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The best protection is early detection.
A 3-step approach to good breast care includes: |
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- Monthly breast self exams starting at age 20
- Clinical breast exams with your health care provider every 3 years starting at age 20 and annually beginning at age 40
- Annual screening mammogram for women age 40 and older
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Most women find their own breast lumps |
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Most breast lumps are NOT cancer |
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All normal breasts feel lumpy and bumpy --
which is why it is important for women to get to know the feeling of their own breasts |
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Other signs of possible breast cancer include: |
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- nipple discharge
- skin dimpling or puckering
- nipple retraction or inversion
- redness
- inflammation or skin thickening
- changes in size or shape of the breast or the appearance of the nipple
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Examine yourself at the same time each month, preferably at the end of your period if you menstruate or on the same day of the month if you no longer menstruate. |
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LOOK: standing, in the mirror |
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- Arms at your side
- Arms above your head
- Hands on your waist with your chest muscles tensed
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FEEL: lying down with a pillow under your shoulder and your arm above your head and again standing up |
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- Use the pads of your fingers, examine in a vertical pattern with a firm but gentle touch
- Examine all of the breast tissue from the collarbone, to the rib cage, to the breast bone, to the armpit.
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Use your BeMitt™ to reduce friction and enhance your sense of touch. |
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To examine your left breast, lie on your back and place a pillow or folded towel under your left shoulder. Place your left arm over your head with your elbow bent to a 90-degree angle. (This position makes it easier to examine your breast by flattening out the breast tissue.) |
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With the BeMitt™ on your right hand, use the pads of your three middle fingers to examine your left breast. Allow the bottom layer of the BeMitt™ to lightly adhere to your breast and move your fingers in small circles using light, medium and firm pressure without lifting your BeMitt™ off the skin. The inside layer will glide easily over the outside layer. |
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Use a vertical pattern to examine the entire illustrated area. (Include an examination of your armpit as some parts of your breast tissue extend into this area.) |
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Switch the pillow to your right side and repeat these steps for examination of your right breast. |
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Report any changes in your breast to a health care practitioner. |
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