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Summary
Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They also can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment are better. As a woman, you need some special exams and screenings. During your checkup, your health care provider will usually do:
- A pelvic exam - an exam to check if internal female organs are normal by feeling their shape and size.
- A Pap test - a test to check for cancer of the cervix, the opening to a woman's uterus. Cells from the cervix are examined under a microscope.
- A clinical breast exam - to check for breast cancer by feeling and looking at your breasts.
Your health care provider may also recommend other tests, including a mammogram or a test for HPV.
Specifics
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Cervical Cancer Screening
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Mammograms (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
- Pelvic Exam (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
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Pelvis Ultrasound
(American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Women's Health
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
Teenagers
- Gyn Checkups (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Why See a Gynecologist? (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Your Daughter's First Gynecology Visit (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Your First Pelvic Exam (Boston Children's Hospital) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Cervical cancer -- screening and prevention (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screenings for women age 65 and older (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screenings for women ages 18 to 39 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screenings for women ages 40 to 64 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Women's health (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish