When is the best time to check for breast nodules?

Female friends need to develop a good habit of regular physical examinations, especially breast health examinations. In recent years, the number of people suffering from breast diseases has continued to increase. Whether it is general breast nodules or breast cancer, they are no longer rare diseases. On the contrary, the incidence rate is gradually increasing. Therefore, it is still very important to do the corresponding examination items. So when is the time to check breast nodules?

Breast examination should be performed 3-5 days after the end of menstruation or 9-11 days from the beginning of menstruation. Breast nodule examination related matters needing attention:

1. Pay attention to the particularity of breast disease history, especially menstrual history, marital history, previous breast disease history and family history of breast cancer, because these medical histories are of great significance for predisposing physical examinations and further examinations.

2. Pay attention to breast physical examination to avoid misdiagnosis due to over-reliance on imaging examinations and ignoring clinical signs with diagnostic value, or prescribing many examinations in a scattershot manner, causing patients to bear unnecessary burdens due to inappropriate auxiliary examinations.

3. For patients with breast diseases who are newly diagnosed, if the physical examination is not satisfactory, the patient can be asked to cooperate and undergo another examination at the best time, such as around the 10th day of the menstrual cycle, to avoid interference caused by physiological changes in the breast during the menstrual cycle.

4. Adequate lighting should be provided during the examination to avoid ignoring signs caused by minor lesions.

5. Pay attention to the symmetry of the breast, follow the principle of comparing the two sides, first the healthy side and then the affected side; pay attention to the comprehensiveness of the examination, follow the principle of visual examination first and then palpation, first the breast and then the whole body, do not miss any sign, every detail, and do not miss the axillary lymph nodes.

6. When necessary, apply some special methods to enhance physical signs in order to confirm certain important signs. For example, when checking for nipple retraction, to confirm whether the nipples on both sides are on the same horizontal line, a bending test can be performed. In this case, the patient is asked to lean forward with both arms stretched forward to allow the breast to droop. At this time, the nipple on the affected side can be lifted up due to the traction of the fibrous tissue.

7. After the results of the relevant auxiliary examinations come out, if it is still difficult to make a diagnosis, you should go back and examine the lesion site in detail. When comprehensively analyzing the results of various examinations, the important signs obtained from the physical examination are of great significance to the formation of the final diagnosis.

Through the above introduction, everyone is clear about when to check for breast nodules. Only by finding the best time to receive the examination can a more accurate examination structure be obtained, which can also provide sufficient basis for the diagnosis of the disease. Since the onset of breast nodules is relatively complicated, treatment can only be assured after a confirmed diagnosis.