The nurse is examining a 65 year old and palpates a mobile, smooth, round-shaped mass in the left lower abdominal quadrant. The nurse would correctly choose which of the following actions next?

Question

1. Ask the client if she is menstruating.
2. Report the findings to the healthcare provider.
3. Re-examine the area using a vaginal speculum.
4. Ask the client if she could be pregnant.

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: The client in this scenario is elderly. Menstruation is not a viable option.
Rationale 2: In women who have been postmenopausal for more than 2.5 years, palpable ovaries are considered abnormal as the ovaries would normally atrophy with the decrease in estrogen.
Rationale 3: The ovary cannot be viewed with a vaginal speculum.
Rationale 4: The age of the client would not support a likely pregnancy for the client in the scenario. In addition, the pregnant uterus would not be palpated in the area described.