Some women wonder why they need to have their doctors examine their breasts when they're doing regular self-exams on their own. While it's true that most lumps are found by women themselves, a breast exam by a doctor helps find lumps that women may miss. Sometimes, the abnormality in a breast can be so difficult to feel that only someone with experience would recognize it. Lumps, thickening, asymmetry—changes in your breasts that you may not notice or think are "normal"—may be picked up on by people who examine many breasts regularly.Studies show that regular breast self-exams, combined with an annual exam by a doctor, improves the chances of detecting cancer early. Source
