Most women are taught that they should do their breast self-exams in the shower standing up. But if breast cancer patient Hayley Browning had followed this advice, her lump would have continued to grow undetected and her cancer would be at a much worse stage.

Photo of lemons which depict possible breast changes in breast cancer goes viral. Find out more. 

According to the mirror.co.uk, Ms. Browning posted her own personal story of finding her breast cancer lump on her Facebook account using the hashtag #laidbacklumps. She told her friends and family that when she did a self-exam standing up in the shower she couldn’t feel the lump, it was only when she lay down on her bed to check again that she was aware something was wrong.

Ms. Browning is now advising all women to check their breasts standing up and while they’re lying down. And official advice also indicates that women should check their breasts in both positions.

In order to correctly check your breasts while lying down, you should have your arms above your head and use the opposite hand to check each breast, working with the pads of your figures from the outside of the breast inwards.

Find out more about the five steps of a breast self-exam. 

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