The characteristics and evaluation of women presenting with a breast mass during pregnancy

Abstract The objective of this study is to describe women presenting with breast masses in pregnancy at the Emory University Gynecology Breast Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital from its inception on January 15, 1993 through March 2, 1995. The study is a retrospective chart review of 85 patients, either self-referred or referred by the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, who were pregnant and presented with complaints of a breast mass. The patient population was young, with an average age of 23.9 years. All three trimesters were represented. Fifty-eight patients had palpable masses, and 56 fine-needle aspirations were performed. Twenty-seven (31.7%) of the women did not have masses at the time of clinical examination. Numerous different benign lesions were diagnosed. None of the patients were diagnosed with breast cancer. The evaluation of a breast mass is the same for both pregnant and nonpregnant patients.