What are the routine gynecological examinations?

Gynecological diseases are the diseases that cause the greatest harm to women and are also highly prevalent diseases. There are many types of gynecological diseases. Some diseases that occur in the pelvic cavity, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, adnexitis, uterine diseases, etc., may even affect fertility. Therefore, when gynecological abnormalities occur, timely diagnosis is very important, and the examination method is very important at this time. So, what are the items in routine gynecological examinations? Let’s take a look below.

(1) Examination of the vulva: Normal vulva, pubic hair with downward-pointing, triangular distribution, labia majora with pigmentation, labia minora with reddish color, no ulcers, dermatitis, growths or hypopigmentation in the perineum, clitoral length <2.5 cm, light pink mucosa around the urethral opening, and no growths. Married women have old cracks in their hymen, and pregnant women have old cracks in their hymen and perineum, or there may be incision scars in the perineum. If necessary, the doctor will ask the patient to hold his breath and look for bulging of the anterior and posterior vaginal walls, uterine prolapse, or urinary incontinence. If there are any lesions, doctors will often describe them as "married type" or "given birth type", and any abnormalities will be recorded in detail.

(2) Vaginal examination: The vaginal wall mucosa is light pink in color and has wrinkles. There are no ulcers, growths, cysts, vaginal septa, double vagina or other congenital malformations. Normal vaginal discharge is egg white-like or white paste, has no fishy smell, and is in small amounts, but increases during ovulation and pregnancy. If there are any abnormalities, the patient will have corresponding clinical symptoms, namely local itching, burning sensation, etc. The doctor will record them in detail and conduct tests.

(4) Examination of the uterus and its appendages: A normal uterus is inverted pear-shaped and long.

7-8cm, 4-5cm wide, 2-3cm thick, most of them are in forward leaning and flexed position, with medium hardness and good mobility. The ovaries and fallopian tubes are collectively called the "appendages." A normal ovary can occasionally expand to a size of 3×2×1cm3, is movable, and feels slightly sore and swollen when touched. Normal fallopian tubes cannot be palpated. If it is a "median" or "posterior" uterus and there are no obvious clinical symptoms, it is not a big deal.

(1) Conventional ultrasound

This method is the most common. The B-ultrasound probe is placed in the lower abdomen to observe the pelvic cavity, focusing on the uterus, adnexa and pelvic cavity. (2) Transvaginal ultrasound involves adding a probe to the ultrasound machine and covering it with a thin film. The doctor or the patient inserts the probe into the vagina for examination, with a focus on the cervix and endometrium.

Routine examination of vaginal discharge: It is a physical examination related to women's physiological hygiene to determine whether a woman has abnormal vaginal discharge through five examinations, including vaginal pH value, vaginal cleanliness, vaginal microbiology examination, etc.

Pap smear test: A small sample of cells is removed from the cervix of the uterus, placed on a glass slide, and studied under a microscope to look for abnormalities. Cervical smear is currently the simplest and most effective diagnostic method for widespread examination of cervical cancer.

Colposcopy: Use a vaginal speculum to fully expose the vaginal part of the cervix. Without using any lubricant, use a cotton ball with normal saline solution to gently wipe away the cervical secretions. Do not rub hard. Turn on the light source and adjust the focus. Generally, the objective lens should be about 15 to 20 cm away from the cervix and about 5 to 10 cm away from the vulva. First observe with a low-power microscope of 10 times, then increase the magnification and observe along the field of view.