‘You expose yourself in so many ways’: young women's experiences of pelvic examination

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify and describe young women"s experiences of pelvic examination (PE). Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine women aged 18-23, who had undergone at least one PE. Data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Three general themes were identified: (1) relinquishing and regaining control, (2) facilitation of the situation by the examiner, and (3) PE is an unpleasant necessity. These general themes had a common structure that represented the essence: an intimate situation. The women experienced PE as an intimate situation, which they associated with their sexuality. They felt exposed both bodily and mentally, and were placed in a vulnerable situation. PE was considered as unpleasant, but necessary to confirm their health. During the PE, the women felt that they lost control of the situation by exposing their intimate parts. To regain control, the women felt a need for continuous information from the examiner. The vulnerable situation could be made less vulnerable if the examiner built a trusting relationship and made the women feel secure and seen as individuals. A deeper understanding of the situation from the women"s perspective could facilitate the examiner"s performance of PE, leading to more positive experiences among young women.

Aspects of emotional and physical discomfort in gynecologic examination: A study of Turkish women

“…In this study it was determined that the differences between emotional and physical discomfort mean scores before and after the gynecologic examination were not statistically significant in terms of age, educational status, occupational status, place of residence, family structure, frequency of gynecologic examination, or reasons for undergoing gynecologic examination ( P > 0.05). Similar to this study, several other studies have shown that age, marital status, place of residence, education and occupational status do not influence emotional and physical discomfort associated with gynecologic examinations . Previous studies have stated that emotional and physical discomfort in women during the gynecologic examination is influenced by sociodemographic factors, attitudes of health personnel, the frequency of gynecologic examinations, and preference related to the sex of the physician .…”

“…Gynecologic examination causes negative feelings in most women depending on factors such as embarrassment, abasement, and invasion of privacy due to the exposure of the most private parts of a woman's body to a stranger. Moreover, this type of examination causes physical discomfort due to pain felt during the process and emotional discomfort due to lack of knowledge about how the examination is conducted . In this study, it was found that most of the women who had the gynecologic examination felt emotional discomfort before (80.2%) and after (80.6%) the examination.…”

“…In studies by Altay and Kefeli and Erbil et al ., it was found that women who presented to a gynecologic outpatient clinic experienced a medium level of emotional discomfort, such as anxiety. In the studies by Grundstrom et al ., Hilden et al . and Oscarsson et al ., it was stated that most women felt emotional discomfort regarding the gynecologic examination.…”

“…Sexual organs are regarded as ‘private’ throughout the world and have a special significance. During the examination of this organ, women suffer several negative feelings, ranging from slight anxiety and embarrassment to avoiding examination altogether . However, regular gynecologic examinations have an important place in the protection of women's health, enabling physicians to diagnose sexually transmitted diseases, genital cancer, and other health problems earlier .…”

The paradox of vaginal examination practice during normal childbirth: Palestinian women’s feelings, opinions, knowledge and experiences

“…During childbirth, women may report feelings of exposure [1,2], guilt, shame and loneliness that increase their vulnerability. Studies on VE focus more on the procedure during gynecology situation [2-8], women preference regarding gender [9,10], providers’ practices [11] and VE training for medical students [12-16]. Few studies examined women’s experiences of VE during childbirth [17,18], or explored providers’ actual practices [19,20] and none explored it in developing countries or the Middle East region.…”