Experience of the first pelvic examination

OBJECTIVES: To analyze women's experiences of the first pelvic examination and identify positive and negative components. To learn lessons, and build on and incorporate the positive components into a model of good clinical practice. METHOD: The open, cross-sectional study was carried out in community family planning and young persons clinics. A self-administered questionnaire was offered to all women under 25 years of age who attended a family planning or young persons clinic during the study period. The questionnaire was constructed to determine how experience compared with expectations and which components showed a significant trend towards a positive or negative effect. It also aimed to find what women considered to be important aspects of an internal examination. RESULTS: A total of 167 evaluable questionnaires were completed in which experience of the first pelvic examination was reported from family planning clinics (41%), general practice (39%) and hospital/genitourinary medicine faculties (20%). These first pelvic examinations occurred at a mean age of 17.3 years (range 11-23 years). Significant trends of a positive experience were found when the examination was conducted by a female doctor (p = 0.02), when it was conducted in a family planning clinic as opposed to general practice (p = 0.04), after permission was sought (p = 0.001) and with increasing age at first examination (Mann-Whitney, p = 0.003). There were no significant differences in outcome with offer of, or presence of, a chaperone. CONCLUSIONS: A friendly, female doctor who seeks permission before the examination, which should be uninterrupted, were considered to be important aspects for an internal examination.