Tips and Tools

Examine Yourself: Techniques for Breast and Testicular Self-Examinations

Breast Self Exam (BSE)

A breast self-exam includes both looking and feeling over the entire breast and chest area, and as a general rule should be performed once a month. The best time to conduct an exam is about a week after the beginning of your period, when your breasts are at their least swollen and tender. Here's how to do it:

Manual inspection

• Stand upright or lie down on your back
• For each breast: move the pads of your middle three fingers around the breast in a pattern, making sure to cover the entire breast area. Try different patterns, such as vertical, circular, or "spokes of a wheel"
• Remember that most breast cancers are found in the upper, outer portion of the breast or in the area behind the nipple, so pay particular attention to these areas
• Also inspect the areas around your breasts, including the region from the armpit to the collarbone, and below the breasts
• If you began by standing up, lie down and repeat the same procedure; if you began by lying down, stand up and repeat the same procedure

Visual inspection

• Stand in front of a mirror with your arms by your sides and check your breasts for any changes in size, shape or position, dimpling or puckering of the skin, pushed-in or misshapen nipples, redness, swelling or other irregularities.
• Repeat the inspection with your hands on your hips
• Raise your arms over or behind your head, and turn to each side to inspect your breasts in profile.

Last Modified: September 5, 2006