Midwifery Today Community

i've been married for 3 years and i dont have a baby yet, I'd like to chek up my mammae, caused my i've seen my neighbour died becuase of cancer. so..what kind of examination i should follow for getting the best result to prevent the worst. which itsn't have any effect for my reproductive organ. I'm sorry if my english is not good. thank you for the advice

regards,

Fitrah Dj

It's certainly scary to know someone who has had breast cancer.  I can understand your anxiety.

Here is a link on how to do a breast exam on yourself: http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/BreastSelfAwareness.html?ecid=vanityurl:28/  You will also find information on that site about breast cancer prevention and detection.

Most care providers recommend a mammogram every year after the age of 40.  Up until then, self examination of your breasts once a month, and examination of your breasts by a midwife or doctor once a year is what is recommended.  Unless you have a history of breast cancer in your family (your mother had breast cancer, for example) or if you have certain risk factors yourself, you can probably follow the usual protocols for mammography.  It's a good idea to talk to your midwife or doctor about your fears so that you can find out what is a good plan for you.

There are some people who don't believe mammography is the best tool to use to visualize the breasts.  Some people think ultrasound is better. 

Keeping yourself healthy and low risk would be a very good thing to do.  Having a good diet, getting exercise, not smoking ... these kinds of things will help keep you low risk for cancers of any type.  It's never too late to change habits.  When you do have a baby, breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers in the mother, including breast cancer.

Please feel free to post again!

 Another possibility to consider.....

http://www.breastthermography.com/

Above is a link about thermographic scanning of breast tissue.  My mother's doctor recommended it to her instead of mammography as it is less damaging and just as accurate.  Several other women I know have started using that method instead and also seem to prefer it.  The link above gives general info about the practice and locations for thermography centers. 

Fitrah,

I am sorry to read about your neighbour death of cancer. What an interesting question, because I had never heard of mammografi or whatever its called before. I highly recommend that you check out Our Bodies, Ourselves, The Boston Women's Health Book Collective, and their companion website/blog. I have found them really helpful. At the same time I recommend that you do additional learning and research besides the books and Web site. I hope my recommendations help you.

Good luck to you.

thank you for the information, i have check the link and it is really helpful for me, think i will make an appoinment to my doc soon, i guess i will choose the female caused it makes me uncomfort/shy to consul to the male doc. yeah..i'm still ordinary woman or konvensional? anyway..there is no history of breast cancer in my family, hopely my test will showing i'm free from that

regards,

fitrah dj

Most likely your doctor will not recomend mammography unless you are at risk for breast cancer.  However, it would be a good idea to discuss with her your anxiety so that both you and she can come up with a plan that works for you and makes you feel at ease.