Best Breast Care
October 2nd, 2009 by Kathy Sena
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a great time to share the latest news about how to prepare for your mammogram. We’ve also included tips for today’s teen girls to help decrease their future breast-cancer risk. And remember to ask your doctor for a breast-self-exam instruction card to hang in the shower. It’s a great monthly reminder to take care of your health.
MAMMOGRAM ANXIETY? TRY THESE TIPS
Fear of discomfort is one reason some women may choose not to have their recommended annual mammogram. Yet, there are a few simple things you can do to ease any possible discomfort, according to experts at Baylor Regional Medical Center:
• Hold off on caffeine. Caffeine has a tendency to make breasts tender and lumpy, potentially making the mammogram uncomfortable. Avoid drinking coffee and tea, unless it’s decaffeinated, for a week prior to a mammogram. Other items containing caffeine include diet drinks, chocolate, and even some common over-the-counter pain relievers.
• Steer clear of perfumes and talcum powder. Deodorant, talcum powder, perfumes, and oils may leave a residue that can be picked up by the X-rays, obscuring the mammogram and possibly interfering with the results. Ultimately, this means a woman could need a second mammogram. Do not use these products on the day of the scheduled mammogram.
• Check your calendar. “Most women’s breasts are naturally more tender or slightly swollen during the week prior to their menstrual period,” says Alicia Starr, M.D., medical director at Baylor’s Women’s Imaging Center. “Try to avoid scheduling your annual mammogram during this time.”
• Dress for comfort. Wear a two-piece outfit with a blouse or sweater on the day of the appointment. You’ll find it easier to slip off a blouse instead of removing a one-piece dress.
Mammography is a low-dose X-ray of the breast that is currently the most effective way of finding breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages. Any possible discomfort during a mammogram should not prevent women from scheduling this procedure. A female registered technologist takes the X-ray. These specialists are trained to position the breast and to set the machine to obtain the best possible image with the least possible discomfort. During the procedure, the woman’s breast is placed on a ledge and gently compressed in order to see all the tissue and any possible abnormalities.
Most doctors recommend a baseline mammogram between age 35 and 40 and yearly mammograms starting at age 40 (sometimes earlier if you have a family history of breast cancer). In addition to the annual mammogram, women should perform a monthly breast self-exam beginning at age 20, and a woman’s physician should perform a clinical breast exam at least every three years up to age 40 and yearly after age 40.
EXERCISE HELPS TEENS PREVENT FUTURE BREAST CANCER
By getting enough exercise as a teenager, starting as young as age 12, girls can help protect themselves from breast cancer when they are grown, according to a new study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Researchers tracked some 65,000 nurses ages 24 to 42 who enrolled in a major health study. The women answered questionnaires about their physical activity starting at age 12. Within six years of enrolling, 550 were diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause.
The women who were physically active as teens and young adults were 23 percent less likely to develop pre-menopausal breast cancer than were women who grew up without exercising regularly, the researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The biggest impact was regular exercise from ages 12 to 22.
We’re not talking about participating in extreme amounts of exercise. The women at lowest risk reported doing an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes of running or other vigorous activity per week during their teen years. Some chose walking over heavier exercise.