Samudram has been a little worried for the past few days. She was talking to a neighbour and has found out that a common friend of theirs is in hospital undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Samudram is 52. Is there anything she can do to make sure that she does not have the disease?

One of the most important steps women can take to detect breast cancer early, is to perform breast self-exam every month. A breast self-exam is done to detect changes that could lead to breast cancer. By doing routine breast self-exams, routine mammograms and checkups with a physician, breast problems can be detected early, when they are most likely to be treated successfully. Insist on a breast examination whenever you see your gynaecologist, especially if you are 40 years or older.

Breast self-exams- how important?

A breast self-exam is an important part of taking charge of your own health. Since you will be seeing your doctor only once in 6 months or a year, it is important to check your breasts every month. Unfortunately, women keep forgetting or missing out on this very simple way of early detection of breast cancer.

There are two excuses women give to avoid doing a breast self-exam. The commonest excuse given is, “I am sure I won’t be able to find out if anything is wrong.” By doing a monthly breast self-exam, a woman learns how her breasts feel. So when there is any change in the feel of the breast tissue, the difference can be recognized early. Ironically, the second reason that makes women hesitate is the fear of actually finding something! Remember, if there is a growth or lump, it is better to find it early instead of discovering it when it is too large.

All women should do the exam once a month. It is important to remember that this includes women who are pregnant, are breastfeeding, have gone through menopause and even women who have breast implants.