Get in TOUCH with YOURSELF...

     Good evening, FAM…   As many of you know, this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  No it is not a month of celebration, but it should be a time of information.  I know there are many of you out there who may be thinking, “this can’t happen to me” or are walking around assuming, “it won’t happen to me”.  Well, that may be the case, but whatever your thought is on this subject, having an AWARENESS of this issue is not a bad thing.

     You need to know the RISKS that may increase your chances of getting breast cancer and be AWARE that even if you do not have any of the risks factors, you can still develop the disease.

•  Age…  The older you get, the greater the risk.  According to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, your chances of getting breast cancer are about 1 in 2152 at the age of 20, but your chances are 1 in 36 at the age of 50.
•  History…  Do you have a mother, sister, or daughter who had breast cancer?
•  Weight…  Being overweight after menopause or gaining weight as an adult
•  Child bearing…  If you have never had children or if you have your first child after age 30
•  Genes…  Have an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breasts cancer genes.  In normal cells, these genes help to prevent cancer by making proteins that keep the cells from growing abnormally.  With the mutated gene from a parent, you have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
•  Gender…  Being a womaa is the main risk factor, but men can get breast cancer too.  How?  Men also have female hormones floating around in their bodies.
•  Hormones…  recent or current use of combined estrogen and progesterone hormone replacent therapy
•  Race…  According to the American Cancer Society(ACS), white women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than African-american women, but African-american women are more likely to die of this cancer.
•  Menstrual cycles…  If you had your first menstrual cycle before the age of 12 and/or went through menopause after age 55.
•  Birth control…  Women who use oral contraceptives have a slightly higher risk, but that risk goes back to normal once the birth control pills are stopped. 
•  Alcohol…  According to the ACS, women who have 1 alcoholic drink a day have a slight risk.  Women who have 2 to 5 drinks a day have 1-1/2 times the risk of women who do not drink
•  Exercise…  There is mounting evidence that exercise reduces the breast cancer risk.  How much?  Who knows?  But the Women’s Health Initiative states that as little as 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking reduced a woman’s risk by 18%

   Now that is a laundry list of risks, but if there are any that you can eliminate or adjust, you should think about trying to do so.  
    
    Ladies, we need to do the breast self-exam.  Typically, it should be done once a month.  Once you continue to do it, you will learn how your breasts look and feel.  Only then can you report changes to your doctor.  The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that 40% of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.  I started doing my self-exams as a young teenager after over-hearing a conversation my mother was having with grandmother about cysts that they and my cousin each had found in their breasts.  I am thankful that I did self-exams because as a freshman in college, I found a lump.  I followed up with my doctor and during my Thanksgiving break that year, I had outpatient surgery and had several benign cysts removed.  

     Get screened Ladies.  Found early and treated appropriately, the five year survival rate is 98%.  You should have a MAMMOGRAM every year starting at age 40.  Because of my risk factors, I started having mine much earlier in life.  If you are younger than 40, you should be having a CLINICAL BREAST EXAM by your doctor so they can check for lumps or changes in your breasts.   This should happen starting at age 20 and at least every 3 years until the age of 40, when it should then happen once a year.

     Look for additional information at www.komen.org and www.cancer.org.   Remember, being a woman is the number one risk factor for breast cancer.  Get in touch with yourselves, Ladies.  Start with the monthly self-exams and get to know what is normal for you. SMOOCHES...