Breast self-exam

Breast self-exam is simply a person checking their own breasts, by sight and by touch, to notice whether anything has changed from how it was before.

It is not the same as the exam a clinician performs, and not the same as imaging studies: mammography, ultrasound or MRI.

Here is the part that usually causes confusion. On the one hand, many breast cancers are found by the person themselves, sometimes while deliberately checking and sometimes purely by chance. On the other hand, the guidelines do not agree: ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, encourages everyone to know their own breasts, but does not recommend routine self-exam as a screening method.

The distinction is a fine one and worth keeping clear: it is the difference between scheduling a routine check that everyone is due for on a fixed date and opening the door to someone who comes in because they noticed something different. What is under debate is the first, recommending that self-check as routine screening. What is not under debate is the second: a clinician should evaluate anyone who notices a change.