breast self examination

1. breast self examination

2. INTRODUCTION
Breast self examination can be taught to individuals or to groups .
BSE is best performed after menses (day 5 to day 7)
For postmenopausal women once a month . Many women have
grainy-textured breast tissue, but these areas are usually less nodular
after menses . Women should begin practising BSE at their late teens
or early 20s.The nurse plays a pivotal role in preventive education.

3. DEFINITION
Breast self-examination is a screening method used in
an attempt to detect early breast cancer. The method
involves the woman herself looking at and feeling each
breast for possible lumps, distortions or swelling.

4. PURPOSES
Help to increase breast awareness,
It helps to early detection of breast cancer

6. STEPS OF BREAST SELF
EXAMINATION

7. Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your
shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.
Here's what you should look for:
• Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color
• Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or
swelling

8. If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's
attention:
• Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
• A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple
• Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

9. Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.
Step 3:While you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid
coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or
yellow fluid or blood).

10. Step 4:Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your
right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel
your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few
finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use
a circular motion, about the size of a quarter

11. • Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from
your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit
to your cleavage.
• Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You
can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you
reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers
up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This
up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women.

12. • Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your
breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure;
use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts;
use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've
reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your
ribcage.

13. Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while
you are standing or sitting. Many women
find that the easiest way to feel their
breasts is when their skin is wet and
slippery, so they like to do this step in the
shower. Cover your entire breast, using the
same hand movements described in step 4.

14. PREPARATION
• The best time to do a breast self-exam is a few days after your
monthly menstrual cycle ends. Hormonal changes can affect the size
and feel of your breasts, so it’s best to perform the exam when your
breasts are in their normal state.
• Women who don’t menstruate should choose a certain day to perform
the exam, such as the first day of each month .
• You should also keep a journal of your self-exams. This will help you
track and record any changes you have noticed in your breasts

15. ADVANTAGES
Allows each woman control over her own health,
Provides each woman knowledge of what her own
breast tissue feels like,
Is a non-invasive, simple procedure, and.
Can detect breast cancer at an earlier stage than if a
woman does not perform BSE.

16. DISADVANTAGES
Fear and anxiety about what may be found during
the exam, and
False-positive (“false alarm”) finding, which is a
result that indicates that a condition is present (i.e.,
breast lump or possible cancer) when it is not (i.e.,
non-cancerous breast tissue).

17. CONCLUSION
The evidence on breast self-examination is clear, there
is no benefit to breast cancer mortality and results
suggest that breast self-examination may do more
harm than good.