When to do it
The best time to examine your breasts is seven to ten days after the first day of your period, when hormonal breast swelling and tenderness are at their lowest. At this point, the tissue is softest and any genuine lump or change is easier to feel. If you are post-menopausal or have irregular periods, pick the same date each month and stick to it so you build a consistent reference point.
Once a month is often enough. Daily checking is not recommended because it creates unnecessary anxiety and the body changes too gradually between daily checks to be meaningful.
Step 1 — Look in the mirror
Stand in front of a mirror with good lighting, your shoulders relaxed, and your arms at your sides. Look at both breasts and notice their usual size, shape, and position relative to each other. Then raise both arms above your head and look again. Check for:
- Any new difference in size or shape between the two breasts
- Skin dimpling, puckering, or a visible dent — especially one that appears only when the arm is raised
- Redness, rash, or scaling of the skin or nipple
- A nipple that has changed direction or turned inward
- Any visible swelling in the armpit area
Some asymmetry between breasts is completely normal and common. What you are looking for is a new change compared with what your breasts normally look like.
Step 2 — Feel while standing
Use your right hand to examine your left breast and your left hand for your right breast. Use the pads of your three middle fingers — not the tips — and apply firm but comfortable pressure. Too light and you will not feel deep tissue; too heavy and everything feels like a lump.
- Start at the outer edge of the breast and work in small circular motions toward the nipple, covering every part of the breast including the armpit (where breast tissue extends) and the area up toward the collarbone
- Use three levels of pressure in each spot — light (skin and just beneath), medium (middle tissue), and firm (deep tissue close to the chest wall)
- Do not lift your fingers and reposition — keep contact with the skin and slide smoothly between areas to avoid missing a section
- Gently squeeze each nipple between your thumb and forefinger to check for any discharge
Step 3 — Feel while lying down
Lying down spreads breast tissue more evenly across the chest wall, making it easier to feel changes in larger or heavier breasts. Place a folded towel or pillow under your right shoulder and put your right hand behind your head. Use your left hand to examine the right breast with the same three-finger circular technique, working from the armpit inward. Repeat on the other side.
What is normal to find
Most women have some natural lumpiness in their breasts, particularly in the upper outer area toward the armpit. This is normal glandular tissue and is especially noticeable in the days before a period. Both breasts often have similar areas of lumpiness and firmness, which is reassuring.
- Symmetrical lumpiness in both breasts that changes with your menstrual cycle is almost always normal fibrocystic tissue
- A firm ridge along the lower edge of the breast is normal — this is the inframammary ridge
- Slight differences in size between the two breasts are common
What to report to a doctor
- A new lump or thickening that was not there last month, in one breast only, and does not change with your cycle
- A lump that is hard, irregular, or feels anchored to surrounding tissue rather than moving freely
- A change in skin — dimpling, puckering, or a new visible dent
- A nipple that has newly inverted, developed a rash, or is producing discharge
- Any finding that is clearly different between the two breasts and was not there before
Self-examination is about knowing your own body, not diagnosing yourself. The goal is to notice change. Even if you find something, the vast majority of breast changes are benign. Getting it checked quickly is the right response — not the frightening one.
Self-examination and mammography
Breast self-examination is a complement to — not a replacement for — clinical breast examinations and mammography. Mammograms detect cancers before they are large enough to feel, often by two to three years. Women over 40 should have a mammogram every one to two years. Women with a family history of breast cancer or a known BRCA mutation should discuss an earlier and more frequent screening schedule with their doctor.
If you have never had a clinical breast examination, ask Dr. Shruthi or your regular doctor to demonstrate the technique and confirm your self-examination method at your next appointment.