Breast Self-Examinations

Ana Pilar Aspuru
Apr 8, 2019
2 min read

Breast self-examinations (BSE) should be conducted monthly because 40% of diagnosed breast cancers have been detected by women who felt a lump in her breast. As breasts usually become tender during menstruation, the best time to perform a breast self-examination is about a week after menstruation because the breasts are less tender. Additionally, the Maurer Foundation recommends performing breast self-exams for men and women as early as the age of 18.

Breast self-examinations provide important baseline information, just as routine bloodwork and check-ups provide baseline data to notice any changes. Breast-self exams allow you to familiarize yourself with the appearance and feeling of your own breasts to be able to recognize and detect any changes. If you notice any changes, you should alert your physician as soon as possible to diagnose the lump to determine if it is breast cancer. However, if you find a lump there is no need to panic because about 80% of lumps found are benign. Thus, it is best to schedule an appointment with your doctor and go from there. It is best to remain calm because stress has very negative affects to your health. While breast self-exams are vital, you should not solely rely on breast self-exams to diagnose breast cancer because it cannot detect tumors before they can be felt in a breast self-exam

Although some sources state that breast self-exams can be done in the shower, other sources, such as the Maurer Foundation, state that they should not be performed in the shower. Furthermore, the Maurer Foundation says that breast self-exams should not be done using lotion. Both the water in the shower and lotions will cause a gliding motion, which may not allow you to properly feel any changes in your breasts.

Check out the PDF below, provided by the Maurer Foundation, for step-by-step directions with images on how to perform a breast self-examination!