How to check for breast lumps

Your breasts are among the top body organs that are affected by hormonal changes that occur every month. For many women, breasts play an important role in breastfeeding their children. It’s therefore important to ensure that they remain healthy at all times. Do not neglect your breasts and perform self-exams and safeguard your health.

Apart from doing simple things like going braless to avoid sweat and heat buildup on and in the breast, wearing supportive bras, exercising to promote the loss of fat to have healthy breasts, never ignore a lump. You need to check for breast lumps. Self-exams can be done at least once a month enabling you to detect breast cancers before they reach a critical stage. You can perform breast self-exams even in the comfort of your home or in any place that is secluded such as in the shower. There are several ways on how to check for breast lumps. Below are three steps to check for breast lumps so that you can find any sign of breast cancer before it spreads.

Using a mirror 

Stand in front of a mirror so that you can inspect your breasts. Raise your arms at an overhead position. Check your breast size to see if there are any changes in the size, contour, and color. Your left and right breasts might not exactly match which is common in most women but should be evenly shaped. Also, check out for swelling, bulging, puckering, or dimpling. 

This not only involves the sides of your breasts but also your nipples. Your nipples shouldn’t have changed their position. Check if there are any watery, milky, and yellow or blood fluids coming out of your nipples. 

While in the shower 

You can check for breast lump while you are standing or sitting, especially when your skin is wet which is done in the shower. The best way is to cover the entire breast. This is achievable by using a pattern where you feel all the tissue by applying light, medium, and firm pressure using the pads of your 3 middle fingers. Medium pressure is applied in the middle of your breasts and firm pressure on the deep tissue in the back towards your ribcage. The first pattern is beginning from the nipple and then moving in larger circles towards the outer edge of the breast. The second pattern is by moving your fingers horizontally or up and down vertically. 

While lying down

Lying down spreads the breast tissue evenly. One great way to check for abnormalities is to place a pillow under your left shoulder and your left arm behind your head. Use your right hand to check your left breast using a firm, gentle touch with the pads of your 3 middle fingers. Use a circular motion and ensure that the entire breast is covered. Repeat the same process similar to how you checked the nipple for discharge and lumps. This should be done on both breasts.

The self-exams can be performed to check for breast lumps but it’s also advisable to combine them with regular medical checkups. In case you notice any changes, schedule an appointment, and report them to your doctor. Get any new lump checked for breast cancer straight away from a certified physician to improve your chances of treating it successfully. Take a mammogram since it can detect tumors even before they can be felt. During mammography, screening is done enabling early detection.