How to do a Breast Self Exam

So, you have decided to do a regular self examination of the breast but are not sure how to get started? Here's a simple way to do it. Don't be overwhelmed by the pictures. Read through. It's really simple to do.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, there is no fixed or best method of doing a breast self exam. The only thing you must remember is to examine all areas of your body that are likely to contain breast tissue. And examine this area very carefully and thoroughly. Remember missing out a small change for a long time can be really bad.

Area to examine when doing a breast examination

So which area should you examine? I repeat - examine the whole of your chest (the front and the sides as well) and the armpit. I just love this picture. It shows the entire area you must examine.

From the collar bone to the bra line and from the middle of the chest to the sides, including the armpit...that's the area you need to examine.

Examining the breast is not rocket science. It is as simple as examining a pimple on your face. What do you do? You look at it in the mirror and then feel it with your hand. That's exactly what you do with your breasts.

Looking for changes:

In a well-lit room, stand in front of the mirror with your hands by your side. Look at the front of your chest. Compare what you see on either side. Then turn to the left and then to the right. Examine the sides.

Once you are convinced there is no new change, try out these positions. In each position, remember to check not just the front but also the sides. 

This is all you need to know about looking for changes. Simple, isn't it? The next is feeling for changes in your breasts.

Feeling for changes:

There are several different methods to feel for changes in your breasts and you may try out all or any of them. Here's one method that I believe covers the entire area and thickness of the breast. If you follow this single method, you should be able to detect changes in any area of your breast.

Lie down on a bed with a pillow/folded towel under the left shoulder if you wish to examine the left breast first. Keep your left hand folded at a right angle as in the picture here.

In this position, the entire breast spreads out flat and is of almost the same thickness throughout making it easier to examine.

Feel your left breast using the flat or pulp of the three middle fingers of your right hand. At each place where you put your fingers, make three coin-sized circles with your fingers.

Why three circles? Well, in order to apply three different pressures while feeling for lumps.

One pressure should be light enough to move the skin without moving the tissue underneath. Then apply a medium pressure so you can reach midway into the tissue. And then apply a deep pressure so that you can reach your ribs. These three different pressures allow you to reach different thicknesses of your breast tissue. See the adjoining pressure to know what I mean.

At each place, use these three different pressures in circles to check for changes. Without lifting your fingers, slide them and check another area of the breast. If you lift your fingers, you are likely to miss out some areas of the breast.

How do you slide the fingers? In which pattern? I follow a simple stripe pattern that covers the entire area of the breast.

Start from the armpit. Keep sliding down till your bra line. Then move a little medially (towards the middle of the chest). Keep sliding up till you reach the collar bone. Move medially again and come down to the bra line...Keep repeating till you reach the middle of the chest.

After you have done this, don't forget to let your arm loose and check in the armpit for lumps.

Then check your nipple for changes or any abnormal discharge. And before you know it, you have thoroughly checked for changes in one breast. Repeat all the steps in the other breast.

With some practice, you should be able to check your breasts in less than 5 minutes. And you need to check for changes only once in a month. So that's not much, is it?

Know your breasts well so that you can detect any change at the earliest. If you detect any abnormality, do not panic. Most lumps or changes in the breasts are not cancer. But they do need attention and treatment. So see a doctor in time.

Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer - it certainly is not a death sentence! Cancer is a group of over 200 different diseases that result due to uncontrolled divisions of cells in the body. But luckily enough, breast cancer is a condition that can be easily detected at an early stage and treated adequately.

The survival rates of breast cancer are some of the best. The most commonly used term to describe survival rates is the 5-year survival rates. The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live for at least 5 years after their cancer is detected. Many live much beyond that. In fact, my grandmother lived for over 18 years after her breast cancer was detected and when she finally died, her death was not related to her cancer.

The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer that is detected early can be higher than 90%. Check the American Cancer Society's data on breast cancer survival.

Now, how do you detect breast cancer at the earliest? It's an easy 3-step method.

• Breast Self Exam

This is a simple technique which you can do at home. Just pay attention to any changes in your breasts. Look and feel for changes in your breasts. There are several different methods to do this. You really do not need to bother much about all the different methods. Just remember you need to look and feel for changes on the entire area of your body that contains breast tissue.

This includes an area that starts from your collar bone on top to your bra line at the bottom, from the middle of the chest to the side of your chest (including your armpit). Here's a picture that should tell you where to examine for changes.

Remember that breast tissue spreads much beyond just the protruding bulge.

When you examine just the bulging part you tend to miss out on many other areas where breast tissue is found. In fact, breast cancer is commonest in the outer upper quadrant of the breast which does not have much of a bulge.

How often should you do a self exam? Once a month should be sufficient. Start once you are 20 years of age and continue doing a self exam throughout your life. Make it a part of your regular life.

• Clinical Breast Exam

This is about getting your breasts examined by a clinician. 

Get a clinical exam done once in three years if you are less than 40 years old. Once you are above 40 years, go for an annual checkup with a clinician. 

Who should you go to? Ideally, it should be a surgeon who has been examining a lot of breasts and can detect changes early. But you can get yourself examined even by your gynecologist or your family physician. Just get yourself examined regularly. 

• Screening Mammography

This is a special x-ray of the breast. It helps detect minor changes in the architecture of the breasts. An annual screening mammography is recommended for women above 50 years of age. If your mammograms are normal, you may go for a screening mammography every two years. 

Mammography does not seem to help younger women much. However, if your clinician suspects a change in your breast, he/she may advise you to get a mammography done at a younger age. Do not defer from getting a mammography done in that case. 

Please remember to do a regular self-exam, in addition to, not in place of clinical breast exam and a mammography. When you combine all the three different methods for screening, you are more likely to detect cancer at its earliest. 

If you have never gone for a breast cancer screening. This is an excellent time to start. Get started!

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P.S. The pictures used here are from various sites derived after a Google search. I used them because I felt they gave an apt description of what I wanted to convey. If you have any issues about my use of these pictures, please write to me.