A clinical breast examination is a physical examination of your breasts by a trained medical or health professional such as a physician or nurse. This should be done once a year. In between your annual clinical exam, you should be conducting a self breast exam on your own. A self breast exam is a physical examination of the breast performed every month. Women who are still having periods should do their self breast exam 10 days after the first day of their period. Women who are not having periods should pick a specific day every month to do a breast exam. A healthcare provider or breast specialist can instruct patients on how to do a proper self breast exam. The following are abnormalities women should be looking for when doing a self breast exam:
Any new lump or hard knot found in the breast or armpit
Any lump or thickening that does not shrink or lessen after your next period
Any change in the size, shape or symmetry of your breast
A thickening or swelling of the breast
Any dimpling, puckering or indention in the breast
Dimpling, skin irritation or other change in the breast skin or nipple
Redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin
Nipple discharge
Nipple retraction: turning or drawing inward or pointing in a new direction
Any breast change that may be cause for concern
The Buddy Check™ program encourages all participants to recognize that breast self-examination (BSE) is just one part of a very important three-part program for the early detection of breast cancer.
Click here to view the five steps of a self breast exam from breastcancer.org.
Buddy Check™Self Breast Exam Email Reminder Monthly self breast exams are extremely important in the early detection of breast cancer. We will remind you every month on the date you choose.
Breast Cancer Risk Calculator Not sure what your risk is for developing breast cancer? Use this online risk calculator to estimate your breast cancer risk.
