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©2013 UpToDate ® Print Email How to do a breast self-exam The best time to do a breast self-exam (BSE) is a week after your period ends. If you no longer get monthly periods, you can do the exam any time. Some women do self exams once a month. Others do them less often or not at all. Do whatever you are most comfortable with. Start by standing in front of a mirror. Place both hands at your sides. Check your breasts for changes in skin color or texture, and check for dents. Note how your nipples look. Some women have inverted nipples, meaning that their nipples point inward instead of out. This is normal as long as the way they look does not change over time. Lift your hands over your head and turn to the side. Then look at each whole breast in the mirror. If you need to, lift each breast to so you can see the skin under the breast. Lie down and put your left hand above your head (this flattens the breast and makes it easier to examine). Use your right hand to examine your left breast, starting in the upper breast near the arm pit and going up and down across the breast (like mowing a lawn). Begin to examine the breast by making small circles with your three middle fingers. Use your finger pads at the end of your fingers but not the tips, and move your fingers in circles as if you were tracing the edge of a dime. At each spot on the breast, make three circles: one very light, one a bit firmer into the breast, and one deep in the breast. Then switch hands and do the same thing on the other breast. It is normal to feel your ribs in your chest. Abnormal lumps tend to feel firm, have irregular edges, and sometimes feel like they are "stuck" to your chest. If you don't know whether a lump is normal or abnormal, see your doctor or nurse.