“Woopz, I haven’t been examining my boobs!”

Hi girls (and also guys) out there!

Did you know that October is the breast cancer awareness month? Events and charities organized are dedicated to increasing awareness about this form of cancer and funds are raised annually to enable more research to be done!

woopzbikinis.com are also taking that step towards increasing breast cancer awareness in the society this October! Hence, they’ve created a project to encourage people out there to spread the word!

Having just recently heard about how Giuliana Rancic (Come on, you gotta know who she is..! TV host? Channel E!..?? ) came out in the open about her battle with early stage breast cancer, I realized that people need to be more aware about this disease and how it can be easily detected!

Giuliana never imagined that she would have breast cancer as she has no family history of the disease and she wasn’t in the above 50 age group. This goes to show that breast cancer can happen to anyone! So why take the risk? Read on to learn how to examine your breasts!

Figures show that approximately 35 out of 100,000 people in Malaysia are diagnosed with breast cancer yearly! Whereas 1.2 million cases are detected yearly worldwide! The reason why I mentioned ‘people’ and not ‘women’ is because breast cancer does not only occur in women, it can occur in men too! Although the incidence is not as high as in women.

In 2003, the National Cancer Registry recorded breast cancer as number 1 in the top 10 common cancers for females in Malaysia! Breast cancer accounts for 31% of all cancers in females! That is a shockingly high figure considering how breast cancer can be prevented or detected early with a simple Breast Self Examination (BSE)!

Some of the risk factors (situations that put you at a higher risk) of breast cancer are:

1. Family history of breast cancer

2. Age > 50 years old

3. Those who’ve had breast cancer in one breast

4. Obese women with sedentary lifestyle

5. Early menarche (first menstruation) and late menopause- long reproductive period

6. Smoking and alcohol consumption

7. High fat diet

Fret not because there are methods of prevention!

1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle (balanced diet, regular exercise, do not smoke or drink alcohol)

2. Screening for breast cancer

3. Do a Breast Self Examination (BSE)

4. Mammography

It’s sad to know that breast cancer has now become the leading cause of cancer deaths in females in Malaysia! But it’s even more devastating that many are not aware about the importance of the BSE!

 

So today I’d like to tell you readers out there more about the BSE!

So first off, what is a BSE?

It’s just a simple examination of your breasts that you can do on your own. It involves a few steps which you will be able to read further down this post.

When should I start carrying out the BSE?

It is advisable to start at the age of 20.

How often should I perform the BSE?

You can perform it regularly every month.

What are the advantages of carrying out the BSE?

It is cheap (more like free!!), convenient, easy to perform and painless! What more can you ask for for prevention and early detection!

 

To perk your interests, below are pictures of how to carry out a BSE with me giving out pointers and “Did-you-know-facts” in cute word bubbles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The “In Support of Women” club in my university even made a “Wear Pink Day” in support of breast cancer awareness!

My girlfriends and I all clad in pink!  

Pink dresses, pink cardigans, pink button ups, pink shirts, pink hair clips, you name it!

 

Even got the boyfriend to wear pink!

 

I hope you’ve found this post educational!  

Do use it for your benefit and the benefit of others.

Spread the word about breast cancer and the BSE. You could save a life through early detection. Remember, if breast cancer is detected earlier, the risks could be significantly reduced.

Lets support woopzbikinis.com  and prevent breast cancer together!

And if you need a little reminder…