A step-by-step guide on checking your boobs for breast cancer

A step-by-step guide on checking your boobs for breast cancer

This October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you'll (hopefully) be spotting reminders left, right and centre, urging you to check your breasts regularly. But it's not just for one month of the year that you should be mindful about checking your boobs: it's a habit you should be maintaining all year round, no matter your age or family history.

Why should you be checking your boobs every month? Well, for starters it's important to do it so that you can get to know your normal, meaning if anything changes, you'll be better placed to spot it.

Every year in the UK, around 11,500 women sadly die each year from breast cancer (along with around 85 men), according to data from Breast Cancer Now, and while the risk of getting breast cancer is lower the younger you are, unfortunately it's still thought that roughly 4% of those who get this form of cancer are under 40. Breast cancer is also one of the leading causes of death for women under 50 in Britain.

Ihe prospect of a self-examination seems daunting, don't worry: we didn't go to med school either. And it's actually a lot easier than you think, because there's no right way to check your breasts. There are, however, a few important things you need to remember to look and feel for, so follow our guide and you'll be a pro before you know it.

How to check your breasts for breast cancer
Cosmopolitan UK

How often should you check your breasts for lumps?

There's no specific number of times per week/month/year that you should be checking your breasts. But breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!, who we partnered up with to make the above video, like to alert people who subscribe to their free reminder service to give themselves a check once a month (you can sign up for monthly text alerts here).

The main thing is that you self-examine regularly enough to know what's normal for your boobs; that way, you can tell if something has changed, and you can go to a doctor to investigate if it doesn't go away.

How to check your breasts for breast cancer
Cosmopolitan UK

How to examine your boobs at home

One of the biggest misconceptions about breast cancer is that you will get a lump if you develop the disease. While a lump is undoubtedly one of the more common symptoms, this is not the only thing you should be monitoring. Here are a series of things you should be looking and feeling for when you check your breasts:

Look for:

  • Changes in skin texture such as puckering/dimpling

  • Nipple discharge

  • Nipple inversion and changes in direction

  • Swelling in your armpit or around collar bone

  • A sudden change in size or shape

  • A rash or crusting of the nipple or surrounding area

Feel for:

  • Lumps and thickening

  • Constant, unusual pain in your breast or armpit

  • Make sure you examine right up to your collarbone and into armpits (lifting your arms up will make this easier)

How to check your breasts for breast cancer
Cosmopolitan UK

Remember: There is no right or wrong way to check your breasts - as long as you’re doing it regularly.

For more information, head over to the CoppaFeel! website.

This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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