Breast Exam

A thorough breast exam will be performed as part of your annual exam. For the exam, you undress from the waist up. Your healthcare provider will look at your breasts for changes in size or shape. Your provider may ask you to lift your arms over your head, put your hands on your hips or lean forward. He or she will examine your breasts for any skin changes including rashes, dimpling or redness. This is a good time to learn how to do a breast self-exam if you don't already know how.
As you lay on your back with your arms behind your head, your healthcare provider will examine your breasts with the pads of the fingers to detect lumps or other changes. The area under both arms will also be examined.
Your healthcare provider will gently press around your nipple to check for any discharge. If there is discharge, a sample may be collected for examination under a microscope.