This morning I read an article published on Slate.com titled, "Doctors are examining your genitals for no reason". Author, Amanda Hess, introduces new research presented in the Annals of Internal Medicine that states the following:
there is no established medical justification for the annual procedure. After scouring nearly 70 years of pelvic exam studies, conducted from 1946 to 2014, the researchers found no evidence that they lead to any reduction in “morbidity or mortality of any condition” among women. In light of the study, the American College of Physicians, a national organization of internists, has crafted a new set of guidelines warning doctors that exams conducted on otherwise symptomless women can “subject patients to unnecessary worry and follow-up” and can “cause anxiety, discomfort, pain, and embarrassment, especially in women whohave a history of sexual abuse.”
Now this excerpt had me think of all the poking and probing I have experienced since leaving the care of my pediatrician. "In 2010, doctors performed 62.8 million of these routine pelvic examinations on women across America. In total, gynecological screenings cost the U.S. $2.6 billion every year." As with most of the "interventions" proposed by this country's medical profession is this about women's preventative care or the all mighty dollar?!
Other article tidbits:
In 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society released new recommendations suggesting that women should undergo routine pap smear tests every three years, not once a year.
And in 2009, the USPSTF changed its stance on routine mammograms, recommending that women begin undergoing mammograms at age 50, not 40, and that they do them every two years, not every year.
Please read full article here.
