OB/Gyn FREE Class

Lesson 6: The Breast Exam: When to go - What to expect

Class Instructor: Dorrie Lane

I discovered a lump in my breast one month after I had a mammogram. It was the size of a golf ball, was missed during my breast exam with my clinician and was removed 2 days later. I was lucky, it was not cancer. The reason Breast Self Exam is so important is because you establish a baseline of and become familiar with your breasts. It's a fact, 1 in 7 women will develop breast cancer in the U.S.. As you age, your risk increases. Women over the age of 65 are twice as likely to develop breast cancer as a woman between the ages of 40 & 64. If you have a close relative, a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer, your are at a slightly higher risk. Beginning at the age of 20, monthly breast self exam should begin. At age 40, adding a yearly clinical exam and mammogram to the monthly self exam is the best prevention. A high fat diet is increasingly becoming suspect and it is a good idea to think of fresh fruits and vegetables as fast and convenient foods, instead of drive-thrus and micro-wave entrees.

The best time for breast exam is 7-10 days after your period. It's easier to remember, if you coincide doing this with something in your schedule you already do monthly; like paying a bill, buying personal supplies, getting a haircut, anything to help you incorporate this as a regular part of your life. Breast self exam (BSE) is covered in the next lesson. Your doctor can also show you how to do it.

When you go to your appointment for your first Breast exam, try not to be shy. This is a time when your physician can really give you a sense of well being. They are (or should be) aware of the many issues women have regarding their breasts. You will be asked to remove your top clothing and slip into a gown. The breast exam covers 3 standard practices; the visual exam, the examing and palpation of your lymph nodes and finally the palpation of your breast. Many women have a clear, green or milky discharge from their nipples, This is perfectly normal. If you have a bloody or spontaneous discharge, be sure to have it checked. Your nipples, will be squeezed to express a discharge. The exam can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, 15 is about average.

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