Breast Thermography: Visually Evaluating Estrogen’s Effects on the Breasts

Breast Thermography: Visually Evaluating Estrogen’s Effects on the Breasts

Blood and urine tests can provide information regarding estrogen that is circulating
throughout the body, but the question remains as to how much actually ends up in the
breast tissue. The amounts are certainly not the same; in fact, the concentration of
estrogen in the breasts may be ten to fifty times the concentration in the bloodstream
(Jefcoate et al. 2000).

Breast thermography offers a solution to this problem by providing an indirect way
to visualize the effects of estrogen on the breasts. While it does not measure estrogen
per se, a thermography exam can identify the type of blood vessel patterns that
estrogen would commonly produce. Excessive levels of estrogen in the breast would
normally produce a vascular pattern that is different from a breast with normal
estrogen levels. If you are taking birth control pills or undergoing hormone replacement
therapy, a thermogram can be especially valuable to you to determine
whether or not the estrogen you are taking is harming your breasts and increasing your
cancer risk.