Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer. We're so glad you found the site. Thanks for your question.
Do you know why you are so worried about breast cancer? Do you have a friend or acquaintance who has been dealing with it?
The chances of you having breast cancer are like a bazillion to one. Seriously. It is very rare, and usually is in a family where there is already a history of breast cancer. So I don't think you have to worry.
It's good, though, that you learn what to look for, and that you are learning what your breasts feel like. That's smart for any teen girl to realize. But I want to tell you that you shouldn't be doing it every day. Why, you ask? Because you wouldn't notice any differences that way.
Here's an example. You know how you really notice when someone gets their long hair cut short? That's because there's a big change. But if they cut their hair just, like, 1/4 of an inch a day, you'd never notice it because you'd be so used to the tiny changes.
That's kind of like breast self-exams. You want to do a self-exam maybe once or twice a month at most. That's so you'll actually NOTICE a change if there is one.
And you should also know that there is not a link between getting hit in the breast and developing breast cancer there. However, it's not good to be hurt in one place so often. Can I ask why you are hit in the breast so often? Do you play sports? Or is there another reason?
Here is a very good article for you to read about teens and breast cancer:
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Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer. We're so glad you found the site. Thanks for your question.
Do you know why you are so worried about breast cancer? Do you have a friend or acquaintance who has been dealing with it?
The chances of you having breast cancer are like a bazillion to one. Seriously. It is very rare, and usually is in a family where there is already a history of breast cancer. So I don't think you have to worry.
It's good, though, that you learn what to look for, and that you are learning what your breasts feel like. That's smart for any teen girl to realize. But I want to tell you that you shouldn't be doing it every day. Why, you ask? Because you wouldn't notice any differences that way.
Here's an example. You know how you really notice when someone gets their long hair cut short? That's because there's a big change. But if they cut their hair just, like, 1/4 of an inch a day, you'd never notice it because you'd be so used to the tiny changes.
That's kind of like breast self-exams. You want to do a self-exam maybe once or twice a month at most. That's so you'll actually NOTICE a change if there is one.
And you should also know that there is not a link between getting hit in the breast and developing breast cancer there. However, it's not good to be hurt in one place so often. Can I ask why you are hit in the breast so often? Do you play sports? Or is there another reason?
Here is a very good article for you to read about teens and breast cancer:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/breastcancer/6/when-teens-worry-about-breast-cancer/
Has this helped a little bit?
July 3, 2009 - 2:17pmThis Comment
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