3. KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The purpose of this article is not to freak you out about every miniscule abnormality you might detect. Rather, it is to educate you about the topography of your breasts. Remember, you are looking for changes, so you need to collect a month or two of data before you really understand what change looks or feels like. You must also realize that 9 out of every 10 breast lumps found, thank heavens, are not cancerous.
Here's what you might find:
- Tender, lumpy breasts
This is usually part of your regular menstrual cycle due to swelling because you retain more water. - Overall small lumps and a bumpy/grainy texture
If this texture is found on both breasts in the area around your nipples and the upper and outer parts of your breasts, you might only have fibrocystic breasts. Click here to learn more about fibrocystic breast disease (a benign condition). - Single lump that feels like an oval and is hard on the outside, squishy on the inside
This may be a cyst. You can usually move a cyst under the skin and they sometimes produce a dull pain. A cyst is a fluid-filled sac that can vary in size from a pea to a half-dollar. Cysts appear most often in women aged 35 to 50 and increase as menopause approaches. They are benign. - Single, solid lump that feels round like a small rubber ball and can be moved
This may be a fibrodenoma, a benign and painless tumor made up of connective tissue and other cells. A fibrodenoma may vary in size from a marble to a lemon. They are more common in women in their late teens and early 20s or older women on Hormone Replacement Therapy. - Overall distinct large lumps
These may be just exaggerated lumpiness, called pseudolumps. These may be caused by scar tissue, a clump of fat cells, or an abscess (pus-filled sac). Sometimes nursing women experience mastitis, when bacteria enters the breast from dry cracks in the skin. - Single, solid lump that can NOT be moved
Look for hard, irregular borders to the lump. Also, determine if the lump appears in only one breast and if it remains the same size throughout your menstrual cycle. Note that thickened or dimpled skin is a sign of a lump that can NOT be moved (other benign lumps are movable because they are filled with fluid or lumps of fat). If all of the above occur, these are symptoms of breast cancer. Get it checked out immediately. - Sores or scaly skin
An open, itchy sore could just be a simple skin irritation (like from a new lacy bra that's cutting into you, or from switching your laundry detergent). However, in a few women, this could be a sign of Paget's disease, a rare form of breast cancer. - Discharge or puckering of the nipple
Persistent clear or bloody discharge from one nipple may indicate cancer in your breast ducts. Also, an inverted or puckered nipple (e.g., pulled back into the breast) may be a symptom of breast cancer.
