Breast examination for perimenopausal women

What are the breast examinations for perimenopausal women? The symptoms of perimenopause include: ovarian function decline and hypothalamic pituitary function degeneration, ovarian cessation of ovulation, decreased estrogen secretion, gradual increase in gonadotropin, and increased FSH. Breast changes are related to hormone levels. Breasts begin to shrink before menopause. After menopause, as time goes by, breasts gradually degenerate and alveoli and some ducts shrink.

Clinically, many postmenopausal women experience incomplete breast degeneration or even breast hyperplasia, so menopause does not mean complete breast atrophy or that they will say goodbye to breast diseases.

Breast examination recommendations for perimenopausal women

1) High-risk groups for breast cancer:

Patients who have had breast cancer or a history of benign breast tumors; those with a family history of breast cancer; women who are over 30 years old when they are pregnant for the first time; women who eat too much animal fat and are overweight after menopause; women who suffer from certain chronic breast diseases (such as atypical ductal epithelial hyperplasia, papillomatosis, etc.); women who have their first menstruation before the age of 12 or stop menstruating after the age of 55; women who use estrogen to control menopausal symptoms. Many women tend to gain weight during menopause and take estrogen-rich drugs or foods to relieve menopausal discomfort, which will increase the risk of breast cancer.

2) Self-examination:

First of all, self-examination of breasts is not a simple pinching and grasping of breasts. This kind of examination often makes people feel that there are many nodules of different sizes in the breast, and sometimes there is a feeling of soreness or pain. You can put your palm flat on the breast and gently press in one direction, covering the entire breast and armpit, and pay attention to whether there are obvious lumps, nipple changes, skin changes, etc. Secondly, if you find breast lumps or inverted nipples, you cannot let it go just because you feel no pain or itching, or take medicine at will. You should go to a specialist for a physical examination in time. It is recommended to self-examine the breasts once a month and go to a hospital or a special physical examination institution for a clinical physical examination every 4 to 6 months.

3) Auxiliary examination:

B-ultrasound is the most commonly used and convenient examination method. It is painless, non-invasive and can be repeated in a short period of time. It can detect diseases such as breast lobular hyperplasia, breast lumps, breast inflammation or abscesses; Mammography: It is commonly known as breast molybdenum target photography or breast film. In addition to detecting lumps and nodules, it can also detect calcification. X-ray examination and B-ultrasound examination complement each other. For women over 50 years old, bilateral mammogram is recommended once every 1 to 2 years. For women with high risk factors for breast cancer, it is recommended to have an examination once a year starting at the age of 40; MRI is used for soft tissue examination. The tissue has a higher resolution ability and can detect lumps that are difficult to identify with B-ultrasound and molybdenum target. It can also clarify the relationship between the mass and surrounding tissues and the condition of the lymph nodes; Ductoscopy: Nipple discharge from breast cancer mainly occurs in women over 50 years old with unilateral nipple bloody discharge. Ductoscopy can clearly observe the condition of the mammary duct wall and secretions to help with diagnosis; Breast mass biopsy is both a treatment method and a means of diagnosis. Fear of surgery should not lead to refusal of biopsy or hesitation and delay, which will lose the best time for treatment.