Reproductive health factors associated with clinical breast examination uptake among Ghanaian women

Early detection of breast cancer through screening and timely clinical assessment plays a crucial role in reducing breast cancer-related deaths and improving survival rates among women. Based on this, the study sought to investigate the role of reproductive health factors in predicting clinical breast examination uptake among Ghanaian women. This study used data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, obtained through the Measure DHS Program, and analyzed responses from 2,894 women aged 15–49 years. The study aimed to assess the influence of reproductive health factors on clinical breast examination uptake among Ghanaian women. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 27. Frequency distributions were employed to describe respondents’ characteristics and summarize responses as proportions, while Pearson’s chi-square test was used to examine associations between the independent and dependent variables. Additionally, binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the effects of reproductive health factors on clinical breast examination uptake. The study found that majority (85.6%) of women had never undergone a breast cancer examination by a healthcare professional, while 14.4% had such examination. Positive significant association was found between knowledge of ovulatory cycle ( F (4.638, 2661.945) = 2.472, p =.034 and clinical breast examination uptake among Ghanaian women. Women who reported that ovulation occurs before the menstrual period begins (AOR = 0.419; 95% CI: 0.187–0.940; p = .035) had lower odds of never having undergone a clinical breast examination compared to women who responded “other/don’t know.” The findings suggest that knowledge-related factors may be more relevant to CBE uptake than some biological reproductive characteristics among Ghanaian women. The findings nevertheless highlight the potential importance of reproductive health literacy and breast cancer awareness in promoting early detection practices.