Key takeaways: There are many things to watch for when doing your monthly self-check for breast cancer: lumps, skin changes, nipple changes, changes in breast size, pain or abnormalities under the armpits. Women should do the self-check a week after their menstrual cycle ends and stick to the same time each month. Unless you have an urgent issue, you don't need to go to the emergency department after finding something during a self-check. Instead, make an appointment with a provider and document what's happening. “I found a lump.” It’s the unsettling phrase providers sometimes hear from women when they are performing their monthly breast self-check for cancer signs. But lumps are not the only thing to watch for, says Heather Chambers, an OSF HealthCare breast health navigator who is herself a breast cancer survivor. Signs to know Each month, keep these in mind. Lumps, the most talked about sign. “A lot of women, especially
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