ReviewJournal of primary care & community health
Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination.
Review in Journal of primary care & community health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Women's Experience of Pelvic Examinations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening among female healthcare professionals: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of immersive virtual reality on fear, anxiety, and pain in pregnant women during vaginal examination in clinical training: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Development and validation of the gynecologic examination anxiety scale (GEAS): A 20-item patient-reported measure.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Anxiety in Women Receiving Clinician-Managed Pessary Care for Pelvic Organ Prolapse.International urogynecology journal · 2026Article
- Rural Women Veterans' Experiences Receiving Women's Health Care at Veterans Health Administration.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Psychological Factors and Personality Traits Influencing the Experience and Perception of Pain in Women Undergoing Mammography: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- The Clinical Impact of Patient Embarrassment in Gynecology: A Comprehensive Review of Barriers, Consequences, and Mitigation Strategies.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- From #cervicalcancerscreening to #LEEP - Quality and accuracy of cervical cancer content on TikTok.Gynecologic oncology reports · 2026Article
- Comfort or conservation? Investigating patient choices between plastic and metal speculums.PloS one · 2026Article
- Expert Evaluation of a Medical Simulation Model for Cervical Examination to Assess Progress of Labor in Nursing and Midwifery Education: A Collaborative Technology Innovation.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Gynecological Examination Anxiety, Genital Self-Image, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress of Women.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Setting the mood: improving patient satisfaction and clinic efficiency during penile duplex doppler ultrasound assessment.International journal of impotence research · 2026Article
- Psychological Factors Influencing Pain Perception and Experience in Women Undergoing Mammography: Protocol for a Systematic Review.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Patient-Controlled Sedation During Gynaecological Procedures-Aspects of Patient Satisfaction, Feasibility and Cost Per Patient: Empirical Research Quantitative.Nursing open · 2025Article
- Views from patients, students, and preceptors about the ethics of student-run free clinics.Journal of community health · 2025Article
- Value of Routine Pelvic Examination in the Follow-Up of Patients Receiving Adjuvant Radiation Therapy for Endometrial Cancer: An Australian Tertiary-Centre Experience.Journal of medical imaging and radiation oncology · 2025Article
- A cross-sectional analysis of factors associated with cervical cancer screening in a large midwest primary care setting.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Evaluating the therapeutic use of music to address anxiety for women undergoing gynaecological and fertility treatments.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Assessing Patient Perceptions of Virtual Reality Use for Pelvic Exams.Journal of medical extended reality · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
methodsWe reviewed the literature pertaining to anxiety and fear surrounding the pelvic examination to help guide health care providers' on available screening options and to review options for individualized patient management.
resultsAnxiety and fear are common before and during the pelvic examination. In fact, the pelvic exam is one of the most common anxiety-provoking medical procedures. This exam can provoke negative physical and emotional symptoms such as pain, discomfort, anxiety, fear, embarrassment, and irritability. These negative symptoms can interfere with preventative health screening compliance resulting in delayed or avoided care and significant health consequences.
conclusionAssessing women for anxiety related to pelvic examinations may help decrease a delay or avoidance of examinations. Risk factor and symptom identification is also a key component in this. General anxiety questionnaires can help identify women with anxiety related to pelvic examinations. Strategies to reduce anxiety, fear and pain during a pelvic examination should routinely be implemented, particularly in women with high-risk factors or those identified with screening techniques as having anxiety, fear or pain with examinations. Treatment options should be targeted at understanding the patient's concerns, starting conversations about pelvic examinations early, educating patient's about the examination and offering the presence of a chaperone or support person. During an examination providers should ensure the patient is comfortable, negative phrases are avoided, the correct speculum size is utilized and proper lubrication, draping, dressing and positioning are performed. Treating underlying gynecologic or mental health conditions, consideration of cognitive behavioral therapy and complementary techniques such as lavender aromatherapy and music therapy should also be considered when appropriate.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.