Breast Self-Exams
If you are familiar with your breasts – how they feel, how they look, how they react – then you are more likely to notice if something changes or goes awry. You are the best expert on your body, and self-exams only take a few minutes to perform. This process simply involves checking your breasts by palpating them and looking at them in a mirror. The best time for an exam is about a week after your period starts, when your breasts aren’t sore or tender. Lie on your back with your right hand behind your head. Take the pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand and move them in small circles around your right breast. Use varying levels of pressure as you move around each spot. Move your hand up and down the breast, checking the entire area. Repeat on the other side.
Then, stand with your hands on your hips and examine your breasts in the mirror, looking for changes in shape, size, redness, contour or dimpling. Finally, palpate the underarm area on each side. You can also talk to your doctor about
the best way to perform a breast self-exam, which should be done in addition to your annual doctor’s exams and/or mammograms.
