“Routine pelvic examination has not been shown to benefit asymptomatic, average risk, non-pregnant women,” said Linda Humphrey, MD, MPH, member of ACP’s Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee, in a release. “It rarely detects important disease and does not reduce mortality and is associated with discomfort for many women, false positive and negative examinations and extra cost.”
The APC’s new evidence-based clinical practice guideline was published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The guideline is based on a review of published literature from 1946 through January 2014.
Performing pelvic exams on healthy women exposes them to avoidable harms like anxiety, embarrassment and discomfort, according to the ACP. Additionally, false positives can lead to unnecessary and expensive tests or procedures.
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