A person should have a doctor do a breast exam every 1 to 3 years if you're ages 25 to 39 and when you're 40 or older yous should have a breast exam every year.
You can begin getting a mammogram every 1 to 2 years when you're 40 or you can wait until you are 50.
Breast exams are normally included in regular gynecological check ups.
During a breast exam your doctor will physically examine your breasts and feel for any lumps or irregularities.
Your doctor will also do an X ray of the breasts known as a mammogram or ultrasound scan that produces images of inside of your breasts.
The doctor may also order a biopsy of the breast tissue to remove some breast tissue and check it under a microscope.
A breast lump should be checked when the breast lump is new and or feels firm or fixed or if the breast lump does not go away after 4 to 6 weeks or the breast lump has changed in size or in how the breast lump feels.
Cysts in the breast are usually located in the upper outer quadrant or the central margins in the middle, close to the nipple.
Most breast cysts are non cancerous or benign and do not always require treatment unless the size of the breast cyst or the presence of the breast cyst bothers you.
Breast cysts are typically oval or round in shape and can develop quickly anywhere in the breast and they can be any size and range from a few millimeters to several centimeters and some breast cysts are also too small to feel and others are large enough to feel uncomfortable.
You should give yourself a breast exam as often as once a month.
The best time to perform a self breast exam is 3 to 5 days after your period begins and you should perform the self breast exam the same time every month.
3 to 5 days after your period starts your breasts won't be as tender or lumpy in your monthly cycle.
If you have gone through menopause you should also do your self breast exam on the same day every month.
All women should check their breasts for lumps, thicknesses and other changes every month.
By examining your breasts regularly, you will know how your breasts normally feel.
To give yourself a breast exam at home.
Use the pads of your fingers. Use the pads, not the very tips, of your three middle fingers for the exam.
Use different pressure levels. The goal is to feel different depths of the breast by using different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue.
Take your time. Don't rush.
Follow a pattern.
Use the pads of the middle three fingers of each hand to examine the breast on the opposite side, do not use fingertips and keep the fingers together.
Move your fingers in dime-size circles using the three levels of pressure in each spot.
The 5 warning signs of breast cancer are.
New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
A cancerous breast lump is usually hard, not soft or squishy.
And the cancerous breast lump often has angular, irregular, asymmetrical edges, as opposed to being smooth.
In order for you to feel a cancerous breast lump, it usually has to be rather large and closer to the surface of the skin.