Why no routine annual conference gynaecological checks in UK?

I think some countries advocate regular preventative health checks (helps especially with early detection).

Other countries advocate dealing with a problem when it arises (though sometimes things have advanced significantly by the time you are aware there is an issue that requires a visit to the doctor).

In America, women are advised to have a smear every year - especially once they are sexually active and if they are / have been intimate with more than one partner in that year.

Some may say once a year is too much. However, I was very grateful when some precancerous cells were discovered at my annual exam/smear. In the year since my previous smear, the cells had progressed quite rapidly to the most serious stage. If they had not been detected so early, I would have had a much more serious health issue.

Over investigation is not generally a good use of resources.

Most gynae screening in the uk is done in primary care, not by gynae themselves, and most dentistry is paid for.

I see a lot of patients who have had excessive screening tests done overseas and return demanding nhs gynae referral. None have needed it (once the records have been located and translated)

I agree OP, annual exams are common in the US as well

They are NOT just smears, those are done maybe yearly if you are high risk but otherwise every 3-5 years

The doctor also does a breast exam and checks your ovaries, which I think is a good thing. It's a chance to review contraception, get a new prescription if necessary. Other general physical checks like blood pressure (important for some contraception). Also a chance to share any concerns that might not feel enough for a proper doctor's visit... lots of women get referred into mental health services by their gynos, for depression or anxiety.

It's also good as you get older to see a doctor specialising in women's health, as many conventional treatments and drugs are developed using male subjects and may have different effects.

So it may not seem cost-effective but actually it's a good way to squeeze lots of stuff into one short visit. Early detection is key for so many things and I do think this is a feminist issue.

I can see the point of an annual check up, not necessarily a gendered one though. You can attend a well woman clinic here, if your GP offers one.

Health screening can do more harm than good. I'm sure there are arguments on both sides.

I live in Germany and it's an annual 'well-woman' check here - smear / breast exam / sometimes depending on insurance or if you want to pay extra a TV ultrasound to check ovaries - and general urine/bp/weight etc.

Presumably so that if there are any probs they are picked up at an earlier stage and are therefore easier to treat?

When you hear stories of young women dying because they can't access appropriate screening it makes you thankful for what you get 'as normal'

I don't consider it in any way 'a control/observation' issue - it's part of the very proactive and preventative approach to healthcare here rather than reactive which is what it seems like in the UK.

What's the need? What kind of things do they find out?

I would decline anyone examining me anywhere without good reason.

You have to ask yourself what good an annual check would do tbh. The Uk has a national cervical screening programme, and the optimum frequency for the population has been calculated to be 3 yearly, and women are chased to attend these.

Men aren't routinely called for health checks either, but GP practices often offer 'MOTs' to specific age groups for the major health issues like weight, blood pressure, cholesterol etc

.....or the idea that men=normal, women=abnormal, and therefore prone to all sorts of disease. Do men in Germany/Belgium have andrological check ups annualy?

You can get well-woman checks at private clinics, e.g. through Bupa - I did one once when I had been living overseas for several years and was overdue for a smear check.

I would guess that the reason the NHS doesn't offer annual checks like this is because they may not necessarily improve the overall health of women, or at least not in a cost-effective way. I think differences in the way doctors are paid may explain why gynaecologists in some countries, particularly the US, encourage regular check-ups and screenings when other countries do not feel the need.

I am not involved in healthcare, but I have read a lot of evidence about how unnecessary screenings/scans can lead to vast numbers of false positives - people being referred for further tests or even treatment for things they turn out not to have, or which they do have but which would never have caused a problem (e.g. very early stage prostate cancer, some very slow-growing breast cancers). Margaret McCartney has written some interesting stuff about this.

I don't have a medical background, but doubt gyne health is worse here because of it.

I would feel really uncomfortable about this, instinctively it feels like some sort of control/observation of women type thing.

do you have any concerns about your health?
I can see the point of regular dental checks, but not sure what a gynae check up would be for, exactly....smears aside of course. Sounds to me like a money spinner for the Drs.