Overview
The month of October is celebrated as breast cancer awareness month globally. Breast cancer is a very common disease among women in all countries. Globally, 2.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and 685 000 will die from it.
However, nowadays detecting breast cancer is very easy and it can also be treated. Although, the main problem is the majority of the women hesitate to consult a doctor regarding breast cancer issues.
Preventive measures for breast cancer
There are certain healthy habits that you should follow to prevent the risk of breast cancer. The healthy habits are:
- Maintain a healthy diet – If you eat a healthy diet, this will decrease your risk of having breast cancer. For example, if you follow a well-balanced diet with extra-virgin olive oil and mixed with vegetables and protein sources, it will prevent breast cancer.
- Be physically active – Physical activity will help you to maintain a healthy weight, further preventing breast cancer. You should exercise for at least an hour every day a week. Moderate aerobic activity or strength training will help you to prevent the symptoms of breast cancer.
- Limit alcohol – The more alcohol you drink, the greater will be your risk of developing breast cancer. However, the doctors always advise limiting or stop drinking alcohol as small amounts may also increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
- Maintain a healthy weight – If you’re overweight, make sure you exercise regularly to reduce your weight. Besides, ask your doctor about healthy ways to accomplish the results. Reduce the number of calories you eat every day and slowly increase the time of exercise.
However, if you’re above 22 years of age, make sure you visit a doctor for your breast examination once every year. Consult your doctor and know more about how to examine your breast yourself 7 days after your menstrual cycle. This will help you to identify any abnormalities in your breast and you can further consult your doctor.
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What is mammography?
Ans: Mammography is usually essential if you’re between the age of 40 and 50 years. The doctors will advise you to do a mammography after every 2 years if you’re above 50 years of age. However, you have to make sure that you do digital mammography. Normal mammography may not be able to detect the lumps.
Therefore, mammography helps in detecting and treating small lumps which measure up to 0.5 to 0.8 centimeters.
When is a pap smear needed?
Ans: Nowadays doctors recommend that you should get regular Pap smears every three years starting from the age of 21 to 65. However, if you’re over 65 years of age and you have a history of normal Pap smear results, you may able to stop having the tests in the future.
Conclusion
Two years ago, a virus named Coronavirus spread all over the world. But, make sure you do not stop your breast cancer treatment for this virus. If you observe any abnormalities in your breast, make sure to immediately consult your doctor. Do not delay or postpone your treatment because this may lead your situation to a much worse case.