Women’s Health: How Well Do You Know Your Breasts?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one woman diagnosed every 10 minutes. The good news? If detected early, treatment for breast cancer can be highly effective.

That’s why being breast aware and understanding the signs to look for is vital. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get familiar with your breasts and stay on top of your breast health.

Step 1: Get to know your breasts

Before you can identify any changes, you need to know what’s normal for you.

There’s no strict method for checking your breasts, so don’t worry about following a specific routine. The key is to regularly take notice of how your breasts normally look and feel.

As a rough guide, NHS guidance recommends building a check into roughly once a month — for example, in the shower or when getting dressed — so you get to know your own normal and notice anything that changes.

Step 2: Know what to look for?

While many breast lumps aren’t cancerous, some changes should always be examined by a healthcare professional. Early detection significantly improves the success of treatment, so if you notice any of the following symptoms, don’t delay booking an appointment:

• A lump or swelling in the breast area or armpit
• Changes in the size or shape of your breast
• Changes in the appearance of the breast, such as puckering or dimpling of the skin
• Any change in nipple position, like being pulled in or pointing differently
• A rash, crusting, redness, or scaly, itchy skin around the nipple
• Discharge from either nipple (unless breastfeeding)
• Discomfort or pain in one breast, particularly if it’s new and persistent (most breast cancers appear as painless lumps)
• A skin change such as dimpling or redness — this can be harder to see on black or brown skin, so it’s worth checking by feel as well as by sight

Step 3: Look and feel

Everyone’s breasts are different. Size, shape, and texture vary widely, and it’s normal for one breast to be slightly larger than the other.

Hormonal changes, such as during your menstrual cycle, can also affect how your breasts feel. For example:

• Before your period: Breasts may feel tender or lumpy, particularly near the armpits
• After menopause: Breasts often feel softer, less firm, and less lumpy

Breast pain and other changes that are usually normal

Most breast changes are not cancer. Cyclical tenderness in the days before a period, and softer, less lumpy breasts around the menopause, are both a normal part of how breasts change over time, according to NHS guidance.

It’s still worth seeing a GP if pain is new, persistent, only in one breast, or comes with any of the changes listed above — pain on its own, without any other change, is rarely a sign of breast cancer, but it’s always worth getting checked if something feels different for you.

Here’s how to check:

Breast Cancer Now calls this Touch, Look, Check (TLC) — a simple way to remember the checklist below: touch your breasts, look for changes, and check anything unusual with a GP.

• Know What’s Normal for You - Take note of how your breasts feel at different times of the month or as you age
• Look and Feel - Examine each breast and armpit, and feel up to your collarbone
• Use a soapy hand while in the shower or bath for easier movement.
• Look at your breasts in the mirror with your arms by your side and then raised above your head
• Know What Changes to Look For
• Follow the symptoms listed above to spot anything unusual
• Report Changes Immediately - If something feels or looks different, book an appointment with a healthcare professional right away.
• Attend Screening Appointments - Routine breast screening can detect cancer before symptoms appear. Make sure to attend when invited

Checking your chest if you are a man, trans or non-binary

Breast awareness isn’t only for women — a small number of men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year too, and trans and non-binary people also have chest tissue worth checking. The same look-and-feel approach above applies: get to know what’s normal for your chest, and report any lump, skin change or nipple change to a GP in the same way, according to Breast Cancer Now.

Breast screening and mammograms explained

Checking your own breasts regularly is different from — and just as important as — routine NHS breast screening. Women are typically invited for a mammogram every 3 years from age 50 to 71, regardless of whether they’ve noticed any changes. A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray that briefly compresses the breast to get a clear image — most people find it uncomfortable rather than painful, and it only lasts a few minutes, with the whole appointment usually taking no longer than 30 minutes.

I found a lump, what now?

Don’t panic. Breast changes can happen for many reasons, and up to 90% of breast lumps are not cancerous.

If you find something unusual, book an appointment with your GP or a healthcare professional without delay. They may examine your breasts and refer you for further tests if needed.

What happens after you see a GP about a breast change

It helps to know what to expect, so the process feels less daunting. A GP appointment, including an online one, usually looks like this:

• Examination: the GP will ask about the change and examine the area to get a clearer picture
• Referral if needed: an urgent suspected-cancer referral means being seen at a breast clinic, usually within 2 weeks
• Tests at the clinic: this may include a mammogram, an ultrasound scan, or a biopsy, depending on what the clinician needs to check. If you’d rather not wait, Fast access to Diagnostics in partnership with DCA lets you book a private scan with Scan.com, often within days 

Most referrals turn out not to be cancer, so try not to assume the worst while you wait — the referral itself is simply the quickest way to rule it out or catch anything early.

Our clinicians are here for you

Whether you’re concerned about a lump, need advice on breast awareness, or require a specialist referral, Doctor Care Anywhere can help.

• Speak to our clinicians for expert guidance
• Get referrals for further tests if necessary
• Receive prescriptions sent straight to your door

Take control of your breast health

Early detection saves lives. By understanding your breasts and knowing what changes to look for, you can take proactive steps to protect your health.

If you have concerns, book an appointment with one of our GPs or Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) today. We’re here to support you every step of the way.