- Breast Self Exam
- Cervical Self Exam
- Fibrocyctic Breasts
- Health Care of the Vulva
- Menopause Information
- Prenatal Exercises
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Yeast Infections
 

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women between the ages of 37 and 55. It rarely occurs before the age of 30 and almost never occurs in women under age 20. Women of all ages are now learning to detect early signs of possible breast cancer by doing breast self-exams every month. Ninety percent of lumps are found by women themselves doing breast self-exam. You are a better monitor of your own conditions than a physician who sees you only once or twice a year. It is important to check every month, since breast cancer can grow very quickly in one month. More than half the lumps that are found are benign, that is, not cancerous. If a cancerous lump is found early, only the lump may need to be removed - not the whole breast.

Women who have cystic breasts (fluid retained in the mammary or milk glands) have a 2.5 times greater risk of having breast cancer than other women. Women with cystic breasts have larger lumps in their breasts throughout the menstrual cycle and the breasts frequently are tender, especially before their period. It is especially important for these women to do monthly breast self-exams. As with cervical self-exams, the purpose is to learn what is normal for you so you can detect changes early.

Breast exams should be done every month by every woman. For menstruating women, the best time to do it is a week after a period ends, because there is less fluid from ovarian hormonal changes present. As a period approaches more fluid is held by the body (edema), especially in the mammary glands. Non-menstruating women should check their breasts at the same time each month.

Whenever a lump is found, it should be checked by a physician within a week or two. Lumps that are hard and unmovable are more likely than others to be cancerous. If you notice a lump in your breasts before your period, check it again at the end of your period. If it has decreased in size, it is a cystic gland and the chance that it is cancer is rare.

When you feel your breasts you are mainly feeling the mammary glands and fatty tissue, both of which are lumpy. Women sometimes mistake a rib for a hard lump. Practice will improve your skill in recognizing unusual lumps.

The clinic teaches breast self-exam. The following outline is to serve as a reminder after your initial exam.

Looking

• Begin by looking at your breasts in a mirror. Look for anything that is changed from the previous exam such as: puckering of the skin, indentations, dimpling of the skin, skin that looks like an orange peel (caused by escess fluid in the breast), crusting of the nipples that does not wash off, a change in the size of the breast (one breast is usually larger than the other), or a change in the shape of the breast. It is normal to have hair on the nipple.
• Look for the same things with your arms over your head, then with your hands on your hips pushing down against your hips.

Feeling

• Lymph nodes are sometimes felt above and below the collarbone or in the arm-pit. Normal size nodes are smaller than a pea and often cannot be felt at all. They enlarge when infections and other diseases are present. To feel for lymph nodes under the arm, rest your arm on something to loosen the muscles.  With your other hand push up firmly into the armpit and bring your hand down along your chest wall about 2 inches below your armpit. Push forward and backward under the muscles there. If you feel a lump larger than a pea, have it checked by a physician.
• Check for discharge from your nipples every time you do a breast exam. Three or four drops of a clear, grayish or milky-colored discharge is usually normal; if more than a few drops are present it can indicate a hormonal problem. More discharge or discharge that is red, brown, green, or yellow should be checked by a physician because it may indicate an infection
• Now feel all of your breast tissue from your collarbone to the bottom of your breast and from the middle of your chest to the area under your arm. The upper part of the breast is felt best when sitting or standing. Breast should be felt both standing or sitting and lying down. Put one arm behind your head and fell the breast on that side with your other hand. Move your fingers in small circles and cover all the breast tissue. Use the same pattern of movement each time--either back and forth or a spiral pattern. Be sure to check the "tail" of the breast tissue under the arm. Placing a small pillow under your shoulder blade on the same side as the breast your are checking helps to spread the breast over the chest wall, making it easier to feel all the tissue.

Short Breast Exam

If you do not have time to do a thorough exam, at least do the following: check your axillary lymph nodes under your arms while both sitting and lying, check for discharge, and check the breast while lying down.