Healthed Australia Breast density and screening - A primary care approach: Part 1
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May 8, 2025 
Dr. Virginia Baird, a GP specializing in women's health and retraining as a breast physician, shares her insights on breast health. She discusses the importance of understanding breast pain, particularly its commonality among women, and the need for thorough diagnostic evaluation. Baird highlights the impact of perimenopause on breast tissue and cancer risk. She emphasizes the role of lifestyle factors in breast cancer risk assessment and recommends practical strategies for risk reduction, such as exercise and individualized hormone therapy approaches.
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Dr. Baird's Breast Physician Journey
- Dr. Virginia Baird shared her journey retraining as a breast physician during COVID while assisting breast surgeons.
- She sees the role as beneficial in Tasmania for medical and general populations.
Breast Changes in Menopause
- Menopause causes involution and atrophy of breast ductal tissue with increased fat and connective tissue degeneration.
- These changes can cause breast shape changes, pain, fibrocystic changes, and increase breast cancer risk.
Breast Pain Most Common Symptom
- Breast pain is the most common presenting symptom in breast clinics, more frequent than lumps.
- New breast symptoms must undergo diagnostic workup even if pain rarely signals cancer.