The mobile application was developed after lengthy discussions and became a MSc project of one of our Board Members (Mrs Ann Marie O’Shea) in 2016. It was armed with the literature, evidence, and feedback that we knew there was a gap we could support, to better support our community. With the support of students from Bahrain Polytechnic, we were able to localise the tutorial and record in their sound booth. The development took over a year to get right and has was made available for FREE in both Arabic and English. 2020 saw our Decision Aids being added to the FQA with a link to enable you to both share and download the double-sided documents to use as a resource.

The most important aspect of breast self-examination is being breast aware.  That is how Think Pink – Bahrain Breast Cancer Society see it.  We need to know what is normal for us, we need to look after our bodies, and we need to have good breast care.  The best way to achieve this is by Breast Self-Examination, the self means it is something you do once a month. 8 minutes is all it takes.  In the back of your mind remembering that not all lumps, the majority of lumps are not breast cancer, but they need to be investigated if they are a change for us.  It is important to do the next few steps slow and methodically and the charity would also recommend if it’s not 5-7 days from the start of your period to still do the following checks to be aware of what looks and feels normal for you. 

Look for

• a lump,
• a bump,
• a rash,
• an orange peel area,
• certain colour discharge from the nipple – discharge from the nipple is totally normal in women however we should look at the colour of the discharge when the nipple is squeezed gently. Clear or white is normal, if it is a light brown or a red – it doesn’t mean you have breast cancer, but it does mean there has been a change and it needs to be investigated.