How to Perform a Self Breast Exam Between Appointments

You get your regularly scheduled mammogram to ensure your doctor catches any problems in their earliest, most curable stages. But in between appointments, you should continue to monitor your breast health through monthly self exams. Here’s how.

Nobody likes to think about breast cancer. But, whether you think about it or not, breast cancer accounts for one out of every three new cancers that affect females each year in the United States. Even though most breast cancers are diagnosed in women over age 62, women under 45 can get it, too.

If you want to keep your breasts healthy and cancer-free, regular screening and breast exams should be part of your self-care routine. But between mammograms — or before you’re old enough to need one — you should perform monthly breast self exams.

At Mass Medical Imaging, our breast experts, Joseph Calandra, MD, and Karen Mass, MD, want you to pay attention to your breasts and their health. In addition to offering breast scans and mammograms at our Lake Forest, Illinois office, we encourage you to perform monthly self-exams and contact us if you notice any changes.

In 40% of diagnosed breast cancer cases, the problem was first reported by a woman who noticed a lump or other abnormality in her breasts. Finding cancer early aids in successful treatment and can even result in a cure.

How should you conduct a breast self-exam? First, if you menstruate, wait a few days after your period ends. If you don’t menstruate, conduct the exam on the same day of each month. Following are the basic steps.

Face off with your mirror

OK, breasts: Show me what you’ve got. Stand in front of your mirror with your hands on your hips. Keep your shoulders straight.

Take a good look at your beautiful breasts. Get familiar with their shape, size, and variations in coloring. Normal breasts appear evenly shaped, without swellings or distortions.

It’s normal for breasts to be different sizes or for one to be positioned slightly higher than the other. However, let us know if you notice:

Skin that dimples or puckers
An inverted nipple
A nipple that’s changed position
Redness or rash on your breast
Swelling or soreness
Fluid or blood coming out of nipples
Sores

Raise your arms and look for those same signs and possible changes.

Lie down and feel your breasts

Once you’ve finished your visual examination, lie down on your back. Put one arm behind your head, which lifts that breast slightly. Use your opposite hand to palpate that breast.

Keep your middle fingers together and use their pads to press into your breast gently. Move your fingers in a quarter-sized circle all over your entire breast, including the underside.

Palpate from the top of your collarbone to the beginning of your abdomen. Also, palpate from your cleavage to your armpit. Use varying pressures depending on the area you cover:

Light pressure at the top of the breast
Medium pressure in the center of the breast
Deep pressure at the end and underneath the breast

You should press down hard enough at the end of the breast to feel all the way to the ribcage. Look for lumps, bumps, and irregularities. Gently squeeze your nipple to ensure it doesn’t leak fluid. Repeat on the other side.

Stand or sit

While you stand or sit, repeat the same palpations you did while lying down. You may do this in the shower while your skin is still damp and slippery.

Call us, but don’t panic

If you notice a bump, lump, rash, or other anomaly, call us immediately. We schedule you for a breast exam and possible mammogram to determine if your noted changes are significant.

However, try not to worry. Many other conditions can cause your breasts to feel or look lumpy or unusual. Nine out of 10 times, a breast lump is benign (i.e., noncancerous). And, of course, if we catch a cancerous lump early enough, we remove it and refer you to an oncologist for treatment.

Thanks to early detection and better treatment options, breast cancer death rates have declined by 42% from 1989 to 2021. Catching breast cancer early can stop it from progressing to a later stage or spreading to other parts of your body.

To schedule your mammogram or to have us examine your breasts at our Lake Forest, Illinois, office, call our friendly team or use our online appointment form today.