You know your breasts best. At times you may have noticed that they felt especially tender or swollen, or even kind of lumpy. Most of those changes were probably perfectly normal – they were caused by hormonal changes related to your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding or getting older.
Some changes, however, do warrant further investigation. While some doctors no longer routinely recommend monthly breast self-exams, it is still important to know what is normal for your body and to report any changes to your doctor.