A 65-year-old patient remarks that she just can't believe that her breasts "sag so much.”. She states it must be from a lack of exercise.
What explanation would the nurse offer her?
After menopause, the glandular and fat tissue atrophies, causing breast size and elasticity to diminish, resulting in breasts that sag.
After menopause, a diet that is high in protein will help maintain muscle mass, which keeps the breasts from sagging.
After menopause, sagging is usually due to decreased muscle mass within the breast.
After menopause, only women with large breasts experience sagging.
The Correct Answer is A
Choice A rationale
After menopause, the ovaries significantly reduce estrogen and progesterone production. These hormones play a crucial role in maintaining the size and elasticity of breast tissue, including the glandular and fat components. With decreased hormonal support, these tissues atrophy, leading to a reduction in breast volume and a loss of skin elasticity, consequently causing the breasts to sag.
Choice B rationale
While adequate protein intake is essential for overall muscle health, including the pectoral muscles that lie beneath the breasts, it does not directly prevent the atrophy of glandular and fat tissue within the breasts that occurs due to hormonal changes after menopause. Therefore, a high-protein diet alone will not counteract breast sagging caused by these physiological changes.
Choice C rationale
The breasts themselves do not contain significant amounts of muscle tissue. The support for the breasts comes primarily from Cooper's ligaments, which are connective tissues, and the skin's elasticity. Sagging is mainly attributed to the weakening of these supportive structures and the atrophy of glandular and fat tissue after menopause, not a decrease in muscle mass within the breast.
Choice D rationale
Breast sagging after menopause is a common physiological change experienced by many women, regardless of their breast size. While larger breasts may appear to sag more noticeably due to their weight, the underlying cause is hormonal changes affecting tissue elasticity and volume, which occurs in women with all breast sizes.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Auscultation of the abdomen for bowel sounds should be performed prior to any manipulation such as inspection, palpation, or percussion. Palpation and percussion can stimulate or inhibit bowel motility, potentially altering the sounds heard and leading to an inaccurate assessment of baseline bowel activity.
Choice B rationale
Palpating the abdomen involves applying pressure, which can stimulate bowel motility and increase bowel sounds. Auscultating after palpation might not reflect the client's true baseline bowel sounds.
Choice C rationale
Checking for kidney tenderness involves percussing the costovertebral angle, which is located on the back and does not directly impact bowel sounds. However, it is still a form of manipulation that should ideally occur after auscultation of the abdomen to avoid any potential influence on bowel sounds.
Choice D rationale
Percussion of the abdomen involves tapping the abdominal surface to assess underlying structures. This manipulation can also alter bowel motility and the characteristics of bowel sounds. Therefore, auscultation should precede percussion for an accurate assessment.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Light palpation is typically performed after auscultation to assess for superficial tenderness, muscle tone, and pulsations. Auscultation precedes palpation to avoid inducing artificial bowel sounds or altering existing ones due to manual pressure.
Choice B rationale
Auscultation of bowel sounds in all four quadrants is the next step in the abdominal assessment after inspection. Listening to bowel sounds provides information about the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and should be done before palpation or percussion, which can alter these sounds.
Choice C rationale
Percussion for tones in all four quadrants is usually performed after auscultation and before palpation. Percussion helps to assess the size and density of abdominal organs and to identify the presence of fluid or air.
Choice D rationale
Deep palpation is performed last in the abdominal assessment sequence to evaluate for deeper masses and aortic pulsations. It follows inspection, auscultation, and light palpation, allowing the nurse to gather preliminary information before applying deeper pressure. .
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