Breast self-examination definition
It is the examination of your breast on your own to notice any unusual lumps or redness near the nipple area. You should work with hand and eye coordination to determine any unusual changes in your breast.
If you find any changes in your breast consult your doctor as soon as possible because it may lead to breast cancer.
Many medical organizations don’t recommend the self-examination because it is found that it hasn’t shown any effective in detecting cancer or improving survival for women who have breast cancer.
Still, many doctors believe that it is important for women to examine their own breasts and report to nay changes they find.
Breast self-examination purpose
A breast self-exam that you simply do for breast awareness helps you perceive the conventional look and feel of your breasts.
If you notice a modification in your breasts that appears abnormal or if you notice one breast is completely different in comparison with the opposite, you’ll be able to report it to your doctor.
There square measure several conditions that may cause changes in your breasts, together with carcinoma.
Although the breast self-exam technique is not a reliable thanks to observe carcinoma, a major range of girls report that the primary sign of their carcinoma was a replacement breast lump they found on their own.
For this reason, doctors advocate being acquainted with the conventional consistency of your breasts.
Steps in breast self-examination/Breast self-examination steps in English
Step1
Look at your breast in the mirror with your shoulder straight and hand your hips.
Things you should look for:
- Something unusual like color, size, or shape.
- Both are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling.
Consult your doctor if you see the following changes
- Dimpling
- Puckering
- Nipple pushed inward instead of sticking out
- Redness
- Swelling
Step2
Raise your arms and see all the changes mentioned in step1.
Step3
While you are looking ar the mirror look for any fluid coming out of the nipples like blood, watery or milky kind of thing.
Also Read: What is Breast Cancer and its Causes
Step4
Next, feel your breasts whereas lying down, using your hand to feel your left breast and so your left to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth bit with the primary few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and along. Use a circular motion, concerning the scale of 1 / 4.
Cover the whole breast from high to bottom, aspect to aspect — from your collarbone to the highest of your abdomen, and from your axilla to your cleavage.
Follow a pattern to take care that you simply cover the total breast. you’ll begin at the nipple, occupancy larger and bigger circles till you reach the border of the breast.
You’ll also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a field.
This up-and-down approach looks to figure best for many ladies. take care to feel all the tissue from the front to the rear of your breasts: for the skin and tissue simply at a lower place, use lightweight pressure to use medium pressure for tissue within the middle of your breasts use firm pressure for the deep tissue within the back. once you’ve got reached the deep tissue, you must be ready to feel all the way down to your ribcage.
Step5
The final step is to fell your breast when you are standing or sitting.
For many women, it is easier to feel their breasts are wet and slippery so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in step 4.
