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Breast and pelvic examination in women taking HRT

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The advice from the Committee on the Safety of Medicines (CSM)'s on clinical breast and pelvic examination is that (1):

  • it is not routinely necessary in all women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
  • it should only be performed if clinically indicated

Also the CSM advises:

  • breast screening with mammography has higher sensitivity and specificity than clinical breast examination
  • women should be encouraged to participate in the national breast cancer screening programme, which invites all women age 50-64 for mammography every 3 years (women over 64 are eligible for free 3-yearly screening on request)
  • breast awareness should be encouraged, as most breast cancers that are not found on mammography are found by women themselves
  • women should also be encouraged to participate in the national cervical screening programme which invites women aged 25-64

The advice is consistent with earlier advice from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) that clinical examination of the breast by a health professional is not routinely necessary in well women (2).

Reference:

  • (1) Department of Health (October 2001). CMO's Update, 8.
  • (2) Department of Health. Clinical examination of the breast. Department of Health. February 1998; Professional Letter: PL/CMO (98) 1, PL/CNO (98), 1.

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