Self-breast examination. How to self-examine your breasts

Breast self-examination is a regular examination and palpation of the breasts to identify any changes in its structure.

The purpose of such an examination is the timely detection of formations in the mammary glands, including cancer, the disease and mortality from which is inexorably growing among women of different ages.

Early diagnosis significantly increases the chances of successful recovery from the disease and normalization of quality of life. In addition to cancer, there are also benign formations in the chest, which also require constant monitoring and examination if necessary.

At what age, when and how often should you have your breasts examined?

Experts recommend starting to independently examine your breasts around the age of 20 and continue doing so throughout your life. It is advisable to palpate the mammary glands of women at risk every month.

For those who are not burdened with bad heredity and have not encountered diseases of the mammary glands, it is enough to examine the breasts once every 3 months. There is no need to be examined more than once a month, otherwise you may simply not notice small changes and miss something important.

Women with regular menstrual cycle You should examine your breasts in the first half of the cycle, a few days after the end of menstruation. At this time, the breasts in most patients are the least sensitive, painless and not swollen, and therefore palpation will be easier.

During your appointment oral contraceptives, you need to examine your breasts for changes in its structure on the first day of starting to take pills from a new package. During menopause, any day is suitable for self-examination, but every month it should be the same, so choose a convenient date for yourself and write down all the results in your diary.

It is worth remembering that an independent examination of the mammary glands will not replace an examination with a doctor, so once a year, do not be too lazy to see a gynecologist and mammologist. If you suspect any pathology, you should visit a specialist immediately so as not to miss precious time for treatment if necessary.

How to properly perform a breast self-examination

Before starting a self-examination of the mammary glands, it is recommended to see a specialist to make sure that you are healthy and understand which breast should be in in good condition. Ask your doctor to show you how to properly examine your breasts at home; this may make it easier for you to do it in private.

Getting used to regular checkups, you will probably be able to notice any changes and report them to a specialist if necessary. It is better to begin the breast palpation procedure in the morning or afternoon, with sufficient natural light and in front of a large mirror. Try to carry out the examination in accordance with scheme, not chaotic.

1. First, you need to remove your bra and inspect the cups for stains from breast discharge.

Normally, there should be no or very little discharge from the nipples. Look to see if there are stains from discharge on your underwear, and if there are, what are their number, color (yellow, white, bloody) and consistency (transparent, thick, dried crust).

2. Now stand in front of the mirror, straighten your shoulders and stretch your arms along your waist. You can begin examining the mammary glands.

It is necessary to check whether the breasts are the same shape and size, whether there is any asymmetry between the mammary glands, or retraction of the nipples. Each breast should then be examined individually.

Pay attention to the skin: is there any redness on the chest, increased vascular patterns, wrinkles, dryness and flaking of the skin, etc. It is worth paying attention to irregularities noticeable to the eye (recessions or swelling).

You need to examine not only the breast itself, but also the skin nearby: between the mammary glands, near the armpits and collarbones. It is definitely worth examining the areola and nipples. Are they retracted, is there peeling of the skin on the nipples (this could be the reason), have they changed shape and is there any discharge from the mammary glands and what kind.

3. After this, you need to raise your hands up and again carefully examine your chest from all sides.

Look at yourself in the mirror from the front, then turn first to one side, then to the other side. Pay attention to whether both breasts rise behind the arms, whether there is any deformation, and whether the skin under the breasts is normal. Try to lift the mammary glands from below using your fingertips to see if it rises up easily.

4. Place your hands on your belt, tense and relax pectoral muscles and examine the mammary glands again.

5. Now you can begin to palpate the chest.

Run your fingers in, on, and under the collarbone. Then feel under the arms and the area from the armpits to the chest to make sure there is no swelling or lumps.

Use gentle stroking movements to feel each breast. It is better to examine the breasts by moving clockwise in a circular motion and then from top to bottom. When examining, do not use your fingertips, but rather the pads and upper phalanges.

6. Take a lying position and examine the mammary glands again.

To properly straighten the inspection area chest, it is better to place a small cushion or pillow under the shoulder blades. Feel the mammary glands in the same way as you did while standing. In this case, the arm should first be extended along the body, then to the side and then behind the head. In this position, the chest can be perfectly felt all the way to the ribs.

7. The mammary glands can be easily felt during bathing.

Soapy fingers help you glide over your skin easier and feel everything better. internal structure mammary glands.

