Top 9 Unnecessary Women’s Health Tests You Should Avoid

When it comes to women’s health, it’s natural to be cautious and want the best care possible. However, sometimes doctors recommend tests that aren’t truly needed, often exploiting our anxieties. A gynecologist-endocrinologist explains which diagnostic tests lack value if no clear symptoms are present.

Gynecological exams and tests can be costly—for instance, a hormonal profile test might cost around $130. While visiting a skilled gynecologist is important, understanding when certain tests are truly necessary can help you avoid unnecessary expenses.

How can you tell which tests are essential and which might be driven by fear or profit? Our expert, gynecologist-endocrinologist Elena Getsaeva, shares her insight.

1. Cervical cauterization for presumed 'erosion' without clear medical indication is overly common. Many such procedures stem from outdated practices and insufficient doctor training, ignoring modern guidelines.

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2. Prescribing anti-inflammatory or, worse, antibiotic treatments based solely on the 'cleanliness degree' in vaginal smears is not reliable. This test offers limited diagnostic value. For mild symptoms and budget constraints, pH testing is a better, more informative option. Ideally, invest in advanced PCR testing like Femoflor-16 to accurately identify infections, including sexually transmitted ones.

3. Conducting hormonal profiling while on contraceptives to assess therapy effectiveness is pointless. Such tests only show hormone levels influenced by the medication, providing no meaningful insight but incurring significant costs.

4. Oral contraceptives are often given to regulate menstrual cycles, but they only stabilize cycles temporarily during use, masking symptoms rather than treating root causes. This delays diagnosis and effective treatment.

5. Detecting cytomegalovirus in vaginal swabs via PCR can cause unnecessary worry. This virus is unrelated to inflammatory gynecological diseases and is commonly found without clinical significance.

6. Screening for sexually transmitted infections through blood serology is less accurate. PCR testing of genital swabs provides more reliable confirmation.

7. Measuring blood hormone levels (except hCG) during pregnancy is generally unhelpful and sometimes harmful. Some doctors prescribe hormone therapy to lower certain markers without solid reasons, which should only be done with clear pre-pregnancy indications.

Learn from a gynecologist about common myths that worry expectant mothers.

8. Intramuscular hCG therapy for poor hormone increase in early pregnancy is ineffective. A low hCG rise often indicates miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, conditions that cannot be reversed. Offering such treatment gives false hope and is unethical.

9. Treating inflammatory diseases based solely on bacterial culture results is unreliable. Many factors affect culture accuracy, including sample medium, timing, and manual lab procedures, making exclusive reliance on this method inadvisable.

Elena Getsaeva
Obstetrician, Gynecologist-Endocrinologist

Photo: Shutterstock/Fotodom.ru

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