The most effective way to fight breast cancer is to detect it early. Abreast self awareness and self-exam may help, although the most effective tools to detect breast cancer are mammography and clinical breast exam by your health professional. In fact, women who perform regular breast self-exams and learn what is normal find may find abnormalities earlier .

What Is a Breast Self-Exam and Why Should I Do It?

The breast self-exam is a way that you can check your breasts for changes (such as lumps or thickenings), it includes looking at and feeling your breast. Any unusual changes should be reported to your doctor. When breast cancer is detected in its early stages, your chances for surviving the disease are greatly improved. While 80% of all breast lumps are not cancerous, you can help catch potentially serious changes in the breast early by breast self-awareness and by regularly performing a self-exam.

When Should I Perform a Breast Self-Exam?

It is good to start performing breast self-exams in your 20's. If you chose to do breast self-exams, you should examine your breasts regularly , three to five days after your menstrual period ends. If you have stopped menstruating, perform the exam on the same day of each month, such as the first day of the month or a day easy for you to remember, such as your birth date. With each exam, you will become familiar with the contours and feel of your breasts, and will be more alert to changes.

How Do I Perform a Breast Self-Exam?

To perform a breast self-exam, follow the steps described below.

In the mirror:

1. Stand undressed from the waist up in front of a large mirror in a well-lit room. Look at your breasts. Don't be alarmed if they do not look equal in size or shape. Most women's breasts aren't. With your arms relaxed by your sides, look for any changes in size, shape, or position, or any changes to the skin of the breasts. Look for any skin puckering, dimpling, sores, or discoloration. Inspect your nipples and look for any sores, peeling, or change in the direction of the nipples.
2. Next, place your hands on your hips and press down firmly to tighten the chest muscles beneath your breasts. Turn from side to side so you can inspect the outer part of your breasts.
3. Then bend forward toward the mirror. Roll your shoulders and elbows forward to tighten your chest muscles. Your breasts will fall forward. Look for any changes in the shape or contour of your breasts.
4. Now, clasp your hands behind your head and press your hands forward. Again, turn from side to side to inspect your breasts' outer portions. Remember to inspect the border underneath your breasts. You may need to lift your breasts with your hand to see this area.
5. Check your nipples for discharge (fluid). Place your thumb and forefinger on the tissue surrounding the nipple and pull outward toward the end of the nipple. Look for any discharge. Repeat on your other breast.

   In the shower:

6. Now, it's time to feel for changes in the breast. It is helpful to have your hands slippery with soap and water. Check for any lumps or thickening in your underarm area. Place your left hand on your hip and reach with your right hand to feel in the left armpit. Repeat on the other side.
7. Check both sides for lumps or thickenings above and below your collarbone.
8. With hands soapy, raise one arm behind your head to spread out the breast tissue. Use the flat part of your fingers from the other hand to press gently into the breast. Follow an up-and-down pattern along the breast, moving from bra line to collarbone. Continue the pattern until you have covered the entire breast. Repeat on the other side.

   Lying down:

9. Next, lie down and place a small pillow or folded towel under your right shoulder. Put your right hand behind your head. Place your left hand on the upper portion of your right breast with fingers together and flat. Body lotion may help to make this part of the exam easier.
10. Think of your breast as a face on a clock. Start at 12 o'clock and move toward 1 o'clock in small circular motions. Continue around the entire circle until you reach 12 o'clock again. Keep your fingers flat and in constant contact with your breast. When the circle is complete, move in one inch toward the nipple and complete another circle around the clock. Continue in this pattern until you've felt the entire breast. Make sure to feel the upper outer areas that extend into your armpit.
11. Place your fingers flat and directly on top of your nipple. Feel beneath the nipple for any changes. Gently press your nipple inward. It should move easily.

12. Interestingly, cancerous tumors are more likely to be found in certain parts of the breast over others. If you divide the breast into 4 sections, the approximate percentage of breast cancers found in each area are (in clockwise pattern):

    • 41% upper, outer quadrant
    • 14% upper, inner quadrant
    • 5% lower, inner quadrant
    • 6% lower, outer quadrant
    • 34% in the area behind the nipple

    Almost half occur in the upper outer quadrant of the breast, towards the armpit. Some physicians refer to this region as the "tail" of the breast and encourage women to examine it closely.

    What Should I Do If I Find a Lump?

    See your health care provider if you discover any new breast changes, changes that persist after your menstrual cycle, or other changes that you are concerned about. Conditions that should be checked by a doctor include:

    • An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast.
    • A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle.
    • A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast.
    • A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea.
    • A marble-like area under the skin.
    • A change in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed).
    • Bloody or clear fluid discharge from the nipples.
    • Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple.

     

You've probably heard that calcium is important for bone health and treating -- or preventing -- osteoporosis. Happily, calcium seems to be everywhere these days. Not only is it naturally in dairy and other foods, but it now appears in many fortified products -- like oatmeal, cereal, protein bars, and orange juice. Calcium is also sold in countless supplements for bone health that line the aisles of your local drugstore.

And yet, it's not enough. "Most people still aren't getting enough calcium in their diets," says Shreyasee Amin, MD, a rheumatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Why? Part of the problem isn't just that we're not eating or taking enough calcium. For calcium to be absorbed and used, we need to have the right levels of other things, such as vitamin D. If we don't, the calcium we take in just doesn't do us much good. So some of us could be drinking milk by the bucket and yet still not get the calcium we need.

So here's what you need to know about calcium supplements for bone health.

Why Is Calcium Important for Bone Health?

Calcium is key in the building of new bone. And bone development occurs every day of your life. Just as you shed skin cells and grow new ones to replace them, your body naturally removes old bone and replaces it with new. 

The pace of losing and growing bone differs depending on your age. When you were young, you made much more bone than you lost, which is why your bones got bigger and stronger. But the problems start when this balance tips too far in the other direction, and you start losing bone much faster than you can grow it.

Gradual bone loss begins in adulthood and becomes more serious after age 50. In women, the hormonal changes of menopause -- and the drop in estrogen levels that occur with it -- can greatly worsen the imbalance. The bones naturally lose mass, becoming more brittle.

Because calcium isn't produced by your body, the amount you have depends on the foods you eat. Here's a chart showing how much calcium -- measured in milligrams (mg) -- that you need based on your age.

While 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day is sometimes considered the maximum, many osteoporosis experts think that higher levels are preferable.

"A lot of rheumatologists will go up to 1,500 milligrams a day of calcium in people who are either over 70 or who have a high risk of osteoporosis," says John Schousboe, MD, director of the Park Nicollet Clinic Osteoporosis Center in St. Louis Park, Minn.

However, more calcium isn't always better. Getting too much calcium -- 2,500 milligrams or above -- can increase your risk of some health problems, like kidney stones.