Danish women's preferences regarding gynecological examination support international recommendations: A cross-sectional study

Objective: Gynecological examinations (GEs) are challenging for many women. Several recommendations and guidelines have emerged, partly based on common sense and clinicians' consensus. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding women's opinions. Therefore, this study aimed to describe women's preferences and experiences in relation to GEs and investigate whether they are dependent on their socioeconomic status. Methods: In Denmark, GEs are typically performed by general practitioners or resident specialists in gynecology (RSGs) in gynecological hospital departments. This cross-sectional questionnaire and register study included approximately 3000 randomly selected patients who visited six RSGs from January 1, 2020, to March 1, 2021. The main outcome measurement involved women's preferences and experiences regarding GEs. Results: Overall, 37% of the women thought that a changing room was important, 20% preferred a garment to cover themselves, 18% preferred a separate examination room, and 13% thought that the presence of a chaperone was important. Compared with working and retired women, more women outside the workforce felt insufficiently informed, considered their experience with RSGs unprofessional, and found GEs painful. Conclusion: Our results support existing recommendations regarding GEs and the related environment, confirming that privacy and modesty are factors to take into consideration as they are of concern for a relatively large group of women. Thus, providers should focus on women outside the workforce, because this group appears to feel vulnerable in this environment.