Cup, bounce, knead, squish, squash, squeeze, poke, push, press…touch.

Instagram posts from Coppafeel! randomly started showing up in my feed recently and I’m all for it—and you should be too.

Breast health is for all of us; all genders and all ages and Coppafeel! is a refreshing and inclusive campaign that guides each of us through self-checks; what to do, how, when, and why. And they do it with style and a healthy dose of humor.

They also have a self-check site where you can select your parameters, and even how you prefer to describe your tiddies.

And resources for all with helpful reminders like:

“Remember your Collarbone and armpits. Breast tissue isn’t only found in your boobs. It reaches all the way up to your collarbone and underneath your armpit so this whole area should be checked each time too. This is the same for both men and women.”

And important guidance for times like these:

“Found Something Unusual?

>> What to do if you have found something unusual
>> What to expect when you contact your doctor
>> Where to look for support

A note on terms:
Everyone has breast tissue and people of all genders can get breast cancer. To be clear and consistent, we use the word ‘breasts’ in our health information, rather than boobs, pecs, or chest. When we say breasts, we mean the tissue from your rib cage up to your collarbone and armpits, including your nipples.”

There’s also a resource for trans and non-binary people.

October is the month for breast cancer awareness. Of course, cancer doesn’t wait around until the last day of September to make its move…so we should be aware all year. Self-checks monthly and general awareness of symptoms to watch for will help to keep our boobs healthy.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

>> A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue.
>> Change in the size, shape, or appearance of a breast.
>> Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling.
>> A newly inverted nipple.
>> Peeling, scaling, crusting, or flaking of the pigmented area of skin surrounding the nipple (areola) or breast skin.
>> Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange.

The statistics:

“About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 13 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
In 2021, an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 49,290 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

About 2,650 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2021. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 833.

For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.”

Some additional resources from Elephant Journal:

What they Won’t Tell You About Surviving Breast Cancer.
Breasts: An Owner’s Guide to Physical & Emotional Breast Health.
Get to Know your Nipples: 5 Unusual Facts.

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