NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- In observance of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, MyMonthlyCycles(tm) (www.MyMonthlyCycles.com) has launched a breast health awareness campaign to showcase the site's free interactive breast health management tools. These include such distinctive features as sending date-specific reminders to a woman based on the optimal time to perform her monthly breast self exam (or BSE) and reminding her to schedule an annual mammogram.
MyMonthlyCycles is a unique online resource that enables a woman to track all aspects of her monthly cycle, from her menstrual periods and menstrual cycle lengths, to her annual gynecological exam, to fertility cycle details. Users can also monitor over three dozen menstrual cycle and PMS symptoms -- cramps, mood changes, anxiety, fatigue, headaches, weight gain, and more.
Approximately one in eight women will get breast cancer at some point in their lives. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in women. According to the American Cancer Society, finding breast cancer as early as possible improves the likelihood that treatment will be successful. Most doctors feel that early detection tests to screen for breast cancer, including monthly breast self exams and annual mammograms, save many thousands of lives each year.
The screenings are most effective when timed according to a woman's menstrual cycle. "The optimal timing for a pre-menopausal woman to perform a breast self exam is the week after her period finishes, approximately mid-cycle," explains ob/gyn Wendy Fried, M.D., FACOG, FACS, of North Hills, N.Y. "If a woman checks right before her menstrual period, her breasts may be tender and lumpy, and the exam will be more limited."
To help a woman remember to conduct her exam at the appropriate time each month, MyMonthlyCycles offers date-specific BSE reminders. MyMonthlyCycles.com is the only site on which a user can schedule a reminder to be sent on a specified date of the month, or to be sent on a particular day of her menstrual cycle, for example five days after her period.
"I had always put off performing breast self exams, even though my aunt died from breast cancer, and I have had fibroids in the past," writes Carol, a MyMonthlyCycles.com user from Illinois. "I am much better at performing my BSE now that MyMonthlyCycles is a daily part of my life. Each time I see the line for BSE, I think of my aunt and know that I want to be around for my daughters for a long time. I now do my breast exam after every period, without fail, thanks to MyMonthlyCycles reminders."
Dr. Fried points out that with consistent, monthly breast self exams, a woman should learn the individual characteristics of her tissue. The goal is to get her to identify any changes. MyMonthlyCycles Breast Self Examination Tracking features help a woman track each personal screening and month-to-month differences. She can record the date of her breast self exam, the position (standing up, sitting down, or lying down), and any notes.
In addition, Dr. Fried advises, "The optimal timing of mammography for a menstruating woman is also mid-cycle." On top of the breast self exam reminders and tracking tools, MyMonthlyCycles can send a reminder to a woman to schedule a mammogram according to her menstrual cycle.
MyMonthlyCycles also offers a new feature, Calendar Markers, that allow a woman to add mammogram appointments and other scheduled medical visits to her menstrual cycle calendar.
Online since 2003, MyMonthlyCycles.com, owned and operated by bInfinity Web Inc., has grown into a leading provider of interactive tools and information to help women manage their health. For more information, visit www.MyMonthlyCycles.com. A complete article by Dr. Fried on breast cancer screening and detection can be found at www.MyMonthlyCycles.com/article.jsp?id=400.
In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, MyMonthlyCycles has made a donation to the American Cancer Society. For the latest cancer information and resources, log on to www.cancer.org or call (800) ACS-2345.