Breast self-exam is the easiest way for women to spot lumps in breast tissue. How often and especially how should the breast itself be examined? We clarify the most important questions here.
- Regular breast self-exams are an easy way to reveal changes in breast tissue.
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Of the various breast exam techniques, the easiest way to detect changes in breast tissue is by palpating the breast. On the one hand, your doctor will palpate the breasts if a woman has symptoms. The medical palpation of the breast should also be carried out once a year within the framework of the age of 30 at the latest, even if you have not noticed anything special about your breast.
You can also feel your chest yourself. It is a uncomplicated Palpation examination. A regular Breast self-examination is the easiest way to identify breast tissue disease early on. Most node However, they are not found during regular self-examinations, but rather when showering, during sex or when scratching an itchy area.
Palpate the chest: when and how often?
In order to be able to judge whether something has actually changed, you need to know your breasts well and exactly how they feel. Since the Breast tissue As the cycle changes, it is best to do the breast self-exam once a month at a similar time and fairly regularly. In pre-menopausal women, the best time to palpate the breast is between third and seventh day after the start of the period, because then the breast tissue is the softest.
As a result, possible changes can best be felt and the chest is less sensitive. Women who no longer have a menstrual period should choose a fixed day of the month for the self-examination, for example the start of the month. The Lathering the skin or using one lotion facilitates the examination.
Look at breasts in the mirror before self-exam
First, stand in front of a mirror and just look at your breasts. Are they tight or are they drooping very badly? Are they the same size or is there one asymmetry? What color are the nipples? Are they surrounded by hair or small bumps?
The main purpose of the inspection in front of the mirror is to Changes in size, swelling, or skin retraction ascertain. With arms hanging down to the sides, arms raised above the head, arms propped up on the hips and tense chest muscles, the breasts should be observed carefully. It should be noted that both breasts rarely look exactly the same. The main aim is to identify any particular changes that have occurred since the previous breast self-examination.
This is followed by palpation of the chest while sitting or standing: Each breast is slowly and carefully scanned across the entire surface with the opposite hand for any swelling, lump or thickening that can be symptoms of breast cancer. This examination is more pleasant in the shower or in the bathtub, because the hand can be guided more easily over wet and possibly soaped skin.
Palpate the breast: examine the nipples separately
When lying down, preferably in the morning before getting up in bed, you put one arm under your head so that the chest on the same side is a little tense. With the other hand, the breast is scanned in a spiral, inward circling movement that begins on the outside and covers the entire breast tissue and at the end also includes the nipple.
The nipples are examined separately when palpating the breast by gently pressing them between thumb and forefinger. If secretions should emerge in the process, one should register exactly whether they are clear or bloody.
Breast examination: monthly cycle changes the breast tissue
When doing your self-exam, pay attention to what phase of your cycle you are in. The chest may swell and become more tender. Their strength can also change a lot. How much is individually different, so don't panic!
Do not look for abnormalities when palpating the chest. Just perceive your body exactly as it is and get to know your breasts. If something actually changes, you will notice it.
As already described, a palpation examination will of course also be carried out by your doctor. However, knowing your chest well is beneficial. Only you know whether a lump the doctor finds is new or not.
In case of pain, lumps and changes in the breast, to the gynecologist
Any change that a woman notices during this breast self-exam should definitely be presented to a doctor. Most of these changes have nothing to do with breast cancer, but only the doctor can order special tests that can safely rule out such a suspicion.
Imaging for breast examination
Imaging methods that are used, for example, to further clarify abnormal palpable findings are:
Mammography (x-ray examination of the breast) is the most important method for diagnosing breast cancer and other breast diseases.
The ultrasound examination of the breast (breast ultrasound) is mainly used for young women or in addition to mammography.
Sometimes a magnetic resonance examination of the breast (breast MRI) is necessary to confirm a diagnosis or to check a therapy.
It is possible that a tumor radiates more heat than healthy tissue. The Thermography is one way to sense that warmth.
Galactography means an x-ray of the milk duct system.
For further diagnosis, the doctor can also perform a breast biopsy (tissue sampling). It enables tissue to be examined under a microscope.