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About The Breast
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About The Breast
Breasts, also known as mammary glands are composed of ducts, glands, ligaments, fibrous and fatty tissue. In the center of the human female breast is the protruding nipple, surrounded by a pigmented circular area that is called the areola.
Woman's breast size and shape vary widely, depending on her age and whether she is pregnant or going through a menstrual cycle. Breast development begins in girls about 10 to 12 years old, when the ovaries start to produce the hormone estrogen. Completion of breast development, which occurs around 16 to 18 years old, requires the interaction of other hormones such as progesterone, prolactin, and corticosteroids.
Breasts are naturally lumpy, but any area of the breast that becomes more prominent than the surrounding tissue or feels unusually firm requires the attention of a physician.
Breast lumps are a common problem in women and may range from a cyst, a fluid-filled structure that does not pose a cancer risk, to breast cancer, the most common type of cancer in women other than skin cancer.
Often one of the first diagnostic tests performed to evaluate a lump, after a mammogram is an ultrasound. It is able to distinguish a cyst from a solid mass, a possible indication of cancer that requires further investigation.
Mammograms are currently the best tool available for early detection of breast cancer.
As a preventive measure, regular monthly breast self-examinations in which a woman uses her fingers to feel for changes in breast shape and fluid discharge from the nipple are encouraged. This is only one part of an important breast health wellness plan all women should be encouraged to implement.
The three components of this breast health plan are –
- Monthly BSE from age 20
- Clinical breast examination, performed by your doctor and/or gynecologist annually from 40 years of age, or earlier if you have a family history of breast or other risk factors that would indicate this is required
- Mammogram from 40 years of age