How To Do A Breast Self Exam 13 Steps With Pictures

When you do an exam, you are looking for pre-cancerous lesions or early signs of cancer before it has spread. At this stage, you can treat it before it grows to be life-threatening, which lowers your risk of death from breast cancer. In addition to self-exams, doctors use professional manual exam and/or screening using a mammogram, which is a kind of x-ray specifically used on breasts that can show masses, calcifications, or other signs of cancer. [1] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source No study has proven that breast self-exams decrease the risk of breast cancer death, which is why many experts do not recommend them. Because of this, many choose not to do them, but they can still be helpful. [2] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source

A mutation in a breast cancer gene called BRCA (in females) or BRCA2 (in males) Previous history of breast cancer in your medical history. A family history of breast cancer, especially at a younger age People who had radiation of the chest between 10 and 30 years of age.

You can continue yearly mammograms starting at 55, or you can go down to once every two years. [5] X Trustworthy Source American Cancer Society Nonprofit devoted to promoting cancer research, education, and support Go to source If you are a higher risk of breast cancer, you may begin screening at age 40. Your doctor may order tests more frequently if you are more at risk of developing breast cancer.

They look for any puckering or changes of the skin around the breast, abnormal discharge or orientation of the nipple, or any lumps, which could signal underlying cancers. [6] X Trustworthy Source BreastCancer. org Patient-focused nonprofit organization providing resources for those affected by breast cancer Go to source

If you don’t have regular periods, do the self-exam on the same say every month. If you don’t want to do it monthly, you can do an exam less often. It just depends on what you are comfortable with. [9] X Research source

Check under your breasts as well. Turn side to side, lifting your breasts up so you can see underneath and on the sides of them. Also look under your arm, holding your arm only part of the way up. This will prevent the muscles in your underarm from contracting too much, which will distort your perception of the area. [10] X Research source

Some experts suggest doing the examination while standing, or doing one standing in addition to lying down in order to make sure each layer of tissue is examined thoroughly. This can easily be done in or after a shower. A soapy hand makes it easier to slide across the skin. You can choose which works best for you. [11] X Research source

It is normal to feel your ribs as you do this. It is normal to feel a thicker area nearer and under your nipples where milk ducts lie.

The same procedure can be used to perform an examination while standing. [15] X Research source

Many people have a hard time knowing which lumps in a breast are normal and which ones aren’t. One purpose of regular breast self exams is to get an understanding of which lumps are normal and which are new. If you are having trouble figuring it out, ask your doctor to show you what is normal and what isn’t. Your doctor may have a plastic or rubber model in their office that demonstrates this. If the lump is small and doesn’t feel this way, you still should contact your doctor to make sure there is nothing wrong. There is no need to panic. Eight out of ten lumps are not cancerous. [16] X Research source