Women’s and healthcare professionals’ experiences of gynaecological examinations in Taiwan

Research has identified various drivers that have resulted in the over-medicalisation of pregnancy monitoring and birthing practices in Taiwan. Other women’s health concerns beyond reproduction, however, remain under studied. To address this gap, this study explored women’s and healthcare professionals’ experiences and perceptions of gynaecological care at Taiwanese healthcare facilities. Interviews were conducted with gynaecologists, obstetrics and gynaecology nurses, and women who had experienced a pelvic examination at a Taiwanese obstetrics and gynaecology department. A thematic analysis of their narratives demonstrates that pelvic examinations are underused for a variety of reasons driven by different actors, policies and conceptualisations of modern medicine and women’s health, many of which reflect those that contribute to an over-medicalisation of reproduction. This over-medicalisation of reproduction, together with the under-medicalisation of gynaecological health, reveals the extent to which women’s health is equated with reproduction in the Taiwanese healthcare system and wider society. This phenomenon poses risks to women’s health due to both excessive intervention in reproductive processes alongside the underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of other health concerns unrelated to reproduction.