

Stop requiring annual women's exams for women to get a birth control prescription.


Stop requiring annual women's exams for women to get a birth control prescription.
The Issue
Currently, the University of Georgia Health Center's Women's Clinic requires an "annual women's exam," which includes a pelvic and breast exam and potentially a pap smear, in order to be able to get an oral contraceptive prescription. This exam is invasive and medically irrelevant to the issue of birth control unless the patient is seeking an IUD, diaphragm, or sterilization. The World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both agree that this kind of exam is not necessary to prescribe any other type of birth control. In fact, many aspects of a pelvic exam are not recommended for those under 21, and requiring this exam can hinder women from seeking birth control, which can be detrimental to their health. It causes the patient to incur unnecessary cost and devalues the control they have over their own bodies. While these exams are important, the diseases they screen for have no bearing on whether or not birth control can be safely prescribed. The health and agency of female students who rely on the University Health Center are compromised by this arbitrary, counterproductive, unrecommended barrier to birth control.
http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Gynecologic-Practice/Well-Woman-Visit ;
"Data do not support the necessity of performing an internal pelvic examination before initiating oral contraceptives in otherwise healthy, asymptomatic individuals or as a screening examination for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)"
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241562846.pdf
The World Health Organization concluded that pelvic and breast exams (both part of UGA Health Center's annual exam requirement) "[do] not contribute substantially to safe and effective use of the contraceptive method." (pg 156-7)
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1884537
"ACP recommends against performing screening pelvic examination in asymptomatic, nonpregnant, adult women"
"The current evidence shows that harms outweigh any demonstrated benefits associated with the screening pelvic examination."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/22/us-birth-control-idUSTRE6AL67X20101122

The Issue
Currently, the University of Georgia Health Center's Women's Clinic requires an "annual women's exam," which includes a pelvic and breast exam and potentially a pap smear, in order to be able to get an oral contraceptive prescription. This exam is invasive and medically irrelevant to the issue of birth control unless the patient is seeking an IUD, diaphragm, or sterilization. The World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists both agree that this kind of exam is not necessary to prescribe any other type of birth control. In fact, many aspects of a pelvic exam are not recommended for those under 21, and requiring this exam can hinder women from seeking birth control, which can be detrimental to their health. It causes the patient to incur unnecessary cost and devalues the control they have over their own bodies. While these exams are important, the diseases they screen for have no bearing on whether or not birth control can be safely prescribed. The health and agency of female students who rely on the University Health Center are compromised by this arbitrary, counterproductive, unrecommended barrier to birth control.
http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Gynecologic-Practice/Well-Woman-Visit ;
"Data do not support the necessity of performing an internal pelvic examination before initiating oral contraceptives in otherwise healthy, asymptomatic individuals or as a screening examination for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)"
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241562846.pdf
The World Health Organization concluded that pelvic and breast exams (both part of UGA Health Center's annual exam requirement) "[do] not contribute substantially to safe and effective use of the contraceptive method." (pg 156-7)
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1884537
"ACP recommends against performing screening pelvic examination in asymptomatic, nonpregnant, adult women"
"The current evidence shows that harms outweigh any demonstrated benefits associated with the screening pelvic examination."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/11/22/us-birth-control-idUSTRE6AL67X20101122

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Petition created on April 1, 2015