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Almost 15 percent of women are at risk of developing some form of breast cancer over the course of their lives. Early detection is the best and only way to catch cancer early so that you can still live a relatively normal life. Therefore, you should conduct a monthly breast exam as part of your well woman health care plan in addition to your mammograms and yearly gynecological exam.

 Here are the basic steps to perform in a breast self-exam:

 1.  Examine yourself in front of a mirror without your shirt or bra on. Check for any possible changes in the appearance of your skin, shape or texture. This could be in the form of dimpling or puckering.

 2.  Your nipples should be inspected to ensure that there are no changes in the texture or shape of the skin. You will want to squeeze each one to ensure there is no abnormal discharge.

 3.  Repeat the first two steps in three additional positions – with your arms at your side, raised over your head and also on your hips.

 4.  Taking your time, raise one arm and systematically examine the opposite breast (left arm, right breast, etc.) using the pads of your first two fingers. With slight pressure, massage in small circles every inch of your breast feeling for anything abnormal like a bump, lump, thick or fibrous area or even dimpling.

 5.  Massage under your arm and around the outside of your breast with your fingertips to check for abnormalities.

 6. Repeat the systematic examination with the opposite arm and breast.

 7.  Finally, lay down, placing a pillow under one shoulder, raising that same arm over your head. With the opposite hand, repeat the massage technique to check for lumps and bumps. This gives you a different angle and slightly different search field.

 8. Repeat the lie down examination for the opposite side.

 When it comes to the breast self-exam, you may use a light lotion to allow your fingers to glide more smoothly around the breast. In addition, choose a particular day of the month in which you do it so that it becomes a long standing habit. Just a note of caution – do not conduct the exam during your period. Instead, wait a few days until after your period when your hormones have had a chance to level out.

Early detection is the key to the successful treatment of breast cancer. For more information check out the whole package at

www.highvibeproducts.com/women/womens-health

Menopause is official when you have gone over a year without having any type of menstruation. However, there is a period of time leading up to it – as long as 10 to 15 years – where your menstrual cycle becomes unpredictable and you could suffer from odd symptoms. This period of time is known as perimenopause.

The average age of women who experience menopause is the early 50’s so that means perimenopause could occur during most of your 40’s although some women do experience it even sooner. There are some signs of perimenopause that you could identify but keep in mind that it is still open to interpretation and could be attributable to other things!

1. Changes in your menstrual cycle – This is the most common denominator in perimenopause but it could also be misinterpreted. Fibroids, cysts, cancer, and a host of other factors can also cause changes, so get a gynecological exam to make sure you are otherwise healthy.
2. Body temperature fluctuations – Night sweats are common as well as hot flashes that typically last just a few seconds. As you creep closer to full-blown menopause, these episodes will last longer. Some women actually get cold sweats and are more prone to outer temperature changes during menopause.
3. Mood swings – Being overly sensitive, anxious, irritable or even depressed are signs of perimenopause that many women report feeling.
4. Vaginal Issues – Perimenopausal women will notice that their natural vaginal lubrication is greatly decreased due to the lower estrogen production. Lubrication products may have to be purchased if dryness is a major problem.
5. Sleep issues – Perimenopause causes hormone fluctuations, which can contribute to problems of trying to fall asleep or even staying asleep. The night sweats are part of the sleep problem as well.
6. Memory and concentration – Where once you could remember the most minute detail, now you have to write everything down. Feeling scattered is another issue of perimenopause. Concentration can be difficult. These issues are caused by the hormonal changes in the body. You can combat them by boosting your vitamin B intake.

Basically, perimenopause has symptoms that are quite similar to menopause, only to a lesser degree. The true sign of the switch from perimenopause to the real deal is the lack of a period for over a year, barring any other health issues.

While not every woman experiences symptoms during perimenopause, for other women symptoms can wreak havoc for ten years or even longer! For more information about this very real phenomenon, check out the whole package at

www.highvibeproducts.com/women/womens-health

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