How to do a breast self-exam
A breast self-exam today is mostly breast self-awareness: know how your breasts normally look and feel, and report any change to a clinician promptly. Once a month, look in a mirror and feel each breast and armpit with the flat of your fingers. You are not diagnosing anything; you are noticing a change so a professional can check it.
Why it matters: Knowing your normal is how you notice a change worth reporting.
Steps
- Pick a regular time, such as a few days after your period ends, or the same date each month if you do not have periods.
- Stand in front of a mirror with arms relaxed, then raised, and look for changes in shape, skin or nipples.
- Lying down, use the flat pads of three fingers to feel each breast in small circles, covering the whole area from collarbone to bra line and armpit to breastbone.
- Use light, medium and firm pressure in each spot.
- Feel each armpit the same way.
- Note anything new in a phone note with the date and side.
- Book a visit for any change rather than waiting to see if it goes away.
Stop and call a professional if
- you find a new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
- you notice skin dimpling, puckering, redness or an orange peel texture
- a nipple turns inward, changes shape, or leaks fluid you were not expecting
- one breast changes in size or shape, or has pain in one spot that does not go away
Questions to ask the professional
- Is this change something you can check today, or do I need imaging?
- When should my next screening be, given my history?
Common mistakes
- Panicking about normal lumpiness; many breasts feel lumpy, and the point is a change from your own normal.
- Waiting a few months to see if a change goes away.
- Skipping mammograms because you do self-checks; they do different jobs.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to do a breast self-exam
What to say
A breast self-exam today is mostly breast self-awareness: know how your breasts normally look and feel, and report any change to a clinician promptly. Once a month, look in a mirror and feel each breast and armpit with the flat of your fingers. You are not diagnosing anything; you are noticing a change so a professional can check it.
What to show
- Pick a regular time, such as a few days after your period ends, or the same date each month if you do not have periods.
- Stand in front of a mirror with arms relaxed, then raised, and look for changes in shape, skin or nipples.
- Lying down, use the flat pads of three fingers to feel each breast in small circles, covering the whole area from collarbone to bra line and armpit to breastbone.
- Use light, medium and firm pressure in each spot.
- Feel each armpit the same way.
- Note anything new in a phone note with the date and side.
- Book a visit for any change rather than waiting to see if it goes away.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you find a new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit.
Check question
What is the main goal of breast self-awareness?
Answer: Knowing your normal so you notice a change. You are looking for change and reporting it; the diagnosis is a clinician's job.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US national cancer guidance on breast changes, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .