How do I give my wife a breast exam?
Sit or stand shirtless and braless in front of a mirror with your arms at your sides. To inspect your breasts visually, do the following: Face forward and look for puckering, dimpling, or changes in size, shape or symmetry. Check to see if your nipples are turned in (inverted).
What does a breast exam look like?
Your doctor or nurse will look at both of your breasts to see the shape, size, and texture of your skin. They’ll feel your breasts with the tips of their fingers to check if there are any lumps or if something else doesn’t feel normal.
How hard should you press during breast exam?
Dr. Pederson says there is no “right way” as long as you cover the area up to your collarbone, across to your sternum or breast bone, and then laterally up into your armpit. “You’re looking for a hard lump that is the consistency of a frozen vegetable, like a pea or lima bean,” she explains.
What does breast puckering mean?
Puckering may be so slight it only looks like a mild indentation and it may resolve after you’ve moved your arms back into a normal position. Along with puckering, another possible sign of breast cancer is breast dimpling. Dimpling is a type of condition that resembles the skin of an orange.
What should breasts feel like?
Normal breast tissue often feels nodular (lumpy) and varies in consistency from woman to woman. Even within each individual woman, the texture of breast tissue varies at different times in her menstrual cycle, and from time to time during her life.
Do you remove bra for breast exam?
What to expect during your clinical breast exam. Your health care provider will perform the exam in a private room. You’ll be provided with a cover or gown to wear, and before your exam, you’ll need to remove your shirt, bra and any other clothing from your waist up.
Why do doctors touch your nipples?
What Are Breast Exams? Breast exams help doctors check that everything’s normal. During a breast exam, a doctor or nurse practitioner will feel a woman’s breasts to check any lumps and bumps and see if there are changes since the last exam. Doctors don’t usually start doing breast exams until a woman is in her 20s.
What does normal breast skin look like?
When it comes to breast health and your body in general, clear skin is healthy skin. The skin on your breasts should naturally be more or less flat and smooth. Again, consistency is key. Bumps and birthmarks that are always present are not a problem.
What does a pitted breast look like?
Also known as peau d’orange, dimpling of the breast causes the skin to look like the pitting and uneven skin of an orange. Sometimes, the skin can also be red and inflamed. The following changes may also occur: Skin changes: The area around the breast, nipple, or areola may appear red, scaly, or swollen.