Women should have breast examinations during their routine check-ups, and women over 40 should have them annually. During the exam, a health professional feels the breast and underneath the arm with fingers, checking for lumps. This is called palpation.

The breasts also are checked for other changes, such as dimpling, scaling or puckering of the skin, or a discharge from the nipples.

Breast Self-Examination
Women should do breast self-exams monthly so they can become familiar with the usual appearance and feel of their own breasts. This makes it easier to notice if any changes have occurred from one month to another.

How To Do Breast Self-Exam

1. Lie down and put a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right arm behind your head.
2. Use the finger pads of your three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps or thickening. Your finger pads are the top third of each finger.
3. Press firmly enough to know how your breast feels. If you're not sure how hard to press, ask your health care provider, or try to copy the way your health care provider uses the finger pads during a breast exam. Learn what your breast feels like. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal.
4. Move around the breast in a set way. You can choose either the circle, the up and down, or the wedge. Do it the same way every time. It will help you to make sure that you've gone over the entire breast area, and to remember how your breast feels. Be sure to cover the entire breast. Pay special attention to the area between the breast and the underarm, including the underarm itself.
5. Now examine your left breast using right hand finger pads.
6. In you find any changes, see your doctor right away.

For added safety
Check your breasts while standing in front of a mirror right after doing your breast self-exam each month. See if there are any changes in the way your breasts look: dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple, or redness or swelling.

You might also want to do a breast self-exam while in the shower.

When To Do Breast Self-Exam
The best time to do breast self-exam is right after your period, when your breasts are not tender or swollen. If you don't have regular periods, or sometimes skip a month, do it on the same day every month.