With summer most definitely on its way, I’m sure that a lot of you are thinking about your relationship with your body. Maybe you’re looking ahead to the possibility of showing usually hidden bits on the beach in the not-too-distant future. Maybe that means visiting our Fitness Plan section or maybe frantically applying some last-minute fake tan and hoping for the best. But while it’s sometimes easy to focus on how our bodies look on the outside, it’s important we get to know what’s happening on the inside, too.

According to Cancer Research UK, there were 375,400 new cancer diagnoses between 2016 and 2018, of which breast, lung, bowel and prostate accounted for 53%. Although of course not all cancers have symptoms, and tragically sometimes symptoms appear too late, there are simple things we can all be doing to get to know our own bodies and hopefully notice when something goes wrong.

Self-Checks

These are quick and easy to fit into your routine, and are so, so important for understanding what ‘normal’ looks like for you. For those of us who need to check our breasts (trans women on feminizing hormones, trans men who haven’t undergone a mastectomy, and non-binary folks assigned female at birth, I’m talking to you too) the NHS website tells you how to check and what to look for. Anyone with testicles, MacMillan Cancer Support has a self-checking guide for you. For moles (the small, coloured spots some people have on their skin, as opposed to the subterranean insectivores with bad eyesight), know what they look like usually and get them checked out if they change. Again, the NHS website is your go-to for more info. They even include handy photos for reference.

As well as physically checking your body, having a general awareness of how it feels and functions can make it easier to notice when something changes. If you experience a change in bowel habits, bleeding between periods, have a cough which lasts longer than two to three weeks, or really just notice anything which concerns you or doesn’t feel right, make an appointment with your GP to get it checked out. It’s probably nothing to worry about, but it’s way better to know that for certain.

Age-appropriate Screenings

Of course, there are some things that we can’t check ourselves, so make sure you take up any invitations for age-appropriate screenings. For anyone with a cervix, aged between 25-64, this means attending your cervical screening (smear test) every three years (five, once you’re over 50). If you’re registered with your GP as female, you’ll automatically receive an invitation for breast screening every three years between age 50 and 71. Anyone with a prostate can ask their GP for a PSA blood test if they’re aged 50 years or older. Finally for bowel cancer screening, everyone aged 60 to 74 should be sent a home screening kit every two years. Yes, this does involve sending a sample of your poo in the post. We know it’s a bit strange, but it really is important.

For trans men, trans women and non-binary people, Cancer Research UK has a great resource explaining how to ensure you receive the right checks for you, if there’s anything you’re unsure about.

Talk

A final thought before you stop reading and head straight off to self-check (please!): We all need to get comfortable with talking about our bodies. To our friends, obviously. I’m not advocating chatting to a stranger on the bus about your breasts (unless you really want to). Bodies really aren’t embarrassing! And even when they are, you probably know someone who has or had the same embarrassing thing as you. If you’re really worried about your smear/mammogram/whatever it may be, you probably have a friend who has already had theirs, who can tell you exactly what to expect. Or maybe you’re the friend who has been through it, and maybe by sharing how completely fine it was, you’ll persuade someone else to go and get screened. You never know, you might save a life!

Links

-Breast checks: https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/how-should-i-check-my-breasts/

-Testicle checks: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/testicular-cancer/how-to-check

-Moles: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/moles/

-Trans/Non-binary screening advice: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-symptoms/spot-cancer-early/screening/trans-and-non-binary-cancer-screening