In what position should the woman be in when her breasts are examined?
Self Breast Exam Show The American Cancer Society recommends beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of BSE. Women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and should report any breast changes to a health professional as soon as they are found. Finding a breast change does not mean there is a cancer. Women can notice changes by being aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and by feeling their breasts for changes (breast awareness) or by choosing to use a step-by-step approach, using a specific schedule to examine her breasts (breast-self exam, or BSE) Examining your breasts is an important way to find a breast cancer early, when it’s most likely to be cured. Not every cancer can be found this way, but it is a critical step you can and should take for yourself. No woman wants to do a breast self exam (or “BSE”), and for many the experience is frustrating-you may feel things but not know what they mean. However, the more you examine your breasts, the more you will learn about them and the easier it will become for you to tell if something unusual has occurred. BSE is an essential part of taking care of yourself and reducing your risk of breast cancer. Regularly examining her own breasts allows a woman to become familiar with how her breasts normally look and feel and can help her more readily detect any changes that may occur. Many women naturally have some lumpiness and asymmetry (differences between the right and left breast). The key to the breast self-exam is to learn how to find changes in the breasts that persist over time. While most women are aware of monthly breast self-examination, many still do not know how to perform it properly. Performing BSE incorrectly can be almost as bad as not doing the exam at all since it can give women a false sense of security. Don’t panic if you think you feel a lump. Most women have some lumps or lumpy areas in their breasts all the time. Eight out of ten breast lumps that are removed are benign, non-cancerous. Breast self-exams should be performed once each month beginning at age 20 and continue each month throughout a woman’s lifetime. The Best Time to Perform Breast Self-ExamMenstruating Women:Hormonal changes due to the menstrual cycle may make the breasts more lumpy or swollen. Women who are menstruating should perform breast self-exam from a few days to about a week after menstruation (period) has ended, when breasts are usually less tender or swollen. Women who are no longer menstruating:They should do their BSE on the same day every month. Try to pick a day that is easy to remember, such as the first or fifteenth of every month, and make that the day each month for breast self-exam. Women using oral contraceptives:They are encouraged to do their BSE each month on the day they begin a new package of pills. Step 1: Here’s what you should look for: If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor’s attention: Step 2: Step 3: Step
4: Step 5: What are the different positions for self breast examination?There are three suggested positions for checking your breasts during a self-exam: Lying down, standing and in the shower. When you lie down, your breast tissue will spread out evenly along your chest.
What position is used for breast and abdominal examination?The patient is initially positioned at 45 degrees for comfort, but a supine position is necessary to palpate the abdomen. Keeping a pillow under the patient's head or knees can be considered. The ideal exposure is from the nipples to the knees, but this is sometimes not practically possible.
Should you check your breasts lying down or standing up?Lie down and place your right arm behind your head. The examination is performed while lying down, not standing up, because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.
What is the 3 o'clock position of the breast?The outer left breast is at 3 o'clock and the outer right breast is at 9 o'clock. In the left breast the upper outer quadrant is between 12 and 3 o'clock.
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