It is important to examine your breasts regularly. This will allow you to study the structural features of your mammary glands in normal healthy condition and detect any changes in time.

At first, for convenience, you can keep notes in a diary, where you can mark any alarming symptoms, especially women suffering. Over time, once you get used to it, breast self-examination will not take up much of your time, but it will be an excellent prevention of any diseases of the mammary glands.

When to see a doctor

You should visit a mammologist for any changes that do not disappear in the next menstrual cycle. More than 75% of such changes are mainly benign, but only a specialist can accurately determine this.

In addition, during an independent examination of the breast, it seems possible to notice the formation only when it reaches an impressive size, so no one canceled visits to the doctor, breast ultrasound (women under 40 years old) and mammography (women over 40 years old), even with regular self-examination.

Why is it so important to examine women's breasts? What it should look like and what medicine offers. Features of preparation for ultrasound and mammography of the mammary glands, tips for self-examination.

Why perform a female breast examination?

According to statistics, breast cancer accounts for up to 16% of all malignant tumors detected in women. Diagnosing it in the early stages with a high degree of probability allows for successful treatment and a full recovery.

But this is far from the only disease that can affect a woman’s breasts - up to 70% of girls experience mastitis, mastopathy, fibroma, cysts and others benign tumors. It is also very important here that under certain circumstances they can degenerate into malignant ones.

Considering the above, every woman needs to be examined, but especially those who have crossed the 40-year mark. At this age, the risk of developing cancer increases significantly. You should also be vigilant during pregnancy or lactation, or if you refuse to breastfeed your child. Feeling it will allow you to identify any “suspicious” lumps and consult a doctor in time.

If you are unsure where to get a breast exam, you can go to the following places:

• City Polyclinic. Usually they accept people at their place of residence or registration. The breasts are examined here by a surgeon, gynecologist, mammologist-oncologist, or, in the absence of these specialists, by a regular local physician. It should be noted that when registering with this medical institution, this examination is mandatory.
• Oncology Center. Patients usually do not come here on their own; they are given a referral if there is a suspicion of malignant process a local therapist from a city clinic or a gynecologist.
• Reproductive center. It can be both public, where you can get a breast examination for free, and private, where you have to pay for it.
• Women's consultations. They can be part of a city hospital or maternity hospital, or be separate. Visits here are conducted by gynecologists and mammologists; oncologists are rare.
• Private medical center. Each such institution has a gynecologist, a mammologist, and a surgeon. There is also access to a mammogram and ultrasound. True, all these services are paid, but in many centers you can use them with insurance.

Breast examination methods

Modern medicine offers five main methods that can be used either individually or in combination. It is the latter method that is most often practiced by doctors, since it allows one to obtain the most comprehensive clinical picture and conduct highly informative diagnostics. This significantly increases the chances of drawing up a diagram successful treatment and recovery if any problems are discovered.

Let's look at each method in more detail:

1. Palpation. It should be done independently every month, regardless of age. The optimal time for this is day 5-6 of the cycle, when the breasts are as relaxed as possible. It allows you to feel painful lumps and visualize them using other methods. In a medical center, such an examination should be carried out every 6-12 months, even if there are no problems in the female part.
2. Mammography. It is performed 7-12 days after the end of menstruation. She represents X-ray examination mammary glands. The woman is asked to remove all clothing up to the waist and her breasts are scanned, taking several overview pictures. The accuracy of this method is 92%, guaranteed by the ability to obtain images with 3x magnification in different projections. It is recommended to choose it for those over 40 years old, or for girls who have had gynecological problems in their family. This procedure should be carried out at least once a year, but it is not suitable during pregnancy and breastfeeding. There are no complications after it due to the low radiation exposure.
3. CT scan. This is the most expensive examination method, which is mainly relevant only for neoplasms previously confirmed by ultrasound or x-ray. To implement it, a large tomograph is used, which has a built-in emitter, X-ray sensors and a platform the length of average human height, on which the patient is asked to lie facing the ceiling. After scanning the body, the results are displayed on the monitor. CT allows you to make the diagnosis as accurately as possible, thoroughly examining the organ of concern.
4. Ultrasound examination of the mammary glands. Its essence lies in the effect of long, high-frequency waves on the body, which, penetrating deep into the skin, help to obtain a detailed picture on the screen. To do this, the breasts are lubricated with a special gel. With the help of such manipulations, up to 90% of all neoplasms are detected, and also on early stage. This method is characterized by high information content, painlessness and low cost. Sometimes a biopsy is performed under the supervision of an ultrasound specialist. This technique is indicated for people under 40 years of age when mammography is not justified. It is also suitable for pregnant women, since it is absolutely harmless, no harmful radiation there is no.
5. Histological examination . IN medical practice it is better known as a biopsy, which is performed for suspicious lumps. To do this, a fragment is “plucked off” from problematic tissues for further study to determine whether it is benign or malignant. Material collection occurs mainly under local anesthesia, the patient does not feel anything at this time, and this takes about 10 minutes. A puncture procedure is also possible, during which a sample is taken using a syringe without anesthesia. In both cases, it takes about two weeks to study it, the reliability of the results obtained is 97-99%.
6. RTM diagnostics. This method is used very rarely, since it is quite expensive and is not practiced in all medical centers. The technology is based on measuring the temperature of healthy and suspicious breast tissue - it has been proven that in tumors it is higher than in normal areas. During the examination, the laboratory assistant installs a radio thermometer on the chest, which transmits the received data to the monitor in the form of graphs and diagrams. This procedure takes approximately 15 minutes. Its advantages are minimally invasive, lack of discomfort and contraindications, and high accuracy. This method is usually used in addition to mammography or ultrasound.

