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Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination

To review the anxiety and fear risk factors, pathophysiology, symptoms, screening and diagnosis while highlighting treatment considerations for women undergoing a pelvic examination. METHODS: We reviewed the literature pertaining to anxiety and fear surrounding the pelvic examination to help guide h...

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Autores principales: O’Laughlin, Danielle J., Strelow, Brittany, Fellows, Nicole, Kelsey, Elizabeth, Peters, Sonya, Stevens, Joy, Tweedy, Johanna
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: SAGE Publications 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7970676/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33525968
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2150132721992195
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author O’Laughlin, Danielle J.
Strelow, Brittany
Fellows, Nicole
Kelsey, Elizabeth
Peters, Sonya
Stevens, Joy
Tweedy, Johanna
author_facet O’Laughlin, Danielle J.
Strelow, Brittany
Fellows, Nicole
Kelsey, Elizabeth
Peters, Sonya
Stevens, Joy
Tweedy, Johanna
author_sort O’Laughlin, Danielle J.
collection PubMed
description To review the anxiety and fear risk factors, pathophysiology, symptoms, screening and diagnosis while highlighting treatment considerations for women undergoing a pelvic examination. METHODS: We 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. RESULTS: Anxiety 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. CONCLUSION: Assessing 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.
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spelling pubmed-79706762021-03-31 Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination O’Laughlin, Danielle J. Strelow, Brittany Fellows, Nicole Kelsey, Elizabeth Peters, Sonya Stevens, Joy Tweedy, Johanna J Prim Care Community Health Review To review the anxiety and fear risk factors, pathophysiology, symptoms, screening and diagnosis while highlighting treatment considerations for women undergoing a pelvic examination. METHODS: We 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. RESULTS: Anxiety 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. CONCLUSION: Assessing 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. SAGE Publications 2021-02-01 /pmc/articles/PMC7970676/ /pubmed/33525968 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2150132721992195 Text en © The Author(s) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
spellingShingle Review
O’Laughlin, Danielle J.
Strelow, Brittany
Fellows, Nicole
Kelsey, Elizabeth
Peters, Sonya
Stevens, Joy
Tweedy, Johanna
Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title_full Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title_fullStr Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title_full_unstemmed Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title_short Addressing Anxiety and Fear during the Female Pelvic Examination
title_sort addressing anxiety and fear during the female pelvic examination
topic Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7970676/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33525968
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2150132721992195
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