Your ob/gyn performs a clinical breast exam to check for any abnormal lumps or thicknesses in your breasts that could be signs of breast cancer. As an adult, you should be performing monthly breast self-exams. It’s important that you know what your breasts feel like so you can talk to your provider if you notice any changes. If you have any questions about the breast self-exam, your ob/gyn will be able to help you at this time of your visit.

During your clinical breast exam, your provider will use many of the techniques you perform in your self-exam, looking for discoloration and abnormalities in the way the breasts look, pressing around your nipple, feeling your breast, and asking you to put your hands and arms in different positions. Your ob/gyn can also talk to you about how to do a self-exam if you have questions. Your ob/gyn will ask you to lie down and sit up to check your breasts in different positions. If your ob/gyn sees something abnormal, he or she will recommend the proper options for further testing, which could include diagnostic mammography, MRI, ultrasound or a biopsy.