Breasts are not only an Organ of Attraction!

Your Breasts are not only an organ of attraction, not only an organ of Identity; it is an organ of motherhood, organ of first feed for every human. Caring your own breast is equally as important as Breastfeeding.

In addition to beautiful breasts, you should know about your breasts so many important things.

Do you know? "Breast cancer has ranked number one cancer among Indian females with age, adjusted rate as high as 25.8 per 100,000 women & Mortality 12.7 per 100,000 women. Incidence ratio was found to be as high as 66 in rural whereas as low as 8 in urban registries.

Besides this, young age has been found as major risk factor for breast cancer in Indian women.

Earlier cervical cancer was most common cancer in Indian woman but now the incidence of breast cancer has surpassed cervical cancer & its leading cause of cancer death, although cervical cancer still remains most common in rural India, says the Epidemiology of breast cancer in Indian women: Breast cancer epidemiology in Asia-pacific journal of clinical oncology 2017"

Do not be panic! Better health awareness and early detection helps in better chance of successful treatment. So, how can you be aware of yourself? It is by examining routinely by doing self -breast examination.

Breast Self-Examination (BSE):

Breast self-examination is an easy self-doing screening method used to detect early breast cancer. It involves the women herself looking at and feeling each breast for any changes both visually and physically.

Perform a BSE at least once every month, starting from the age 18.

Steps to do Breast self-examination:

Step 1:

• Stand in front of the mirror with your clothes removed, put your hands on your hip, pull your elbows forward and look for any visible changes like any unusual differences between the two breasts, size, redness, rashes, swelling, pulling in of nipples.

• Raise one arm, then the other, so you can check under your arms for lumps.

• Squeeze the nipple gently using your thumb and index finger to check for any discharge.

Step 2:

1. Lie down and put your left arm under your head.
2. Use your middle three fingers of right hand to examine your left breast.
3. Press gently over your breast from light, medium, firm-three degrees of pressure in directions like circular, wedges and lines to feel for any changes like a lump, hard knot, thickening, Dimpling, abnormal skin changes than usual from your collarbone down to the ribs below your breasts.
4. Use your left hand to examine the right breast respectively.

If you notice new changes in your routine examination, consult your gynecologist. Most breast changes detected during self-examination have benign causes, some changes may signal something important.

Remember, the changes can also occur because of aging, your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause, birth control pills. Studies have shown that self- breast exams alone greatly reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer.

Most importantly, Breastfeeding can greatly prevent breast cancer and lowers the risks of ovarian cancer.

The Life of a woman is life of a family. Think pink is in not only the month of October, but also every day, raise the Awareness of Breast Cancer.

Know about Your Breast and take very good care of your own breasts and your loved one's organ of Motherhood!

-Dr.Shanthini Rajasekar, Siddha Physician