Unique to Women

Breast Self-Exam

All three methods of screening currently used or recommended for breast cancer detection in the United States-- mammography, breast self-exam (BSE), and clinical breast exam (CBE)—have limitations, and it is clear that we need to develop better screening tests and true prevention. Yet BSE, while not "proven" to save lives (just as no other approach, by itself, saves lives -- people with cancer need to have treatment) and while rarely conducted as the sole detection method -- it's usually combined with clinical breast exam and mammography  -- is the one detection method that women have control over with their own two hands. Learning BSE allows us to know our own breasts and to inform our practitioners if we detect a change.

How to do a Breast Self-Exam

Breast self-exam can be done once a month, right after your period ends, when your breasts are not tender or swollen. If you do not have regular periods, or if you no longer menstruate, examine your breasts about the same time every month. The following steps are based on American Cancer Society guidelines:

Begin by looking at your breasts in a mirror. Check both breasts for anything unusual, such as discharge from the nipples, puckering, or dimpling.

• Next, standing in front of a mirror or in the shower, place your right arm behind your head. Soapy hands glide easily over wet skin, making it easy to check how your breasts feel.
  
  
• Use the finger pads (top third of each finger) of the three middle fingers of your left hand to feel for lumps or thickening in your right breast.
  
  
• Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. If you are not sure how hard to press, ask a healthcare provider. Learn what your breasts usually feel like. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.
  
  
• Examine your breasts the same way each time. You can move your fingers in a circle, up and down, or from the center out.
  
  
• Now examine your left breast the same way, using your right-hand finger pads.
  
  
• Repeat the exam lying down. Place a pillow under your right shoulder and roll slightly to the left. Put your right arm over your head and examine the outer half of your right breast. Next, examine your left breast by placing the pillow under your left shoulder and rolling slightly to the right, lifting your left arm over your head.

If you find any changes, make an appointment to have your breasts examined by a healthcare provider.

For more detailed information on how to perform a breast self-exam, click here.

Written by: Our Bodies Ourselves
Last revised: March 2005

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