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Pap smears are invasive and have potential for harm. Currently in women’s health care, verbal and written consent for pap smears is lacking. Information and consent in relation to pap smears is sometimes not offered to women and some women … Continue reading
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It’s difficult for some women to trust their doctors these days. There are many reasons for the lack of trust, including the following: Mainstream Media – Media is keeping the public updated on all sorts of unsavory events involving doctors. … Continue reading
Out of every 100,000 women who have a pap test, 5,000 will be falsely diagnosed with cervical cancer. That’s a lot of women who will be told they have cervical cancer when in fact they do not. These women will be … Continue reading
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Pelvic exams are currently up for review by the US Services Preventive Services Task Force. The task force reviews scientific evidence to determine the effects of preventive services, such as screening tests for cancer. The task force makes recommendations based … Continue reading
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All cancer screening is optional, including pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. Unfortunately, some women mistakenly believe pap tests are mandatory. The mistaken belief that pap tests are mandatory is mainly due to the fact some doctors fail to … Continue reading
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This forum is dedicated to a book project led by Linda, an informed woman, an activist, and a contributor to this site. In the UK it will be 30 years since the programme of smear testing began. Women (and men) … Continue reading
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A recent news article in CBC brought gynecology down to an all-time low. Two U.S. gynecologists spoke up about wanting to legalize a “milder” form of female genital mutilation (FGM) for immigrants. The gynecologists argue that allowing legalized “pricking or … Continue reading
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Doctors need to stop pushing pap tests, especially in light of new findings. Some doctors have been getting away with the practice of withholding informed consent for a long time. Women rarely get offered a choice about whether or not … Continue reading
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The shocking truth about women’s health care is revealed in this newly released eBook. A rare account of women’s experiences about what goes on behind closed medical doors is offered in this collection of essays. These raw accounts are told … Continue reading
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This forum is dedicated to a book project led by Linda, an informed woman and contributor to this site. The book will contain a compilation of stories about women’s experiences with health care. Women who wish to have their experiences … Continue reading
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One might reasonably assume that frequent pap tests would result in lower incidence of cervical cancer, but a closer look reveals that this is not the case. After comparing pap test practices from a number of countries and looking at … Continue reading
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This guest post is written by K. Badgers, a valued contributor to this blog. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~ George Santayana Memory is intrinsically entwined with politics – there are restrictions on who … Continue reading
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There’s so much propaganda promoting pap tests as safe, effective, and life-saving that it can come as a shock to discover fact-based information that states otherwise. But an extensive systematic review of the literature on pap tests revealed that the … Continue reading
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There’s a lot of pressure placed on women to have pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. Some doctors give more attention to cervical cancer screening than to any health condition or concern a woman has. Some doctors are more … Continue reading
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Women’s experiences of gynecological/obstetric procedures can be sufficiently distressing to cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 500 women took part in a study about the psychological effects of vaginal exams, pap tests, and other gynecological/obstetric procedures. Of the 500 women who … Continue reading
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Some doctors are choosing to ignore the latest research findings on breast cancer screening. Despite evidence that demonstrates how breast cancer screening may be doing more harm than good, women are still faced with ‘pink’ messaging and propaganda that promotes … Continue reading
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Every time I go to a walk in clinic the doctor asks me “When was your last pap test?” Even though my reasons for visiting have nothing to do with my reproductive organs — once I went because of a … Continue reading
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A woman was arrested for performing pap smears on her dog. She was charged with animal cruelty and sent to jail. Yet women are expected to tolerate the same exam. Women are expected to lay down and take it, often … Continue reading
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This guest post is written by Diane, a valued contributor to this blog. Leading medical organizations state a pelvic exam/pap test is NOT medically indicated for women wanting birth control pills. However, some physicians continue to abuse women’s rights and … Continue reading
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Doctors’ overuse of pap tests has recently been put under closer inspection. Up to now there has been no concerted effort to quantify the extent of doctors’ overuse of unnecessary tests, but a U.S. task force has devised a method … Continue reading
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Some good news arrived for women who are concerned about abusive hospital treatment during childbirth. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a statement that addresses abuse and disrespect during hospital childbirth. The WHO statement reads: Every woman has the … Continue reading
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The $190 million settlement between more than 8,000 female patients and Johns Hopkins Hospital was finalized Sept. 19th, but the cash settlement will do nothing to restore the loss of trust experienced by some women. The Levy Case Dr. Nikita … Continue reading
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Planned Parenthood is working on a new app that will enable women to purchase birth control prescriptions without needing to visit a doctor. The app will enable women to converse online with a nurse practitioner and obtain mail-order birth control … Continue reading
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This is a guest post written by Diane, a valued contributor to this blog: I have this health plan. My doctor was very nice when I told her that I did not want a Pap or pelvic exam, and she … Continue reading
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The following letter by an anonymous author was posted on a UK Health Forum and shared on this blog by Elizabeth (Aust): “Dear Doctors, Thank you for your recent letter in which you informed me that I am at risk … Continue reading
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Some women who choose to decline pap tests are having a hard time accessing health care. Pap tests are used to detect abnormal cells on the cervix which are thought to potentially lead to cervical cancer. Some women do not … Continue reading
