How often should I check my breasts and what am I looking for?

1^st Step: Start by looking at your breasts in the mirror while your shoulders are straight and the arms should be on your hips.

What are you looking for?

• Whether the Breasts are of usual size, shape, and color
• Whether the Breasts are evenly shaped with no visible swelling or distortion

In case you observe any of the below contact your doctor:

• Puckering, dimpling, or bulging of skin
• If the nipple has changed position or got inverted or pushed inwards instead of sticking out.

Redness, rash, soreness or a swelling

2^nd Step: Raise the arms and try looking for same changes as in step 1

3^rd Step: While you are still in the mirror, try identifying any sign of a fluid leaking off one or both the nipples. This fluid could be milky, watery, blood, or yellowish

4^th Step: Feel the breasts while you are laid down. Use the right hand to feel the left breast and use the left hand to feel the right breast with form and smooth tough with first few finger pads of the hand and keep the fingers flat & together. Do so in a circular motion about the size of a quarter.

Cover the full breast from top to the bottom and side to side from your collarbone to top of the abdomen and from armpit to cleavage.

You could start at the nipple, moving in with larger circles till you come to the breast’s external edge. You could also move the fingers up & down vertically in rows as if you mow a lawn. This down and up practice best works for females. Ensure that you feel al, tissues from front to back of the breast: for skin & tissues just beneath, use a light pressure; use a medium pressure for tissues in the middle of the breast; use a firm pressure on deep tissues in the back. Once you have reached the deep tissues, you shall feel down to the ribcage.

5^th step: Eventually, feel the breast while you stand or sit. Many ladies find it easiest to feel the breast while their skin is slippery and wet, so they like doing this step in shower. Cover the entire breast and use same movements of hands explained in the 4^th step.