Who should have a regular screening mammogram? The biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer are being a woman and getting older. BreastScreen Australia targets women aged 50 to 74, as 75% of all breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50.
BreastScreen NSW invites you to have your first screening mammogram at the age of 50. After this, we recommend you have one screening mammogram every two years until the age of 74.
Women aged between 50 and 74 years are invited to have a free breast screen (also called a mammogram) every 2 years. You can still have a free mammogram if you're aged between 40 and 49 years, or 75 years and over – you just won't receive an invitation in the mail. Find out more about whether you're eligible.
Precocious puberty, or puberty that begins too early, can cause breast buds to appear in very young girls. A breast bud is a lump that develops under the nipple in the first stage of breast growth. The lump may be tender and sore, but it is completely normal in girls undergoing puberty.
What does a breast lump feel like? Breast tissue in and of itself can feel somewhat lumpy and sponge-like, so it can be hard to know if what you're feeling is an actual lump or just normal breast tissue. "A breast lump will feel like a distinct mass that's noticeably more solid than the rest of your breast tissue.
Normal breast tissue can sometimes feel lumpy, but at times, you may feel a firm bump, nodule or firm or hard feeling in your breast that seems a little different. Breast lumps often have an irregular shape and can be around the size of a pea, or larger.
Thickening or swelling of part of the breast. Irritation or dimpling of breast skin. Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast. Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Breast buds are normal, small disc-shaped rubbery lumps felt under the nipple. Age: they normally occur in 8 to 12 year old girls. They are the first sign of puberty.
Breast buds are small disc-shaped rubbery lumps felt under the nipple. They are always normal. Nothing else looks like them. Breast buds have no risk of turning into cancer.
The breast bud may be a little tender. But don't worry — it's a normal part of puberty. It is also common to have sore breasts around the beginning of a girl's period, or menstruation. During her menstrual cycle, a girl's body produces lots of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone .
Mammography screening is freely available to women aged 50 to 74, every two years, under the BreastScreen Australia program. Women aged 40-49 and those aged over 74 can also be screened free of charge, but they will not receive invitation letters.
"Mammograms are generally not painful. The compression can cause a little discomfort, but I have not found a woman's breast size to play a role at all." However, there are other factors that could play a role. A woman's menstrual cycle can make her breasts more sensitive.
Place your hands at your sides and visually examine your breasts in the mirror, checking for anything which is not normal for your breasts – LOOK for changes in colour, size or shape, any dimpling of the skin or “pulling-in” of the nipple.
Talk to a GP if you notice any changes in your chest tissue or symptoms of breast cancer. If you think you should have breast screening, but you are not invited automatically, talk to your GP surgery or call the local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
Breast pain can be due to many possible causes. Most likely breast pain is from hormonal fluctuations from menstruation, pregnancy, puberty, menopause, and breastfeeding. Breast pain can also be associated with fibrocystic breast disease, but it is a very unusual symptom of breast cancer.
In general, screening mammograms are not recommended for women under 40 years old. However, for women with genetic mutations, screening can begin at 25, and in women with a family history of breast cancer, screening is often initiated 10 years earlier than the first affected relative in the family.
Breast Development
It is not unusual for breast growth to start on one side before the other. It's also common for breast buds to be somewhat tender or sore. Uneven breast growth and soreness are both totally normal and usually improve with time.
If you feel a lump in your breast, don't panic — breast cancer is extremely rare in teens. For teen girls, the most common type of breast lump is usually just part of normal breast growth. Lots of girls and women have something called fibrocystic breast changes.
“As soon as the breasts start growing breast buds, small (sometimes very tender) bumps below the nipples, is typically when girls start wearing training bras,” said Dr. Kronborg. “Normally, by the time a girl can fill a B cup is when she'll eventually require a standard bra.”
During puberty, boys' hormone levels vary. If the level of testosterone drops, oestrogen can cause breast tissue to grow. Many teenage boys have some degree of breast enlargement. Gynaecomastia at puberty usually clears up as boys get older and their hormone levels become more stable.
It can happen on just one side at first, and take the other side about 6 months to catch up (6). Breast buds usually grow about 2–2.5 years before your period starts, but if you notice your breast buds at an earlier age (when you're 8 or 9), it may take closer to three years for your period to start.
Breast buds are small lumps the size of a blueberry or marble that "erupt" directly beneath a young girl's areola and nipple. Most girls experience breast budding somewhere around 10-12 years of age although it may happen a bit sooner or even later. It is one of the early signs of puberty and estrogen effects.
Typically, a lump has to be about one centimeter (about the size of a large lima bean) before a person can feel it; however, it depends on where the lump arises in the breast, how big the breast is, and how deep the lesion is. Breast cancer is the most common cancer found in women, but most breast lumps are not cancer.
If you feel a lump in your breast, try not to panic or worry. Most lumps aren't breast cancer; most of them are something less serious like a benign cyst or growth called a fibroadenoma, especially in women under 40.