What is New with Breast Cancer Self Exams?
Breast self-exams can be intimidating -- sometimes it feels like our breasts are entirely made of lumps and bumps!
It can be hard to understand what you’re really looking for with a self-exam. The good news is that lumpy breasts are actually normal, and what is most important is that you are able to identify if something changes from your normal (lumpy!) baseline.
This is why we now encourage breast self-awareness at all times in your cycle. The specific things that breast surgeons look for are: skin changes (thickening, redness, texture change like an orange peel); new or different lumps (that feel different than the rest of your breast tissue or that you haven’t noticed before); nipple discharge (clear or bloody discharge from a single duct is more concerning than milky or green discharge from both sides-- yes, nipple discharge can be green!); changes in the shape or contour of your breast (are any areas bulging out or puckering in? Did your nipple used to be an outie but now it’s an innie?).
