Everything you need to know about visiting the Ob-Gyn

Seated Exam

Now the physical examination of the breast tissue begins. The key elements of the palpation of the breast, for the doctor and for self breast examination, are:

• Be thorough and don’t miss anything. Cover the entire breast including the tail (the area of skin that fans up to shoulder.)
• Palpate in a methodical path using the pads of 3 fingers (or 2, depending on size of fingers) in dime-size circular motions with 3 degrees of pressure (light, medium, and deep). Some findings are only evident with a particular degree of pressure from the examiner.
• The fingers should maintain contact with the surface of the skin, and proper spacing between palpations should be used. This will help to assure that no area is missed.

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