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Following a recent groundbreaking study that reveals the uselessness of pelvic exams, the media coverage is focusing on the continued debate between the American College of Physicians and the ob-gyns, rather than on the implications for women’s health. The Physicians … Continue reading
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The blog *forwomenseyesonly* has been nominated for the Community Heart Award by Barbara of Idealistic Rebel. Barbara’s blog exemplifies the spirit of a caring community, where no cause is too small or too great to take on. Her blog tackles … Continue reading
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Research-savvy women who avoid doctors and forgo birth control prescriptions in order to escape pelvic exam coercion have recently been handed additional evidence to support their decisions. A study looking at the pros and cons of pelvic examinations found that … Continue reading
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People were outraged when the furtive practice of performing pelvic exams without consent on anesthetized women undergoing surgery came to light. People discovered that women who were admitted to hospital for surgery were not being informed that their vaginas could … Continue reading
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For years women have been presented with only one side of the story when it comes to pap tests to screen for cervical cancer. The ways in which pap tests are presented have led many women to believe that they … Continue reading
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Women have huge purchasing power and when women stop buying a bad product it tends to disappear from store shelves. This pattern might extend to the pap smear as more and more women are opting out of this questionable method … Continue reading
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Women do not need to undergo humiliating examinations in order to test for sexually transmitted diseases. Urine testing and/or self-collected vaginal swabs are acceptable alternatives to an internal exam. The American College of Physicians and Surgeons (ACOG) Committee Opinion states … Continue reading
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When women visit a doctor they often are not going for the purpose of a pap smear, but find themselves having one anyway. Frequently this is not because women have asked for one but because their doctor has told them … Continue reading
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The WordPress.com stats people prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Happy New Year to you and thank you for visiting. Here’s an excerpt: The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 230,000 … Continue reading
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You might have wondered why doctors routinely perform bimanual exams (insertion of fingers into the vagina) during pelvic examinations. Well, if you asked your doctor for an explanation you might not get one because doctors themselves are a bit vague … Continue reading
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Did you know that female and male reproductive organs aren’t all that different from each other? During the first few weeks of fetal development the internal and external sex organs are the same in both boys and girls. It is … Continue reading
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Some women are questioning how the Affordable Care Act will affect their right to informed consent in regards to pap tests/pelvic exams. Some of the questions women are asking include the following: Will insurance company policies require pap tests as … Continue reading
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A public campaign called “Choosing Wisely” is helping to raise awareness about the potential harms of unnecessary medical tests and treatments. The campaign, launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation and nine American physician organizations, promotes discussion between … Continue reading
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This post has been created to provide an additional forum for discussion. Thank you Alex for suggesting the addition of an open forum devoted to discussion on this blog. (click on title or graphic to go to comments)
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This publication is a compilation of the links to the references and resources found on *forwomenseyesonly*. The references are sorted by the posts on this site and are presented from newest to oldest. Many of the links have been provided … Continue reading
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This woman has difficulty finding a doctor who can tell the difference between her toenails and her genitals: Twice, TWICE this year I have gone to doctors to be seen for toenail fungus. For those of you who have not … Continue reading
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We know what pap testing looked like in the 50’s because on the surface not much has changed. Even though it has been 60 plus years since the introduction of pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, the stirrups are … Continue reading
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Interesting comments found on “Unnecessary Pap Smears” from women who work at a colposcopy clinic: • 495 – Colposcopy Clinic Employee May 14, 2010 at 8:08 pm The money generated in that search amounts to billions. The industry banks on … Continue reading
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Dr. Diane Harper, the lead researcher involved in developing the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines, is continuing her efforts to warn the public about the potentially harmful effects of the vaccinations. In a series of attempts to get the message out, … Continue reading
So many comments – nine years worth of comments – gone. They were an important piece of women’s history.
*Update: The comments have been retrieved and can be found on this site:http://unnecessarypapsmears.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/over-10000-lost-comments-on-unnecessary-pap-smears-find-a-home/
*Updated August 19, 2013
*Update: The lost comments have been found and are being republished on Unnecessary Pap Smears WordPress (linked below)
In 2004 a woman who called herself “Bookofjoe” wrote an article titled “Unnecessary Pap Smears” and published it on Blogcritics. The article highlights a number of interesting points, but the main focus of the article is on the questionable practice of screening for cervical cancer on women who have no cervix. The author states that in the United States “almost 10 million women – almost half of all women who have undergone hysterectomy – are being screened unnecessarily, as they are not at risk of cervical cancer” (the full article can be read here http://blogcritics.org/unnecessary-pap-smears/)
The article is interesting but it is what happened after the article was published that is most remarkable. Women began to comment on the article and to share their experiences with pap smears. Women – many for…
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Incidence of sexual abuse within health care is estimated to rival levels found within the church and other major institutions, but people who are sexually abused by doctors and other health care workers within the context of health care are … Continue reading
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The National Health Service (NHS), a publicly funded healthcare group, utilized marketing techniques designed to tug on women’s heartstrings and instill fear in an effort to increase cervical cancer screening in the United Kingdom. The NHS used carefully crafted appeals … Continue reading
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