Women discover nearly 80% of breast cancers through self-exams. You should perform a self-exam once a month, about a week after your period ends. If you're past menopause or have irregular periods, perform the exam on the same date each month.
Here's how:
Lie down, slip a pillow under your right shoulder, and tuck your right arm behind your head. (Some women check their breasts in the shower or bathtub, because wet, soapy fingers glide more easily.)
Pressing firmly, feel your right breast with the fingers of your left hand. Work in a circle (from the center out), or in an up-and-down pattern, until you've covered the entire breast.
Now move the pillow under your left shoulder, tuck your left hand behind your head, and check your left breast with your right hand.
Next stand in front of a mirror with your hands on your hips, then raised overhead, and look for any visible lumps, skin puckering, dimpling, or nipple changes. Gently squeeze each nipple to check for discharge.
If you feel a lump, don't panic -- it's not necessarily a tumor. It may simply be a noncancerous hardening of tissue called a fibrous breast lump or a benign cyst (a fluid-filled sac in the breast that can be painful). Call your doctor as soon as possible.
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