Reference Manual - IARC Screening Group

Performing Breast and Pelvic ExaminationsBimanual ExaminationUterusOvariesAdnexaRectovaginalExaminationNormal size, shape and consistency. Anteriorlydirected, midline, freely mobile and nontender.Palpably normal.No masses or tenderness.Confirms bimanual examination.MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PELVIC EXAMINATIONSWhat is a pelvicexamination?Why do I need apelvic examination?Will the pelvicexamination hurt?What will the pelvicexamination feellike?I feel scared to havea pelvicexamination. Doother women feelthis way?A pelvic examination is looking at the labia, clitoris and pubic area andchecking the inner female organs including the vagina, cervix, uterus andovaries.The pelvic examination ensures that your pelvic organs are healthy. Italso helps your healthcare provider find any medical conditions, such asinfections or abnormalities in the cervix or vagina, which could becomeserious if not treated. Many healthcare providers recommend that youhave your first pelvic examination when you become sexually active orby 18 years of age.The pelvic examination will not be painful. Many women describe theirexperience as a feeling of crowding or fullness in the vagina; however,there should be no pain. Sometimes a woman will feel discomfort,especially if she is not relaxed. Women who have not had a baby or whohave an infection may feel some pain.You will feel gloved fingers touching the outside of your genitals. Duringthe bimanual examination, you will feel two fingers in the vagina and theother hand on the abdomen gently pressing the tissue between the twohands. At one point during the examination, the healthcare provider willinsert an instrument called a speculum into the vagina. Healthcareproviders sometimes will complete the examination by doing a rectalexamination by placing one finger in the rectum and one finger in thevagina. Doing this examination allows the healthcare provider to feelhigher and deeper in the pelvis to ensure that everything is normal.It is normal to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or scared during anexamination. Many women complain that the most uncomfortable part ofthe examination is that they feel embarrassed to show their genitals to ahealthcare provider. It may help to remember that your healthcareprovider is highly trained in performing these exams.G-32 Cervical Cancer Prevention Guidelines for Low-Resource Settings