Our How to Guide on Checking Your Breasts

Boobs... when did you last check yours? There’s no right or wrong way to check your breasts but it’s important to get familiar with how they look and feel. That way if you notice any changes, you can report them to your doctor. 

We know how confusing it can be to check your breasts, all woman’s breasts are different in size, shape and consistency. Your breast can even look and feel different at parts of the month, such as during your menstrual cycle. But considering that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, it's important for you to get used to how your breasts feel. 

We are all aware that breast cancer doesn't discriminate, it doesn’t care about age, race, gender or how healthy you are. The founder of the Change and Check campaign and breast cancer ass-kicker Helen Addis opens up about her journey with breast cancer. 

Throughout the month of October, we have partnered with the Change and Check campaign run by ITV’s Lorraine to bring more awareness to breast cancer and the importance of regularly checking your breasts. In collaboration with Dr Hilary the Change and Check campaign have created a handy step-by-step guide to checking your breasts, which we’ve included below. 

The signs and symptoms to look out for are visible changes in shape or size, skin changes such as dimpling, puckering or a rash around the nipple, lumps or bumps and bloody discharge from the nipple.  

• Sit comfortably in front of a mirror with hands on your hips so chest muscles are relaxed.  
• Firstly, look at the contour of the breast to check that it matches on each side and see if there is any puckering or dimpling. 
• Look for any change in the nipple such as a rash, indrawing or pulling in. 
• Look for any skin change all around the nipple. 
• Using the fingers of your left hand to examine the right breast, walk your middle three fingers around the breast. You're feeling for any abnormal lumps or bumps or any irregularity that hasn't been there before. 
• Divide the breast into four quarters. 
• Start on the inner upper quarter, walking those fingers around the breast. 
• Do the same on the lower inner quarter and then across to the lower right quarter and then the upper right quarter. 
• Walk fingers up to the tail of the breast in the armpit. 
• Walk your fingers back to the areola around the nipple. 
• Repeat steps above on the left breast, using your right hand to do so.  

More than 50% of women say they don't know the early signs of breast cancer. That is why mammograms are important. The screening is a way to look for signs of breast cancer in women who don't report to have any breast symptoms or problems. As well as routinely checking your breasts, attending routine mammogram appointments can help to detect early signs of cancer. 

Every order this month you will receive the below sticker, to ensure that you have everything you need to take control of your breast health.