Questioning the Need For Routine Pelvic Exam

Traditionally, a key reason for doing a pelvic exam has been to take a Pap smear—a sample of cells on the cervix to check for signs of cervical cancer—long recommended annually. But in late 2009, ACOG revised its recommendations for Pap smears to every two years for women ages 21 and 30 with no symptoms or other risk factors, and every three years from 30 and older.

Given that change, ACOG is rethinking other elements of the annual exam as well, says Dr. Iglesia. "There may be times when [a pelvic exam] is not necessary and your 15 minutes of managed-care time may be better spent talking."

In addition to the Pap smear, an ob-gyn also traditionally uses a pelvic exam to check the ovaries and uterus for signs of cancer. The ob-gyn uses two fingers to palpitate the organs inside while pressing on the patient's abdomen from the outside, the so-called bimanual exam.

But Dr. Westhoff and her co-authors point out that bimanual exams don't lead to earlier diagnoses of ovarian cancer and aren't recommended for that purpose by ACOG, the American Cancer Society or the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force. They are seldom performed in the United Kingdom, where the proportion of women diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancers is the same as in the U.S.

Thought this was interesting, as people here are always curious about why pap smears/pelvic exams, etc are only done every few years in the UK- Looks like things are moving that way in the US as well

Obviously, for anyone who is concerned about their risk factors, schedule of exams, etc, bring it up with your GP, nurse practicioner, etc

Full article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703584804576144161119909004.html

That's interesting, PB. I was just wondering what the recommended frequency would be on NHS for things like that (for someone over 30  )
Is there any listing of standard times for various health checks (mammograms, bone density, etc.) with NHS? I haven't been able to find anything?

That's interesting, PB. I was just wondering what the recommended frequency would be on NHS for things like that (for someone over 30  )
Is there any listing of standard times for various health checks (mammograms, bone density, etc.) with NHS? I haven't been able to find anything?

This may of be use to you http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Screening/Pages/Checks30to64.aspx

This may of be use to you http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Screening/Pages/Checks30to64.aspx

Thanks for that, Cali. Think I'll be in an older age range by then though