Live Breast Examination - How to check your breasts

The Family GP Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. The good news is that you can help prevent it and find it early. Finding it early will help save your life.

There are two ways to make sure you stay healthy.

Give Yourself Breast Exams Every Month
You should do breast self-exams every month. That way, you can tell if there are any changes in your breast. It's better to find lumps and other signs of possible trouble early.

Learn how to do a breast self-exam.

Get a Mammogram Every Year
A mammogram is an x-ray that shows the inner breast tissue. Doctors use mammograms to make sure there aren't any abnormal growths, like lumps, cysts, and tumors in your breasts. This is the best way to detect breast cancer.

If you're over 40, you should get a mammogram every year. If a close relative, like your mother, grandmother, or aunt, was diagnosed with breast cancer, you should start getting mammograms ten years before the age they were when they were diagnosed.
Mammograms catch about 85-90% of all breast cancer cases. The rest are caught by self-exams. You should check yourself and have your doctor check you regularly.