Physical breast examination in pregnancy and lactation

Abstract

Physical exam of the breast is a very important part of breast assessment both for breast cancer screening, and when approaching breast lesions. Examination during pregnancy and breastfeeding follows exactly the same method as non-pregnancy periods. However, physical changes that occur in the breast during these times due to hormonal effects cause alterations that can on one hand conceal some pathologic disorders, and may on the other hand appear as pathologic findings while being purely physiologic. This chapter focuses first on some key points for an accurate breast examination, and then reviews some challenging controversial findings that may be noticed during breast exam in a pregnant or lactating woman.