Note! Very often, breast tumors are detected using conventional fluorography.

Preparing for a breast exam

Unlike examination, for example, of the gastrointestinal tract, there are no strict requirements for this. Ultrasound, RTM diagnostics, and mammography are performed on a certain day, preferably in the morning. General rule for them it is necessary to inform the doctor in advance about all existing complaints in the field of gynecology and provide him with old hospital extracts. It is also worth warning him about taking any medications 1-2 days before visiting the doctor.

Here's more detailed plan:

• . No special preparation is required here; you can eat and drink whatever you want. The only limitation is the reception contraception and hormones, which should be stopped in 1-2 days. You can take one small towel with you to the procedure, which you will need to lay under you. Wet wipes will also come in handy, although they are usually provided in the office; they are needed to wipe off the gel that is applied to the skin.
• Mammography. Reliable results are obtained 7-10 days after the end of menstruation, during the same period there is no discomfort and painful sensations. When going to see a doctor, you need to take pictures and videos with you from past examinations. Two or three days before this, you should exclude strong tea, coffee, and carbonated drinks from your diet, which can aggravate anxiety. Since the procedure will require you to be naked to the waist, it is recommended to wear some comfortable clothing that can be quickly removed. You should not use antiperspirants, deodorants, various sprays and body creams on the day of the procedure. If mammography will be done with contrast, then you should stop eating and drinking anything 5-6 hours before. Immediately before entering the office, you need to remove all metal jewelry, including hair, as it can distort the picture.
• RTM diagnostics. There is practically no need to prepare for it, you just need to take it on the day of visiting the doctor. cold and hot shower with soap and dry well. Do not dress too warmly or too lightly, as this may affect your temperature readings. From food, you can eat and drink whatever your heart desires, the only exception being alcohol, which heats the tissues.
• Histological examination. Usually the biopsy is performed under local anesthesia, very rarely - with general anesthesia. Taking this into account, the patient should stop eating any food 5-6 hours before visiting the doctor. You can drink, but only in small quantities to moisten the throat mucosa. It is not allowed to consume any type of alcohol or medicines, which interfere with blood clotting and prevent the formation of blood clots. These include aspirin, anticoagulants, etc.

Note! Before undergoing a breast examination with a specific doctor, you need to find out all the intricacies of preparing for the procedure from him, since in different medical institutions it may differ slightly.

How to do a breast exam yourself

It is recommended to carry it out starting from the age of 20 and throughout life, lactation, pregnancy and menopause are no exception. It must be remembered that every year the risk of developing breast cancer increases. To diagnose it in time, it is necessary to feel the breasts every month in the first few days after the end of menstruation, when they are least sensitive. For those women for whom it has already stopped, this can be done on the same date at the end of the month.

The mammary glands should be examined after a thorough shower with soap and the body has cooled down, while your hands should be clean.

