It is often you who knows best about changes in your body. Women can perform breast self-exams to understand changes in their breasts. Many breast problems are often first discovered by women themselves.
When should I have an exam?
Breast self-examinations are best done on a regular monthly basis. So, when is the best time to do a breast self-exam? The best time is 7 to 14 days after the start of menstruation, when the breast glands are less dense and lesions are easier to detect. Also, it is easier to compare the results of each examination at a fixed time. Women with irregular menstrual cycles or who have stopped menstruating can choose a regular day of the month that is easy to remember for their exams.
Breast exams are usually not uncomfortable. Of course, if you choose to do it when you are about to start your period, it is likely to cause minor breast discomfort because the breasts themselves are often swollen and painful at this time.
What position to use?
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First, remove all clothing from the waist up and lie flat. Lying flat will allow the breasts to be evenly distributed on both sides of the chest, making it easier to palpate lumps or other changes in the breasts. In addition to lying flat, the examination can be done in the shower. Fingers coated with soap glide easily over the breasts, making it easier to detect abnormal changes.
What areas to check?
The self-examination should cover the entire breast, specifically all tissues from the collarbone to the lower edge of the breast and from the armpit to the mid-bust.
What techniques are used?
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Examine using the middle three fingers, not the fingertips. And to cross-examine, that is, use the middle three fingers of the left hand to examine the right breast and the fingers of the right hand to examine the left breast. If you are in the standing position in the shower, lift one arm above your head and gently rub soap over your breasts, again using your fingers rather than your fingertips to gently move and press on your breasts.
All areas can be examined up and down or in a concentric circle sequence so as not to miss them, and the technique involves moving the fingers slowly to draw coin-sized circles.
Attend to the strength of your fingers. Three different forces are used to examine all breast tissue: gentle pressure to examine tissue close to the skin, medium force to examine tissue deeper, and heavier force to examine breast tissue close to the rib cage.
Do not allow your fingers to lift from the surface of the breast when a lump, abnormal thickening, or any other abnormality is detected.
Noticing abnormalities and noting comparisons
If you are suspicious of lumps in certain areas, check the opposite breast for comparison. If the same lump is found in the same area of the opposite breast, both sides may be normal.
What are the findings that warrant medical attention?
If you find an abnormality during self-examination, you should refer it to your doctor. See your doctor if you find any of the following:
- A newly discovered lump that may not be painful when pressed;
- An abnormal thickening of tissue that feels localized;
- Mucous or bloody fluid discharge from the nipple;
- Changes in the skin of the breast or nipple, such as folds or depressions;
- Abnormal enlargement of one breast;
- One breast is lower than the other.
To add, although there is no evidence that breast self-examination improves the chances of early detection of breast cancer or reduces mortality, regular breast self-examination can prevent late detection of lumps and increase cancer awareness, so women are still encouraged to perform self-examination, especially in some less economically developed areas with limited equipment. Breast self-examination requires practice, especially if accompanied by breast enlargement, the examination will be more difficult because there may be many lumps in the breast. However, whether or not you are skilled at self-examination, you should see your doctor regularly for a mammogram so that he or she can make a final diagnosis of breast disease.