When we first read that a bra is being developed that could potentially detect breast cancer, we were VERY intrigued to say the least. What it’s all about, how it works and when it’ll be available are all questions that crossed our mind, and I’m sure yours too, so carry on reading to see what we found out when we did some digging.
Infrared light sounds just a tad dodgy when you put it in the same sentence as your boobs, but according to scientists in Colombia, this could be the answer. According to a report from the Universidad Nacional De Columbia, researchers are in the mists of designing a bra that uses small infrared sensors to detect the temperatures in your boobs. Areas with irregular or cancerous cells are hotter than normal because the body sends extra blood there. This means if the bra can detect warmer temperatures, it could be an early warning sign that something is abnormal.
Image Credit - springwise
Now we’re even more intrigued. Maria Camila Coretex, an electrical engineering student at Colombia’s National University who is working on the bra has said ‘When you have cells in your mammary glands that are anomalous, the body needs to send more blood to that specific part of the body, and the temperature of this organ therefore increases.’
So how does it work? After wearing the bra for a few minutes, a light comes on to signal whether your breast temperature is regular or not. A green light lets you know everything is normal, a yellow light means that you should do another test, and a red light means it has sensed a higher temperature. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have cancer but means you should go and get checked out further by a doctor. The researchers have said this is not meant to replace mammograms or getting checked by a medical professional, but is meant to be used as a prevention screening.
Sounds pretty good to us. We would definitely want to try this out. Although the red light may make you panic at first, it could potentially save your life in the long run which is of course the main aim here. The bra also includes a small chip that records the temperature of the readings so doctors can look at multiple readings.
When and if this bra will be available to the public is still unknown as it’s still in the testing phase, but it sounds like something we would definitely use. Would you want to use the bra? Do you think it’d be helpful or just a way of scaring us unnecessarily? You know we take breast health very seriously here at Brastop, and are always going on about checking your boobs, so until then definitely carry on using the procedures and keep yourselves healthy!
Grace x