In order to do everything correctly, you need to go through several steps:

1. Bare to the waist, choose a wall mirror in the room, and stand facing it.
2. See if any asymmetry is noticeable, if the mammary glands are the same in size and shape.
3. Pay special attention to appearance fabric, which should not have any stains or dark areas.
4. Take a closer look at the nipples, which in a healthy state are always intact, not cracked or sunken.
5. Lift up left hand above your head, place the right one on your chest and try to feel it as deeply as possible, pressing with your fingers and moving in a circle. Repeat the same with right breast. In order not to miss a single area, grab the skin 1-2 cm at a time, starting from the armpit and heading towards the heart.
6. Feel the mammary glands again, this time lying on the bed. Make sure that the surface is level, without differences in height.
7. Now squeeze tightly with your large and index fingers each nipple in turn, from which no liquid should flow. At the end, inspect the bra; it is very important that there are no purulent or blood stains on it.

When carrying out the procedure for the first time, you need to try to remember everything individual characteristics their mammary glands. This is necessary in order to compare the results and your own feelings next month. Ideally, you should keep a diary in which you should enter information about each examination. There is no need to panic, even if any changes have been found. Try checking for their presence another time; if lumps are present, you will need to contact a gynecologist or mammologist.

Strong retraction, redness and cracking of the nipples should alert you. It is necessary to react to the discharge from them in the form of white, green, brown or any other color. You should be especially careful if they have a strong bad smell, contain traces of blood and pus. A good reason to see a doctor is an increase in skin temperature in certain areas of the breast, a change in their color, and the formation of an “orange peel.”

How to conduct a breast examination - watch the video:

Once you find out where to get a breast examination in your city, don’t put it off until later. remember, that early detection any pathology is the key to successful treatment of even the most complex diseases. Every woman over 20 years of age should undergo a breast self-examination, and this procedure should be performed once a month and on the same calendar day. It is best to choose a day between the fifth and tenth day from the start of menstruation. It is not advisable to carry out self-examination more often, since then they will be less noticeable possible changes in the mammary glands.

The examination procedure is simple. It should be performed in good lighting, in a warm room. First you need to inspect your bra for discharge. If there is discharge, then on the nipples they are, as a rule, hardly noticeable, but they leave a mark on the tissue.

Next, you need to undress to the waist, stand in front of a mirror and carefully examine both breasts to see if there are any differences, changes, and so on.
One breast may be smaller than the other - this is quite normal, since a person’s paired organs always differ more or less in size. Then you should independently examine the mammary gland separately: is its shape, size, outline normal, and whether any changes have appeared.

You should especially carefully examine the skin and areola for redness, irritation, retraction, bulging, ulcers, “lemon peel”, discharge from the nipple, crust, swelling, and so on. Throwing your hands behind your head and raising your elbows high, you need to slowly lean forward, then turn left and right, watching how evenly the mammary glands move. The armpits are also examined with raised arms.

The next stage of examination is palpation. Hands should be clean and warm, movements should be soft and delicate.
First, palpation is carried out in a standing position. If the examination begins with the left breast, then the left hand should be placed behind the head. The fingers of the right hand, except the thumb, need to be closed and straightened, and then carefully and leisurely palpate the chest clockwise, moving in a spiral and gradually approaching the nipple.

It is advisable to palpate the mammary gland in two passes: first superficially, without strong pressure, as if stroking - this way it is easier to detect subtle subcutaneous formations; the second palpation is usually carried out more deeply, that is, the pressure with the fingers should be stronger. Having completed the examination of the left breast, right hand You also need to put it behind your head and palpate the right mammary gland with your left hand.

Then palpation is repeated in a lying position.
In this position, the pectoral muscles are relaxed, so it will be easier to detect any formations in the glands. The palpation technique is the same as when standing, but it is advisable to place a small cushion or pad under the shoulder blade on the side being examined.

For greatest effect The position of the arm on the side being examined can be changed: first, throw it behind the head, then move it to the side, perpendicular to the body, then lower it along the body. Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to “unusual” lumps in the mammary gland and painful areas. At the end of the examination, the armpits and the condition of the lymph nodes are checked again.

Standing in front of the mirror again, you need to carefully examine the nipple area: whether the shape, size, color and condition of the areola have changed, whether there are any cracks or irritation on the nipples themselves. The area around each nipple should be carefully felt with your fingers to see if there are any lumps or painful areas. When completing the examination, you should gently squeeze each nipple with your thumb and forefinger and see if there is any discharge. If there are any, it is important to determine their consistency, smell, and color.

If during the inspection any changes, compactions, etc. were discovered, under no circumstances should you panic. Firstly, it may well be natural changes, characteristic of the female breast a few days before menstruation. As is known, during this period the mammary glands become heavier, enlarge, and can react painfully to physical impact. As a rule, all detected tubercles and nodules disappear with the onset of menstruation.

