Boobies Blog

 

 

Ok, so lately there's been a lot of hoopla about self-breast exams and the idea that women don't really need to do them -- well, actually that's not really what's being said -- but that's what many people are hearing.  Here at Boobies Central, we have been talking a lot about the "hoopla" and I decided to write my next Boobies Basics article about this topic specifically.  As it turns out, all of this "hoopla" is actually reinforcing what we've been saying all along -- it's not so much HOW you do it, but more importantly that you just FEEL YOUR BOOBIES!  I look forward to your comments on this one -- or questions if you have them. 

 

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Recently there has been a lot of press questioning the effectiveness of the breast self-exam (or BSE).   The stir began when the analysis of a rather large study was released and stated that the research showed there was no benefit to performing a BSE, and, in fact, that in some cases there was increased harm due to unnecessary biopsies on non-cancerous lumps.

Wow – are you kidding me?  When I read this, I initially saw red and thought – how can this be??  A BSE is what saved my life.  How can anyone say that we shouldn’t be doing them and why would we discourage proactive habits by so publicly proclaiming them ineffective. And then I took a deep breath, regained my composure, and poked around to understand this a bit more. 

As it turns out, the study wasn’t actually saying that BSE’s were ineffective – it was saying that BSE’s, the formal procedure known as a “breast self-exam”, is no more effective than basic breast awareness.  It reflected that those women who were simply “feeling their boobies” were just as likely to find a lump as women who were doing formal BSE’s.  It also mentioned the idea that many women who find their own lump say that they found it through BSE’s when actually many of them were really just “feeling their boobies.”

And so, my heart rate decreased, my face regained its natural coloring and my mind became peaceful again.  After all, my personal experience actually parallels that of the findings publicized from this study.  I was not doing a BSE when I found my lump, though, for lack of a better term, I might have labeled it as such initially.  In reality, I was simply showering and getting dressed, and, through the course of my daily routine, noticed a change because I knew what was normal for me.  I was “feeling my boobies”, which is the whole reason Feel Your Boobies ® (FYB) began.  My goal was to repackage the idea of BSE’s using language that makes it feel less like a formal process and more like something you already do.

For those who read this recent press, please don’t confuse the research findings for promoting passivity because that’s far from what was said.  The point was whether you breast self-exam (BSE) or “feel your boobies” (FYB), you’re just as likely to find a lump.  So, while some of you gals may continue to BSE and others, like me, may prefer FYB, the important thing is that you do it.  Are you doing it?