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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.
Related Issues
- Pregnancy Tests (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Mammograms (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
- Pap and HPV Testing (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Pelvic Exam (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Ultrasound -- Pelvis (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Women's Health (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- womenshealth.gov (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Gyn Checkups (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Why See a Gynecologist? (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Your Daughter's First Gynecological Exam (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Your First Pelvic Exam: A Guide for Teens (Children's Hospital Boston) Also in Spanish
Seniors
- What to Ask: Women's Health (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Cervical cancer -- screening and prevention (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screening - women - age 18 - 39 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screening - women - age 40 - 64 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health screening - women - over 65 (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Pap and HPV Testing (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Women's health (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish