BSE should be performed once every month beginning in your 20’s. In my 20’s and 30’s, I found that I stuck to my BSE schedule and was less likely to forget, if I performed the exam one week after my menstrual cycle ended. This is a good time to do the exam for two reasons. First, picking a specific time of month made me less likely to forget. Second, BSE should not be painful. If you are like me, my breast tissue is much less tender and swollen one week after my menstrual cycle ends. Now that I am in my 40’s, and do not have a menstrual cycle, I paid attention to when my breasts were not tender or less tender. This helped me pick the time of month to do the exam each month. This can also help women who have had a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and no longer have a menstrual cycle. Notice your own pattern and perform the BSE when your breasts are less tender. If breast tenderness is not an issue for you, then BSE is best performed around the same date each month.

When I first started performing BSE, I reviewed my technique with my doctor to be sure that I was performing it correctly. You will be checking for changes in your breast tissue including lumps, thickening, nipple discharge, skin dimpling, change in color or texture, changes in nipple shape, a sore that does not heal.

I would love to hear from you if you perform BSE. Are you comfortable with performing it? Did you find any changes and how did your doctor help you sort it out? Did finding your lump save your life?

AGE 20+:
Monthly Breast Self Examination

AGE 20-39:
Monthly Breast Self Examination
Clinical Examination Every 3 Years

AGE 40 and Over:
Monthly Breast Self Examination
Clinical Examination Every Year
Mammogram Every Year

I love helping people and making a positive difference in people’s lives. The joy that I get from helping others was the driving force behind my decision to enter the medical field in 1985.

Today, I have a very unique perspective on breast health and breast cancer. My perspective is unique because not only am I a 15 year breast cancer survivor, but I am also a physician who performs and interprets comprehensive breast cancer screening examinations that diagnose breast disease and breast cancer.

I want to help people in any way I can. Breast health is so important for women and I want to do my part as a survivor and clinician. If anyone has questions about family medical history and how it impacts your risk, the importance of the self breast examination, how to perform the self breast examination, when to have a clinical breast examination done, what to do if your doctor finds a problem, mammography – when to start, how often should you have one, what type of mammogram is best, breast ultrasound, breast diseases (non-cancerous and cancerous), breast biopsies, what to do after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Or if you need advice, or just want to vent then I’m here for you.

Feel free to contact me anytime on Facebook or my Twitter page or via email. We really need to get the word out to young women; I was diagnosed at the age of 32. Starting self-breast exams early is the key. Many of us don’t know how to do a self-breast exam. I know the importance of a self-exam, that’s how I found my breast lump. Remember, early detection is the key. It can literally save lives!!

Also the use of CAD or computer aided detection can be used with digital mammography. CAD is a software program that helps the doctor focus on areas that the computer indicates abnormalities in the breast tissue. CAD is like having your mom with you all the time. Look out for this….look out for that. And as we all know, as much as we hate to admit it mom is usually right when it comes to spotting things we might have overlooked.

The recommended age for women to start receiving annual mammograms is the age of 40. Of course if a woman has a very strong history of breast cancer earlier screening may be recommended. At each yearly mammogram screening the radiologist reads the present films with prior films for comparison. Having that yearly mammogram screening allows the radiologist to see any changes within that one year time period. If a mammogram screening is performed in longer time increments, such as every other year, the ability for abnormalities to grow for longer periods is much greater.

The article, Annual Breast Screening More Effective than Biennial, explains that women with a family history of the disease who were offered annual mammogram screening were more likely to be diagnosed with a tumor of smaller size. On the other hand women with family history receiving mammogram screenings every other year are more likely to have a larger abnormal tumor. Abnormalities such as cancerous cells can grow very quickly.  The smaller an abnormality or a tumor the better it is for removal and survival. Like we all know, Early Detection is the Best Detection.

A yearly screening only takes minutes out of one day, once a year. Don’t you think that it is worth it to have a mammogram?