Healthy women in the Dallas, Texas area can cross off having to get a pelvic exam when they go in for their yearly ‘well woman’ checkup at an OBGYN in Dallas. The American College of Physicians recently announced new guidelines for women who are not currently pregnant and do not experience any problems related to pelvic disease.
The pelvic exam required in the past was a very intrusive and personal examination in which the woman was required to lie on an exam table with her feet in stirrups while a doctor from the Advanced OBGYN Associates conducted the internal assessment. It was done as a screening for various types of cancers and infections, and was used to detect cysts, tumors, or other masses or irregularities that might be
present in the patient’s uterus.
New data revealed that there were no conclusive studies that proved the utility of pelvic exams in diagnosing cancer. The OBGYN community in Dallas also recognized that a pelvic exam sometimes caused women to experience nervousness, worry, fear, and even embarrassment during the internal procedure.
This change to procedure will save both women and their health insurance billions of dollars each years that can be applied to other physical care areas each year such as the Pap smear or mammograms. While not effected directly by this latest announcement regarding the pelvic exam these latter two procedures should be done according to one’s doctor’s suggestions depending on her age and health condition.
The Advanced OBGYN Associates are now telling their patients that the decision to undergo a pelvic exam is a personal choice between a doctor and patient. Patients should also be informed that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released their own statement declaring that their group still list a pelvic exam in their guidelines for women older than 21 even if recent studies have shown that they are not needed for low risk patients.
A women’s annual well woman appointment however, is still a vital part of good preventative care, according to the Advanced OB GYN Associates. Which procedures to do at this appointment are based on the needs as discussed with an OB GYN in Dallas and the female patient. These new guidelines for a pelvic exam have nothing to do with the current guidelines for getting a Pap smear or a mammogram. Women should speak to their doctor if they are confused about these new guidelines for the pelvic exam.
The bottom line is that women need to discuss their annual exam requirements with their OB GYN in Dallas and determine if they are in a category that still requires a pelvic exam, or if they can refrain from undergoing this intrusive internal procedure. Women area also advised to still get the other two popular women’s procedures called the Pap smear and the mammogram, depending on their age and medical history.
