Why are we doing this?

Questioning the Pelvic Exam

By JANE E. BRODY, NYT

In America, when a woman goes to her gynecologist, she is typically given a pelvic exam whether or not she has symptoms or concerns that might warrant one. That’s one reason an estimated 63.4 million pelvic exams are performed annually in this country.

Now a growing number of experts are asking whether it’s necessary to do so many.

“This is not the case in other countries that get better results without doing routine pelvic exams,” Dr. Carolyn L. Westhoff, a gynecologist at Columbia University Medical Center, said in an interview.

“I’m an American gynecologist, and that’s how we were trained. It took many years for me to ask, ‘Why are we doing this?’ ”

For most women, Pap smears are now recommended just once every three to five years — and for some, not at all. No doubt many women would be delighted to skip the routine pelvic exam, too, which many find uncomfortable and embarrassing.

(More here.)