Don’t Skip Your Monthly Self-Breast Exam. Here’s What To Do

It’s tempting to think that if breast cancer doesn’t run in your family, you can skip a monthly self-breast exam. The truth is: In four out of five cases, women with breast cancer have no family history with the diagnosis.

Every woman can benefit from at-home, monthly self-breast exams. Although they’re not a substitute for professional mammograms, this practice helps you become familiar with your breasts and potentially detect dangerous changes early.

How Visual Inspections Help

Looking at your breasts once a month can tell you a lot. In general, each breast should look like the other. Perform a visual check each month in front of a mirror. Lift the breasts to see the undersides. Alert your doctor if you see any changes.

• Your breasts should be level with one another, and not lopsided. They should also be the same size.
• Whatever you feel on one side, you should feel on the other.
• Note any changes in your nipples. If your nipples have always pointed outward, they should continue to. If they flatten or one now turns inward, alert your doctor.
• When the skin is wet, if you see dimpling, puckering or rashes that appear like cellulite, make note; this isn’t normal.

These monthly visual checks help you establish your baseline so you know what’s normal for you, making it easier to notice if a change occurs.

Timing

Timing is important. Once a month is best for practicing these at-home checks. An easy way to remember is to look at your breasts after every menstrual cycle is complete. You don’t want to check every day because you won’t notice any change. If you check only once a year, that’s too far apart to remember what you felt during your latest self exam.

Pattern

To perform a tactile self-breast exam, you’ll need to cover all the tissue. The area to touch is from as high up as the collarbone and down to the inframammary fold, which is where you bra underwire hits. You’ll also palpate from the sternum all the way to the side, where your lateral muscle is.

Gently use the pads of your fingers. Start by feeling lightly with a very superficial touch. With the next pass, you’ll press a bit harder and feel a bit deeper.

As for your pattern, you have several options. You can use a spokes-on-a-wheel pattern or move your fingers in circles around the breast. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, so long as you use the same pattern every time and with each breast.

Look for Anything New or Different

You know your body better than any doctor, nurse or nurse practitioner – even if you think you don’t. Breasts are often lumpy and bumpy, and you may not know entirely what you’re feeling. That’s OK. The biggest thing is to look for changes. Ask yourself, “Is this new? Is this different?” If so, that’s when to see your doctor.

Don’t ignore your intuition. It’s common for women to sense that something is wrong. A doctor may ask if the area was itchy or painful, and your answers might be no, but if your gut says that there’s a problem, trust yourself and advocate on your behalf for testing.

If you feel a cyst, it’s normal that it might get bigger or smaller every month due to hormonal fluctuations that can cause it to grow or shrink throughout your cycle. However, if a cyst consistently grows bigger after one menstrual cycle, that’s something to report to your doctor.

Annual Mammograms a Must

Make sure to have your mammogram once a year. Most cancers cannot be seen or felt. You can have cancer without feeling a lump or a bump, which is why the mammogram is so crucial.

The inverse is also true: Women can feel things in their breasts that mammograms can also miss. If you feel something that the mammogram doesn’t detect, it’s OK to ask to see a breast specialist. Sometimes you may also need an ultrasound. When in doubt, it’s better to have more information than not enough.

Men and Breast Cancer

It’s very rare, but men can get breast cancer. About 1% of breast cancer cases occur in men, and these aren’t correlated to weight, family breast cancer history or any other factor. In men, breast cancer tends to occur right behind the nipple.

Do What You Can

It can be daunting to perform a self-breast exam. Know that it gets easy with practice. Ultimately, any information you feel comfortable collecting as a baseline helps. Even if you don't do a manual self-breast exam, if you’re willing to complete a visual check every month, that helps. The more awareness you have, the better.