Breast Cancer Awareness: How to self-exam for breast cancer?
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, meant to spread awareness about breast cancer worldwide. Now, the question is, are you aware enough about breast cancer?
If you are, then great. But if you are not, we are here to guide you. After all, it’s better late than never. The first step towards prevention would be to routine self-exam for breast cancer.

Why do I need to self-exam for breast cancer?
A self-examination for breast cancer helps you understand the natural feel and look of your breasts to detect any unusual changes in your breasts. Although self-exam for breast cancer are often regarded as unreliable, yet a notable change can help you to seek medical help immediately.
Are there any risks involved?
A breast self-exam is one of the best and safe ways to keep breast cancer at bay. However, there are limitations and risks involved. So, let’s quickly take a look:
- Anxiety: Anxiety may dawn upon you on finding a lump or unusual changes in your breast, but not all of them are cancerous. Such discoveries can catch you off-guard and even make you anxious, but then the best step would be to seek help from your doctor.
- Relying too much on self-exams: A breast self-exam is just the first step to detect abnormality, but it can never replace a screening mammogram or an inspection by your doctor. Thus, don’t rely too much on the self-exam test and ask your doctor for further support.
How to prepare yourself for the self-exam?
Before you start your routine self-exam, it’s better to prepare yourself thoroughly. Here’s how you can do it:
- Ask your doctor for a demo: Seek your doctor’s help to set your expectations before you examine your breasts. You can also ask your doctor for a quick demonstration to understand the technique better.
- Self-exam when your breasts are least tender: The hormonal fluctuation every month courtesy the menstrual cycle, also brings about changes in the breast tissue. That’s why it is better to carry out the self-examination a week after your period ends.
How to perform the self-exam?
Visual examination of your breasts
Begin your self-exam by visual inspection. Stand braless and shirtless in front of a mirror and try to follow the next few steps:
- Look for changes in size, symmetry, shape or puckering, etc. in your breasts.
- Take a close look at your nipples and see if they are inverted.
- Next, press down your hands on your hips to inspect your breasts carefully. Or else, you can raise your hands overhead and press your palms together to take a better look at your breasts.
Use your hands to feel your breasts
- By Lying down — Lie down on your back as it helps the breast tissue to spread out, making it easier to feel.
- While In shower — You can lather your fingers and breasts with soap to make it easier for your fingers to feel your skin.
Are there any tips to make the self-examination effective?
- Use three fingers — Rather than feeling with the tip of your fingers, it’s always better to use three of your middle fingers to inspect. Besides, you can also use a sensitive part of your hand like the palm area to feel your breast for a better understanding.
- Apply different levels of pressure — It’s advised to use different levels of pressure to feel different depths of the breast. You can put light pressure to feel the tissue closest to the skin, whereas you can apply firm pressure to feel the tissue near the chest and ribs.
- Don’t rush — Take your own little sweet time to examine your breasts.
To Sum Up,
Self-examining your breast for breast cancer every month can help you be aware of your health and also keep breast cancer at bay. So, if you notice any such unusual changes: Don’t panic. Visit your doctor for further evaluation and just keep your morals high.
