Breast
Assured By Natasha Kubis
O
ctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a good time to get acquainted with the anatomy of your breasts, as well as the best practices for cancer prevention. Sadly, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, and it is a significant health threat. Other conditions that can affect the breasts, and are often benign, are cysts and fibrocystic changes. Infections of the breast tissue can also occur, particularly during breastfeeding, and mastitis, or inflammation of the breast, is common. With the right knowledge, you can take preventative measures and a proactive approach to your breast health. Here’s how: Schedule Your Mammogram A mammogram scans breast tissue for tumors or other abnormalities that might be a sign of breast cancer, and
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thesofiamagazine.com | October 2020
is typically performed for the first time when a woman is between 40 and 50 years old. Women should have a repeat scan every 1-2 years. Menopausal women often have dense breast tissue, and density can obstruct cancer detection through a mammogram, making it unreliable, so 3-D ultrasound is recommended in these cases. Report Any Breast Changes You should be familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel. You should report any of the following changes to your doctor: a change in the look or feel of the breast and nipple, which can include a change in size, dimpling, swelling, shrinking, asymmetry of either the breasts or nipples, or a discharge from the nipple. Quit Smoking Smoking is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, particularly among
women who started smoking at adolescent or peri-menarcheal ages. Cigarette smoke contains 3,000 types of carcinogens that could potentially affect your health. Limit Alcohol A meta-analysis of 53 studies showed that women who drank more than 3 drinks a day had 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer than nondrinkers. Try to keep it to 1 serving a day or less: 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. Stay at a Healthy Weight Fat cells produce estrogen and high levels of that hormone have been linked to certain cancers. Working out can shrink the size of fat cells, so your body pumps out less estrogen. The American Cancer Society recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week.
