Pink October

Dr. Louis Jeffry is a gynecologist. According to him, the main problem in cancer screening is that "patients don't take enough ownership of their breasts. "This is sometimes linked to traumas created during puberty," he explains. Family or societal injunctions can transform this "sign of femininity" into a "fragility". Some women don't dare touch themselves.

And yet, "self-palpation is fundamental", continues Dr. Jeffry. It should be performed once a month, preferably after menstruation. The gynecologist reminds us of the simple gestures involved. "Start under the arm and slide down to the nipple, either upwards or downwards, in any order. "One often-forgotten spot is particularly important: the hollow of the armpit, which you should touch until you can feel the rib. "You don't necessarily do an autopalpation to discover cancer, but to notice if there's a sensation you're not used to feeling. "
Palpation by a doctor - general practitioner or gynecologist, for example - should be carried out once a year from the age of 25. Dr. Jeffry also stresses an important point. "People sometimes think that a mammogram clears them of the need for self-examination or palpation. But this is not true. Mammography doesn't show everything. "Pain, for example, or discharge from the nipple, are signs that are not visible during mammography, but are just as important, and need to be reported.