Breast Health

At Beaumont WELLness for Women, Erica Cheshire, ANP-BC and Jennifer Sigler, WHNP-BC, PMHNP-BC assist in helping women with their breast health. To learn more about the most recent breast health recommendations call the office in Beaumont, Texas, or book an appointment online today.

What affects my breast health?

Your Beaumont WELLness for Women provider is always available to perform risk assessments for breast cancer and offer guidance, testing, and imaging when needed. Maintaining breast health is dependent on you:

• Know your risk factors
• Perform monthly breast self-exams
• Recognize symptoms of breast cancer
• Schedule mammograms as recommended
• Schedule annual well-woman exams

The information that follows provides more details about the proactive steps you can take to protect your breast health.

What risk factors affect breast health?

Your Beaumont WELLness for Women provider performs risk assessments and can determine if you have an average or high risk for breast cancer. Knowing your risk is important because it determines how often you should have a breast exam and/or mammogram.

The following factors increase your risk of developing breast cancer:

• Being over the age of 50
• Having a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer
• Having a personal history of chest radiation
• Having a mother, sister, or daughter with a history of breast cancer
• Having multiple family members with breast or ovarian cancer
• Having a first pregnancy after 35 or never being pregnant
• Starting menstruation early and menopause late
• Having a genetic predisposition (BRCA gene mutations)
• Certain lifestyle factors

How can I promote breast health with self-exams?

Examining your breasts every month helps you find the earliest signs of a lump and detect other physical changes that signal breast cancer. If you find problems, it’s essential to follow up and schedule a breast exam at Beaumont WELLness for Women.

Here’s how to do a breast self-exam:

Step 1

Stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your hips and look for any changes that are symptoms of breast cancer. You should not see changes in their size or shape, swelling, or skin that’s flaking, dimpling, puckering, or bulging.

Your nipples should not look red, swollen, or go inward instead of sticking out. You also shouldn’t see a discharge from the nipples. 

Step 2

Raise your arms and look for the same changes as in step 1.

Step 3

The next step is a self-exam for lumps. Lie down, put your left hand behind your head, and use your right hand to examine your left breast.

Using a gentle yet firm touch, keep your fingers flat and together and move your fingers around your breast in a circular motion, covering the entire breast. You can go from top to bottom and left to right, or begin at the nipple and move out in circles.

Then reverse your hands and repeat the process for your right breast.

Step 4

For the last step, do the self-exam while standing up. For many women, this is easiest to do in the shower.

How often do I need mammograms to promote breast health?

Mammograms are the gold standard for detecting breast cancer. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray that finds changes often before you have physical symptoms, allowing you to get early treatment that increases the success of curing the disease. Mammogram scheduling should be discussed with your provider for the appropriate age of onset and frequency.

If you have any questions about your breast health or need to schedule an appointment, call Beaumont WELLness for Women or book online today.