Mom's of girls

[Parrothead]

With Nakia's prayer request thread, I've become aware of the very slight chance of children getting breast cancer.

 

My dd is a worrier. To the point that I said something about 2012 in passing and she carried that with her for a couple years. My statement was to dh and jokingly said that we ought to go ahead and start stocking up on groceries for 12/21/2012.

 

If I tell her about breast cancer, and that she needs to do self checks... Well, I can only imagine the fear she will live with.

 

So when? What age do I burst the childhood bubble and tell her that she needs to self-check in the shower? She hasn't started any other aspects of puberty yet, if that makes a difference.

[Perry]

I wouldn't discuss it anytime soon. There isn't much evidence that self exams do any good.

As with any part of her body, she should know what looks and feels normal, and tell you about any changes.

 

If you want to teach her about breast exams, I wouldn't even approach it until late adolescence, especially if she's a worrier.

Breast Self-Exam Gets Thumbs Down in Systematic Review

 

 

 

COPENHAGEN, July 16 (MedPage Today) -- Breast self-examination does not reduce breast cancer mortality and may cause harm by prompting unnecessary biopsies, according to data on almost 400,000 women.

Women who performed self-examination had virtually identical breast cancer mortality rates as women who did not examine their breasts, Jan Peter Kosters, Ph.D., and Peter C. Gotzsche, Ph.D., of the Nordic Cochrane Center here, reported in a Cochrane Review.

What's more, women who did breast self-examination had almost twice as many negative breast biopsies as women who did not perform self-exams.

"At present, screening by breast self-examination or physical examination [by trained healthcare personnel] cannot be recommended," the authors said.

The results updated and confirmed those from a 2003 review that reached similar conclusions.

 

...

 

"We are advising that women should be aware of what is normal for how their breasts looked and felt, and to promptly report any changes to their healthcare provider," said Dr. Saslow. "Women who want to, should keep doing breast self-exams, and women who don't want to, don't need to."

 

[Rosie_0801]

Unless you are going to explore prevention techniques like veganism for validity and implementations, I see no reason to mention it before she has any and not for quite a while after.

 

Rosie

[Peela]

I have seen medical studies contrary to that quoted above, that state the breast self examination is likely to be as accurate as mammograms before menopause (without the added risk that mammograms have of causing breast cancer due to radiation). I wouldn't stop them from one or two medical studies. Since I dont intend to get mammograms, I will continue my self examinations- but hey, they are not really that big a deal.

Sometimes I wonder if many of these studies just cater to the lowest common demonination of the population. Honestly, a reasonably well educated woman is quite capable of checking every now and then for breast changes, not being too paranoid, and if there is an unusual, new lump or puckering etc, going and getting it checked out, especially if it doesnt disappear in one cycle. I feel the medical profession treats people like idiots. Sorry. And why does it take studies to convince us against noticing a lump and getting it checked out might make us live longer than NOT ever checking and even if we do have a lump, not getting it checked out? Where is the common sense in all this? Some women are really out of touch with their own breasts. It's good to squeeze them every now and then, honestly, to see what they feel like! Might save a few lives!

 

 

However...I have a 16yo dd and I might consider mentioning it sometime in the next year or 2.

To be honest I think she would naturally come to me if she saw anything unusual anyway, even if it was fairly minor. We all discuss health issues regularly. She is in touch with her own body pretty well.

That case of the 13yo is very sad though. Poor kid.

[Closeacademy]

I don't know about when to start having your dd do self-exams but I did want to chime in and say:

 

I got lectured during my diagnostic-mammogram because I listened to all that advice that it wasn't important and frankly, I didn't know what was normal for me. The monthly exams are more about finding out what is normal for your body and knowing when something changed or becomes different. That way you can get things checked out.

 

So it is important to do those exams so that when you do have problems you can tell the nurse or Dr. that "hey, this area feels different now."

 

:001_smile:

[Parrothead]

I wouldn't discuss it anytime soon. There isn't much evidence that self exams do any good.

 

Wow! That goes against everything I've ever been taught. Until you posted that I had no idea there were advocates for not doing self exams.

 

Unless you are going to explore prevention techniques like veganism for validity and implementations, I see no reason to mention it before she has any and not for quite a while after.

 

Rosie

There's enough to check.

 

However...I have a 16yo dd and I might consider mentioning it sometime in the next year or 2.

To be honest I think she would naturally come to me if she saw anything unusual anyway, even if it was fairly minor. We all discuss health issues regularly.

This is one thing that I don't think has ever been brought up. We don't watch regular TV so we don't see commercials and what have you. Food magazines are pretty much what come into the house.

 

I suppose I ought to start talking about things in general terms. She does know about puberty and what to expect with the rest of it.

 

It is always something, isn't it?

 

So it is important to do those exams so that when you do have problems you can tell the nurse or Dr. that "hey, this area feels different now."

 

:001_smile:

This is why I think maybe a general idea may need to be approached. I think I'm going to go with a "know your body" approach. This is all new territory for me. My mom did not bring these sorts of things up.

[Perry]

Wow! That goes against everything I've ever been taught. Until you posted that I had no idea there were advocates for not doing self exams.

 

You will hear different things from different policy groups. Here are the current recommendation from the US Preventive Task Force. The ACOG (American Congress of OB-Gyn) still recommends them but is currently reviewing their recommendations, last I heard.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2010 by Perry

[Perry]

It's nothing to do with thinking people are idiots. The research asked the question "Do breast self exams save lives?" and the answer was no. In addition, SBE resulted in unnecessary imaging and biopsies. The natural conclusion would be not to recommend SBE.

 

The idea is that abnormal lumps are going to be noticed one way or the other- through routine body care, showering, sexual activity, etc. Monthly SBE finds far too many that are normal.

[Mejane]

I think I'm going to go with a "know your body" approach.

 

I think this is wise for all of us at any age.

 

I found a lump as a teen and was quite terrified (my mom, too.) It turned out to be a cyst, and I have had cystic breasts all my life. I could be wrong, but I just don't worry about them anymore.

[Parrothead]

It wasn't even on my radar until yesterday. I'd thought the earliest was mid-teen. I figured by then it would be something already discussed.

 

I still haven't been able to work it into the conversation. "Oh, by the way. If you feel that any part of your body feels weird or different...":001_huh:

[littlebug42]

I remember being taught sometime in high school. I remember all the girls going to the school library for a presentation and they passed around a fake breast that we had to practice on. It was horrifying. :)