will through another change phase as you get near to menopause. Many women will notice more sagging in their breast due to some changes in the skin elasticity. You may also notice either an increase or decrease in breast size due to a change in your breast tissue with milk glands being replaced by fatty tissue. You may also notice a change in the contour of your breasts. Some of these normal changes can be mitigated by taking good care of your skin and moisturizing your breasts! Yep moisturizing the girls as we often forget to really pay attention to that area of our body!
If you haven’t done it before, this is a good time to talk to your doctor about your breast cancer risks and to start getting your mammograms. ACOG recommends starting routine mammograms at age 40 while the US Preventive Health Task Force recommends waiting until age 50 to get yearly mammograms. Talking to your physician about your family and health risk regarding breast cancer will help you make a more informed decision about your mammogram screening schedule.
Some signs to pay attention include the following:
- Firm lumps you have’t felt before
- Thickening of the skin, also known as “peau d’orange” or orange peel
- Dry, cracked, red skin around your nipple
- Swelling around breast, nipple or armpit
- Green, red or fluid other than milk leaking out of your nipples
These are signs you should immediately report to your physician for further evaluation. By taking action early, you empower yourself and it allows your physician to detect signs of cancer early which significantly improves your prognosis.
Taking Care of your breast & yourself
Although October is an opportunity to focus and highlight the progresses made in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, I recommend you talk to your healthcare provider regularly so you can stay informed about the advances being made in breast cancer detection and treatment as well as preventive guidelines. We still have a long way to go in the battle against breast cancer to improve detection and survival rates especially when it comes to women of color who still lag behind in terms of screening and detection as well as survival rate.
And remember the top five things you can do:
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetable
- Restrict your alcohol consumption to a drink a day or less
- If you smoke, work on quitting
- Exercise a minimum of 150 minutes a week.
The post Breast Health For Every Season appeared first on Healthy Mommy Happy Baby.