Study Questions Reasons for Routine Pelvic Exams

Note: The study's lead author, Jillian Henderson, PhD, MPH, has a K01 career development award and participated in the CTSI K Scholars Program from 2008-2010.
 
By Elizabeth Fernandez via UCSF.edu

The pelvic exam, a standard part of a woman’s gynecologic checkup, frequently is performed for reasons that are medically unjustified, according to the authors of a UCSF study that may lay the groundwork for future changes to medical practice.
 
The research shows that many physicians mistakenly believe the exam is important in screening for ovarian cancer. The study, which surveyed obstetricians and gynecologists around the country, also shows that doctors continue to perform the exam in part because women have come to expect it.
 
The article is currently published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
 
The pelvic examination has been the foundation of the annual checkup for women for many decades, yet very little has been known about why clinicians perform it and if they believe it is useful,’’ said senior author George Sawaya, MD, a UCSF professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and epidemiology and biostatistics. “We set out to better understand their practices and beliefs.’’
 
Read more at UCSF.edu