Breast Cancer Awareness: Signs and symptoms

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we're encouraging you to check your breasts TODAY.

The best way to be breast cancer aware is to check your breasts every month and go to your doctor immediately if you notice any changes or have any concerns.

What am I checking for?

• A lump of any size, or thickening in your breast
• Change in the size or shape of one breast
• Change in the skin, like puckering, or dimpling (like orange peel), or redness
• A breast abscess (infected boil) – this may appear as a red, tender area on your breast
• A change in the nipple shape, like a pulled-in, sunken, or flattened nipple
• An unusual discharge (liquid) from one or both of your nipples – the discharge may be blood-stained or watery
• A change on or around the nipple, such as a rash, or flaky or crusted skin
• Swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone
• Breast pain alone is not usually a sign of breast cancer.

How do I check?

It's extremely important that you look and feel every month.

1. Examine your breasts in a mirror with your hands on your hips
2. Raise your arms and examine your breasts
3. Look for signs of breast fluid
4. Feel for lumps while lying down
5. Feel for lumps while standing or sitting.

Make it routine

The more you examine your breasts, the more you can learn about them and the easier it can become for you to tell if something has changed.

It's best to examine yourself several days after your period ends, when your breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender.

If you are no longer having periods, choose a day that’s easy to remember, such as the first or last day of the month.