Go Pink For October – It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month
A BSE – Breast Self-Examination Can Save Your Life. Just Do It!
BSE + Annual Mammograms + Regular CBEs (Clinical Breast Exam) = very few chances of breast cancer sneaking up on you.
Many women do not know how to perform breast self exams properly. Performing BSE incorrectly can be almost as bad as not doing the exam at all. Discuss any questions you might have about BSE techniques with your physician and ask him or her to demonstrate how to perform BSE during the regular clinical breast exam portion of the physical exam.
Remember this: the more you do it, the better you get at it.
Many suspicious breast lumps are found by women performing these self-exams. When you know how your breast normally feels, you will be able to feel any changes.
When should you do it? The best time to examine your breasts is right after your period, when they are not tender or swollen. If you do not have regular periods or sometimes skip a month, do it on the same day of every month.
How should you do it? According to ACS (American Cancer Society) the proper way is:
- Lie down and put a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right arm behind your head.
- Use the finger pads of your three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps or thickening in your right breast. Your finger pads are the top third of each finger.
- Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. If you’re not sure how hard to press, ask your health care provider. Or try to copy the way your health care provider uses the finger pads during a breast exam. Learn what your breast feels like most of the time. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.
- Move around the breast in a set way. You can choose either the circle (A), the up and down (B), or the wedge (C). Do it the same way each month. It will help you to make sure that you’ve gone over the entire breast area, and to remember how your breast feels.
- Now examine your left breast using the right hand finger pads.
- Repeat the examination of both breasts while standing, with one arm behind your head. The upright position makes it easier to check the upper and outer parts of the breasts (toward your armpit). You may want to do the standing part of the BSE while you are in the shower. Some breast changes can be felt more easily when your skin is wet and soapy.
Who should do it?
- Women 40 and older should have an annual mammogram, annual CBE by a health professional, and should perform monthly BSE. The CBE should be done close to the scheduled mammogram.
- Women 20 to 39 should have a CBE every three years and should perform monthly BSE.
For additional information check out ACS’s Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer.
Monica F
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