Women undergo annual pelvic exams but is this really necessary? A United States panel of medical experts has said in a draft recommendation to the government that there is not enough evidence to recommend pelvic exams for healthy women.
These pelvic exams for women are being done 63 million times a year and have an estimated cost of $2.6 billion, the Washington Post reported. The draft recommendation is said to be the first statement of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) regarding pelvic exams for gynecologic conditions.
Here's some good news for women who dread that annual pelvic exam (i.e. basically everyone) https://t.co/ZEirW9gDqA pic.twitter.com/XueZtwc4Gp
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) June 30, 2016
Not Enough Evidence On Pelvic Exams
The USPSTFs draft recommendation is only for pelvic exams being done to women who are not pregnant and do not have pelvic symptoms like pain or unusual bleeding, according to PBS. The panel reportedly gave the pelvic exam an "I" or "indeterminate" grade.
The "I" grade meant that they "don't have enough evidence to determine the benefits and harms," panel member Dr. Maureen Phipps was quoted as saying. Phipps is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and chief of OB-GYN at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
Use Of Pelvic Exams
A survey of obstetrician-gynecologists conducted by the USPSTF revealed that 68 percent of these specialists routinely conduct pelvic examinations, which cause women discomfort, reported ABC News. In the same survey, 78 percent said that they find pelvic exams as a useful screening test for gynecologic cancers.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) reportedly still recommends annual pelvic exams for women over 21 years of age. "In addition to the screenings, evaluations and counseling that clinicians can provide, the annual well-woman visit is an opportunity for the patient and her ob-gyn to discuss whether a pelvic examination is appropriate for her," Dr. Thomas Gellhaus, president of ACOG, said in a statement.
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