A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; furthermore:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin and mucous membranes
- Abdominal wall and inguinal region (groin area).
- Inspection (viewing).
- Gynecological examination
- Inspection
- Vulva (external, primary female sexual organs).
- Vagina (vagina)
- Cervix uteri (cervix), or portio (cervix; transition from the cervix (cervix uteri) to the vagina (vagina)), if necessary, taking a Pap smear (for early detection of cervical cancer).
- Palpation (bimanual; palpation with both hands) of the internal genital organs.
- Cervix uteri (cervix) [usually there is a closed cervix].
- Uterus (uterus) [normal: anteflexed/angled forward, normal size, no tenderness; cervical sliding pain is often present]
- Adnexa (appendages of the uterus, i.e., the ovary and uterine tube). [Normal: free; here in tubaria/tubargravidity (tubal pregnancy): pressure-dolent (pressure-painful) and swollen adnexa]
- Parametria (pelvic connective tissue in front of the cervix to the urinary bladder and on both sides to the lateral pelvic wall) [Normal: free].
- Pelvic walls [Normal: free]
- Douglas space (pocket-like bulge of the peritoneum (abdominal wall) between the rectum (rectum) at the back and the uterus (uterus) at the front) [Normal: clear].
- Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) [in advanced stages with intra-abdominal hemorrhage: abdomen distended, peritonism (irritation of the peritoneum) in the area of the lower abdomen, possibly also the entire abdomen]
- Inspection of the mammae (breasts), right and left; the nipple (breastware), right and left, and the skin [Normal: unremarkable].
- Palpation of the mammae, both supraclavicular pits (upper clavicular pits), and axillae (axillary pits) [Normal: unremarkable].
- Inspection
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