If this does not happen, it makes sense to visit a mammologist. Most often, lumps in the mammary gland appear as a result of an increase in its tissue under the influence of estrogen. In this case, doctors diagnose fibroadenoma or fibrocystic mastopathy. These diseases themselves are not dangerous and do not belong to the category of cancer, but it is still better to undergo full examination to exclude even suspicion of breast cancer.

You can suspect a cancerous formation in the mammary gland only if the following signs appear: unexpectedly and often fixed seal, which is noticeably denser than the others; retraction of the nipple or its deviation from its normal position; severe enlargement of the lymph nodes in the armpits, above or below the collarbones; discharge or bleeding from the nipple. In any of these cases, you should immediately consult a doctor.

The sooner it is discovered malignancy, the higher the chance that it will be possible to do without amputation of the mammary gland. Timely detection will allow surgical removal of only the tumor, and subsequent radiotherapy will prevent its further spread. In some cases, it is possible to manage even without surgical intervention.

It is recommended to carry out examination of the mammary glands regularly: once a month on the 7th – 10th day from the beginning of menstruation, when the soreness and swelling of the breasts, justified by the menstrual cycle, is already behind. Women in menopause or who have irregular cycle, this must be done once a month at any, but clearly fixed time. In order for the examination data to be as clear as possible, it is recommended to record the date of each procedure performed.

Women, feeling their own breasts for the first time, should not be surprised that they do not have a completely even structure. To the touch, the breast consists of lobules, varying in size and density. But with regular palpation, after a certain period of time, a woman will easily feel any changes (if any).

Breast examination is carried out in several stages. It is necessary to begin the procedure with a thorough examination of the underwear in the places where it comes into contact with the nipples. A sign of any changes occurring in the mammary gland is discharge from the nipple. Small amounts of them can go completely unnoticed on the surface of the nipples, but leave marks on the fabric of the bra.

Examination technique

First, stand in front of a mirror and visually inspect your breast shape, skin, and nipples. Then raise your hands up and again carefully examine your chest, first from the front and then from both sides.

In a standing position, gently press on the mammary gland with the three middle fingers of your hands tightly pressed together. Visually divide the breast into four parts and, starting with the upper outer quarter, move further clockwise.

Gently take each nipple in turn, pinch it between your thumb and forefinger and notice if any fluid is released.

The examination is then continued in the supine position. Similarly, divide the breast into parts and feel each quarter in order. Also, after examining your breasts, use your fingers to feel the areas located under the armpits. The lymph nodes.

The examination is carried out first for one breast and then for the second. If there are any changes in the structure of the skin, the formation of nodules inside the mammary gland, as well as the appearance of discharge of any kind from the nipples (colostrum, paste-like, greenish-brown, serous or bloody) and enlarged lymph nodes, you must immediately consult a specialist.

You need to undress to the waist and stand in front of a large mirror. You need to carefully examine your chest, alternately taking the following positions: spread your arms in different directions, raise your arms above your head, put your hands on your hips and lean forward.

You should pay close attention to certain features: changes in the shape and size of the mammary gland, enlargement of veins and blood vessels, the appearance of bumps or indentations on the skin. If you notice something unusual, this should be a red flag.

Palpation

Palpation will help identify problems if they exist. To do this, you need to put your left hand on the back of your head, then press the three middle fingers of the other hand towards each other and, making circular movements, examine left breast. Circular movements should be made from the base of the breast towards the nipple. It is necessary in this way to capture and armpit. You need to check in the same way: placing your right hand on the back of your head, examine it with the fingers of your left hand in a circular motion.

When examining the breasts by palpation, you need to pay attention to the following: the appearance of lumps and indentations on the skin, the appearance of thickenings and hardening in the mammary gland, swelling. All these features should be a reason to consult a doctor.

How to check your nipples

Nipples also need to be checked. After carefully examining them to see if they are in normal condition, you should lightly squeeze the nipples with your thumb and forefinger. There should be cause for concern and consultation with a doctor following features: deformed nipples, rashes, wounds, cracks or crusts on the nipples, hardening and thickening, discharge from the nipples.

In addition, you need to constantly listen to yourself, your feelings, pay attention to various ailments: often the chest and armpits, the skin of the chest is reddish, the armpits swell from time to time, often the chest.

If you notice such symptoms, you should consult a doctor immediately. Do not forget that a disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Even if any formation is detected, it will be much easier to cure it in a timely manner.