Why Every Woman Should Know How To Self-Examine Her Breasts

In the year 2020, over 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, with 685 000 reported deaths all around the world. Yet very rarely do we see women prioritise their health over their duties towards their loved ones. One of the practices that should be a part of every woman's routine is self breast examination, which can help us spot early signs of cancer and seek quick medical intervention- a decision that can affect the outcome drastically.

Gytree recently a workshop with SheThePeople recently held a Self Breast Examination Workshop in order to raise awareness and educate the women on the proper techniques and importance of the practice, dispensed by an expert. The workshop was conducted by Obstetrician & Gynecologist Dr Sudeshna Ray, who has more than two decades of experience in women's health and maternity-related issues.

Dr Ray not only gave detailed instructions on how to carry out a self-examination but also shared what changes in size, shape or texture of breasts, nipples and the surrounding area should women look out for. She also broke many myths that are commonplace regarding breast cancer, which keep women from taking the health issue seriously.

Speaking on how the use of 3D props and introduction to the basic anatomy of breasts made it easier for attendees to understand self-examination, Divya Inani said, “I joined the workshop for my mother. The use of props gave a visual in 3-D which really eased the process of understanding it. All and all the workshop was really informative and useful.”

Self examination of breast should be a routine process.

One of the reasons why most women stall self-examination of breasts is that it seems to be a tedious process. However, as Prerona Ghosh, another attendee at the workshop organised by Gytree, pointed out, “I was able to self-examine myself after the workshop and that was so easy. The way the entire procedure was explained was so simple and effortless.” Dr Ray's method barely needed 15 minutes and needed not equipment, which gives women a lot of flexibility to perform the self-examination based on their convenience.

Workshop on Self Breast Examination Workshop by Gytree was appreciated for being:

• Simplifying the process of self-examination
• Offering step by step guideline to perform the examination without needing any extra tools
• Offering a clear and detailed break up of signs and changes that women need to watch out for during self-examination
• Breaking myths about breast cancer
• Post workshop Q&A session which gave participants a chance to voice their questions and concerns

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao, who also attended the workshop to learn the breast self-exam revealed how the workshop broke the myth that breast cancer only occurs in older women and encouraged women to start the process of self-examination in their 20s. "The workshop gave useful tips on how we can schedule these examinations for ourselves every month. This will help women ensure that they are doing the self examination regularly.”

Vanshika, one of the attendees of the workshop said, “There should be more workshops like this which talk about our women’s health and body. I learned quite a lot about my breasts today and how I myself can examine them on a regular basis.” Dr Ray, too underscored the importance of talking about topics like breast cancer as it helps us beat the taboo around them.

"Very good points were shared by Dr Sudeshna and I appreciated her patience while she was answering all the questions we had,” said Aparna Jain, one of the participants of the workshop. She further added “This kind of platform is much needed for every woman out there.”

Gytree is a growing community of women focussed on holistic health from the founders of SheThePeople. You can follow Gytree here.

Suggested Reading: I Am A 30-year-old Who Beat Breast Cancer, Read My Story