8 Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Cancer: Early Detection and Prevention

At The South Bend Clin­ic, we know that breast can­cer can bring up a lot of ques­tions, espe­cial­ly when it comes to screen­ing and under­stand­ing your risk. To help clear things up, we’ve gath­ered answers to some of the most com­mon concerns. 

1. When should I start get­ting mammograms? 

For most women, annu­al mam­mo­grams are rec­om­mend­ed start­ing at age 40. If you have a fam­i­ly his­to­ry of breast can­cer or oth­er risk fac­tors, your doc­tor may sug­gest begin­ning earlier. 

2. How often should I do a self-breast exam? 

Women of all ages are encour­aged to do self-breast exams once a month. If you’re still men­stru­at­ing, it’s best to do the exam a few days after your peri­od ends. For post-menopausal women, pick a con­sis­tent day each month, like the 1st or 15th, to check in. 

While mam­mo­grams can catch can­cer before a lump is notice­able, self-breast exams help you get famil­iar with how your breasts usu­al­ly look and feel, so you can spot any changes early. 

3. How do you per­form a self-breast exam? 

Self-breast exams let you stay in tune with your body and notice any changes more quick­ly, even though mam­mo­grams are designed to detect can­cer before you can feel it. Here are a few tips on how you can per­form a self-breast exam: 

In the Show­er:

Using flat fin­gers, gen­tly move them across your entire breast area, from your col­lar­bone to your abdomen and from your armpit to your cleav­age. Feel for any unusu­al lumps, thick spots, or areas that feel dif­fer­ent than usual. 

In Front of a Mir­ror:

Stand tall with your arms at your sides and check for any changes in the size, shape, or skin tex­ture of your breasts, like dim­pling or red­ness. Then, raise your arms and take anoth­er look. It’s also a good idea to gen­tly squeeze each nip­ple to check for any dis­charge, whether clear, milky, or bloody. 

Lying Down:

When you lie down, your breast tis­sue spreads out even­ly, mak­ing it eas­i­er to feel for any changes. Place a pil­low under your right shoul­der and rest your right arm behind your head. With your left hand, use small cir­cu­lar motions to gen­tly feel your entire breast, apply­ing dif­fer­ent pres­sure to check both the sur­face and deep­er tis­sue. Then, switch sides and repeat for your left breast. 

4. What are the biggest risk fac­tors for devel­op­ing breast cancer? 

Com­mon risk fac­tors include: 

  • Age: The risk of breast can­cer goes up as you get older. 
  • Fam­i­ly His­to­ry: Hav­ing close rel­a­tives with breast can­cer increas­es your risk. 
  • Genet­ic Muta­tions: Inher­it­ed muta­tions, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, can sig­nif­i­cant­ly raise your chances of devel­op­ing breast cancer. 
  • Hor­mon­al Fac­tors: Long-term expo­sure to estro­gen, such as start­ing your peri­od ear­ly or going through menopause late, can increase your risk. Keep in mind, full-term preg­nan­cies and lac­ta­tion are asso­ci­at­ed with reduced risk. 
  • Lifestyle Choic­es: Smok­ing, drink­ing heav­i­ly, and not get­ting enough exer­cise also con­tribute to a high­er risk. 

5. Does hav­ing a fam­i­ly his­to­ry of breast can­cer mean I’m def­i­nite­ly going to get it? 

No, it doesn’t guar­an­tee you’ll get breast can­cer, but it does increase your risk. Genet­ic test­ing can help show if you car­ry muta­tions, like the BRCA gene, that could raise your risk even more. 

6. Can I low­er my risk of breast cancer? 

While you can’t con­trol cer­tain risk fac­tors like age or genet­ics, there are things you can do to low­er your risk. You can reduce your chances by: 

  • Main­tain­ing a healthy weight 
  • Exer­cis­ing regularly 
  • Lim­it­ing alco­hol consumption 
  • Quit­ting smoking 
  • Eat­ing a nutri­ent-rich diet 

7. Are mam­mo­grams safe, and how often should I get them? 

Mam­mo­grams use low-dose X‑rays and are safe for reg­u­lar screen­ings. For women aged 40 and up, it’s usu­al­ly rec­om­mend­ed to get a mam­mo­gram every year. Keep in mind that your doc­tor may adjust this based on your indi­vid­ual risk factors. 

8. What should I do if my mam­mo­gram shows abnor­mal results? 

An abnor­mal mam­mo­gram doesn’t auto­mat­i­cal­ly mean can­cer! Some­times, it just means that fur­ther imag­ing or a biop­sy is need­ed for a clos­er look. Stay pos­i­tive, and don’t hes­i­tate to reach out to your doc­tor to dis­cuss the next steps. 

By stay­ing informed and proac­tive, you can take impor­tant steps toward pro­tect­ing your health. Sched­ule your annu­al mam­mo­gram appoint­ment today. The South Bend Clin­ic is here to guide you every step of the way. 

Health Topics:

  • It has been a privilege to care for the women of Michiana for more than 20 years. The field of OB/GYN offers opportunities to help women in reproductive development, pregnancy and childbirth, and in the many hormonal transitions that occur during a woman’s life. Each generation offers unique medical and hormonal challenges during treatment of medical conditions as well as during the journey to wellness and general health. I truly cherish the personal, private, and special relationships developed over these years and continue to enjoy helping women improve their health, treat medical conditions, and achieve wellness and happiness. This involves treating traditional medical disorders as well as caring for the mind and spirit. I truly value each woman’s perspective and input into their concerns, as well as their choices in treatment strategies.