Breast

Knowing your breasts: self-exam and breast awareness

Most medical associations do not recommend breast self-examination as part of breast cancer screening, because it has not been shown to reduce deaths from breast cancer. Being familiar with your own breasts, however, can help you notice early if something isn’t right.

How to look and feel

Many women check their breasts once a month, ideally after their period. Start by looking: check for a new asymmetry, skin changes, redness, soreness, a rash or swelling, a change in the shape or direction of the nipple, discharge or a crust.

Then feel each part of the breast for a new lump or nodule. If you find one, notice whether it moves freely or seems attached to the skin or to the tissue underneath. Remember that most lumps are not cancer.

If you notice a change

Please see your physician soon to have it checked. Most breast changes turn out to be benign, but every new change should be assessed. Depending on your age, this usually means a clinical examination and an ultrasound, a mammogram, or both. Booking a test is a first step, not the only one.

This article gives general information and doesn’t replace advice from your physician. Want to know which screenings apply to you? Take the ScreenMe questionnaire.