How Soon Should Women Start Getting Breast Exams?

A surge in the number of breast cancer cases among women is alarmingly becoming more widespread in many countries today, due to some factors which predispose these women to the disease. According to research, an average woman does not know when to get a breast exam, and as a result, they get diagnosed with the disease by a doctor when it could’ve been prevented earlier.

So breast cancer awareness is seeping into society’s health awareness by teaching women when to get breast exams and by demonstrating breast self-examination steps. Advocates also encourage or promote breast cancer screening recommendations to help women with a clinical diagnosis if they detect something they aren’t sure of, especially when they don’t know what a breast cancer lump feels like to the touch.

breast cancer screening recommendations

When to Get Breast Exams

Women often become breast cancer patients because they don’t know when to get breast exams. As a result, diagnosis becomes apparent when it could’ve been prevented if they had a mammogram exam regularly to check for lumps present in their breasts. You should know when to get breast exams to prevent cancer from taking root in your breasts, and one way to do so is to do it regularly.

It pays to know when to get breast exams, especially if you have little to no idea on the breast self-examination steps. On average, doctors make breast cancer screening recommendations for women above 50 given that their risk of getting the disease is higher than the younger age groups, however, if you have a family history of cancer, you should get breast cancer screening recommendations earlier to find out how at risk you are.

Breast Self Examination Steps

Knowing how to conduct the breast self-examination steps can help you detect problems with your breasts early on and prevent anything serious in the future. In this regard, some of the breast self-examination steps include:

  1. Check your breasts physically in the mirror and notice if there are any changes observed.
  2. Raise both of your arms and check the sides for anything suspicious. Check also if you have a breast discharge.
  3. Feel your breasts while lying down, standing up, and sitting down. Doing so can reposition any lumps which are hard to detect, and it can help you with maximum coverage to see if there is anything wrong with your breasts.

what does a breast cancer lump feel like to touch

What Does a Breast Cancer Lump Feel Like to Touch?

Not all breast lumps can cause cancer, and similarly, only a few of breast cancer lumps are painful. In case you’re wondering what does a breast cancer lump feel like to touch, a breast cancer lump is typically solid and irregular in shape. Most probably, it may already be attached to your breast tissue, so in case you suspect a breast cancer lump, seek medical help immediately after you detected it during the breast self-examination steps.

Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

Most women think they can get breast cancer screening recommendations because of the encouragement of women’s health awareness movements. In this regard, see if you are qualified to get screened by looking at the guidelines for screenings in your local clinic. Have a breast exam performed by a doctor, and start becoming aware on how you can minimize your risk of getting the disease.

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After an in-depth review of the strongest available science on the benefits and harms of screening mammography, as well as input from the public and health care professionals during the public comment period, the Task Force issued its final recommendations on breast cancer screening on January 12, 2016. You can learn more about how the Task Force’s final recommendations converge with other evidence-based guidelines in an editorial published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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