New guidelines from the American College of Physicians (ACP) suggest that regular pelvic examinations are not recommended in asymptomatic, non-pregnant women who are at an average risk of developing a disease. In fact, they suggest that the negatives associated with such screening may actually outweigh any benefits.

Many women are under the impression that regular pelvic screening should be a component of their annual physicals, yet an analysis of data suggests that any potential benefits of such screening don’t necessarily outweigh the risks.

The new ACP guideline, “Screening Pelvic Examination in Adult Women,” which discusses whether a pelvic exam should be part of a woman’s annual checkup, was co-authored by Dr. Linda Humphrey, a member of ACP’s Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee.

“Routine pelvic examination has not been shown to benefit asymptomatic, average risk, non-pregnant women. It rarely detects important disease and does not reduce mortality and is associated with discomfort for many women, false positive and negative examinations, and extra cost,” said Dr. Humphrey in a statement.

The recommendation for detecting cervical cancer is a visual inspection of the cervix and a swab. The accuracy of pelvic exams in detecting gynaecological cancers is low, and should only be conducted on women who are experiencing vaginal bleeding or discharge, pain, sexual dysfunction and urinary issues.

It should be noted that this guideline is only directed at pelvic exams, and does not include the Pap smear screening which should continue to be part of a woman’s regular physical examination. According to the CDC, the Pap test is recommended for all women between 21 and 65 years of age.