Pink Promises: Breast Cancer Awareness

Here’s how to do a monthly breast self-exam:

1. Choose a day during the week after your period ends (this is when your breasts are least likely to be tender or swollen). Make sure to have a few minutes so you don’t have to rush through it.

2. Examine your breasts in the mirror; first with your hands on your hips and then with your palms together over your head. In both of those positions, look for redness, soreness, rash, or swelling of the breast. Also look at your nipples for inversion and gently squeeze for discharge. As you continue to do this monthly, look for any changes in breast shape, size, or symmetry over time.

3. Next, lie down and check for lumps. You’re going to use the pads—not the tips—of your fingers from the hand opposite your breast. Start by placing your fingers just under your collarbone. If you think of your breast as a clock, that would be 12:00. Using moderate pressure move the pads of your fingers in a circular motion, about the size of a quarter. Do this over and over, continuing in a straight line toward your nipple. Start again at the outside of your breast at 1:00, working your way toward the nipple. Do this all the way around until you cover your entire breast. Repeat with your other breast.

4. Now you’re going to do the same check for both breasts while standing up. This check may be easier in the shower, when your skin is wet.

https://twu.campuswell.com/breast-cancer-awareness-month/