Breast cancer is a disease that affects more women than any other cancer, and though it is treatable, the best defense is early detection. It can be useful to perform routine breast self-exams to check for anything unusual, though this exam does not substitute for mammograms or clinical breast exams. This page will outline simple steps to monitor your breast health on a regular basis.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Anyone reading this page should consult her doctor about breast cancer and how to detect it.

Breast exams are an important part of maintaining every female's overall health. Although it is recommended that you receive annual exams at the Gynecologist, it is also important to monitor yourself throughout the year. This page will provide you with information and tips on how to perform a breast exam.

(Photo by Crystal Woroniuk)

• WebMD recommends waiting until the week after your period to perform a breast exam.WebMD: Breast Self Exam Tool
• When you're ready for your exam, the American Cancer Society recommends lying down. When you lie down your breast tissue will spread out, making it easier to detect changes.American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam To perform an exam:

1. Place your right arm behind your head.
2. Use the three middle fingers of your left hand to feel for changes in breast tissue.
3. Move your fingers up and down, in a vertical motion, feeling for changes and being sure not to miss any area of the breast.
4. "Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone. Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone."American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam.
   • The Mayo Clinic also suggests alternative methods, like the clock pattern and wedge pattern to detect any changes Mayo Clinic: Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer
5. Repeat the exam with your left arm behind your head, using your right three middle fingers.

1. The American Cancer Society and the Mayo Clinic agree that the primary benefit of self breast exam is to learn how your breasts typically look and feel Mayo Clinic: Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer so that you are better able to notice symptoms of any changes.American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam

2. The American Cancer Society's list of changes to watch for includes: "development of a lump or swelling; skin irritation or dimpling, nipple pain or retraction (turning inward); redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin; or a discharge other than breast milk."American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam

3. The Mayo Clinic further counsels to see your doctor immediately if you find a lump that "feels different from surrounding tissue in that breast or tissue in your other breast."Mayo Clinic: Breast lumps

1. The National Cancer Institute reminds us that breast irregularities can occur due to aging, your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, menopause, or taking birth control pills or other hormones.National Cancer Institute: What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer

2. The Mayo Clinic also states it is normal for breasts to feel uneven, particularly around your period.Mayo Clinic: Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer

3. Remember the American Cancer Society's caution that finding something unusual in a breast exam does not mean you have cancer.American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam

• After performing the exam, look in a mirror for any changes in the appearance of your breasts. The American Cancer Society advises you to "keep your shoulders back and your hands on your hips" so the chest wall muscles will contract to reveal breast changes.American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam Look for:

1. Swelling
2. Dimpling
3. Puckering
4. Any rash, soreness, or redness
5. Scaliness of the nipples
6. Are breasts their normal size, shape, contour and color?American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam Mayo Clinic: Breast self-exams: One way to detect breast cancer

• For a more detailed description of what to look for, see BreastCancer.org's Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam.

• Self breast-exams can be a good way to understand what your body normally feels like, so you may detect anything out of the ordinary as soon as possible. But please remember that a breast self-exam is not a substitute for regular screenings, including mammograms and clinical breast exams.National Cancer Institute: What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer