Breast cancer and cervical cancer are perhaps the most easily detected diseases you may have as a woman. In addition to having a Pap smear and a breast exam, a routine gynecological examination gives your doctor a chance to check for other problems related to your reproductive system. For example, an internal pelvic exam can detect ovarian cysts, malignancy, or signs of infection. If you are using birth control pills or an intrauterine device (IUD), regular gynecological exams are very important.

Menopause is another time when routine exams can be very helpful for maintaining good health. For some women, hormone-replacement therapy can help relieve uncomfortable symptoms of menopause. Symptoms include unusual vaginal bleeding, which you may think is just a normal part of menopause but may actually be a sign of other more serious conditions, such as uterine or ovarian cancer. These problems may not be detected with a Pap smear, so it's important to mention your symptoms to your doctor.

For your health information

• An Overview of Breast Cancer
  Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in American women.Each year in the United States, more than 182,000 women learn they have this disease. Early detection increases the breast cancer survival rate...
• Why a PAP Test Is so Important
  The most effective early cervical cancer detection method available today is the Pap test, or Pap smear. It is a simple procedure that involves swabbing a small sample of cells from a woman's cervix...
• An Overview of Lung Cancer
  Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of American women with about 68,600 deaths each year. Cigarette smoking is the largest single, preventable cause of death and disability in this country...
• An Overview of Uterine Cancer
  Uterine cancer is fourth in the number of new cancer cases (52,000) but deaths (under 10,000) have dropped sharply over the years, mostly because of the Pap test, which helps detect cancer of the uterine cervix early...
• An Overview of Colon and Rectal Cancer
  Colorectal cancer occurs slightly more often in women than men and mostly in women over age 50.Only your physician can assess your risk level and whether you need to have any of the diagnostic tests that are available...

Other related topics

• Having a Mammogram
  Although mammograms do not always detect early breast disease, they are presently your best weapon in your fight against breast cancer...
• Ovarian cysts
  Ovarian cysts are growths that form on the ovaries, the two small organs on either side of a woman's uterus thatproduce an egg each month. Some types of ovarian cysts are normal and usually harmless, often going away without any treatment. Other cysts are abnormal and may cause problems...
• Laparoscopy
  Problems that occur with a woman's reproductive organs sometimes cannot be found by a physical examination alone. Other tests, X-ray, or ultrasound may still leave some uncertainty. In these cases, a type of diagnostic surgery, called laparoscopy, allows the doctor to look inside the abdomen at these organs...

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