Access to gynecological consultations in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The present study focuses on gynecological consultations. It aims at investigating visits to gynecologists by women ages 18 to 59 living in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and their perceptions of the visit as a whole. The research was carried out in two stages. The first was a quantitative analysis using Grade of Membership (GoM), to define profiles of women who had been to a gynecologist in the 12 months prior to the research, compared to those who had not. The second stage consisted of a qualitative analysis of 33 semi-structured interviews with women whose characteristics are similar to the profiles defined in the first stage, in order to capture their perceptions regarding the visit. Quantitative data were obtained from the SRSR Project (Reproductive Health, Sexuality, and Race/Color), carried out by Cedeplar in 2002. The qualitative data were taken from the project entitled Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects of Access to Contraception, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Uterine Cancer: a proposal for analysis in the city of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, carried out in 2005 and 2006 by Cedeplar. The quantitative results suggest that having made a gynecological visit during the previous year is strongly correlated to the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the women. Those who visit a gynecologist regularly and either pay for the appointment or have some sort of health insurance are the most likely to have gone to a gynecologist during the last 12 months. The qualitative results indicate that women feel uncomfortable during the visit, and the less educated women report feeling more embarrassed than the more educated. There are also strong differences between the more and the less educated women regarding their first gynecological visit. For those with more schooling, the first visit is usually earlier in life and is generally related to the first sexual activity and the use of contraceptives. Among the less educated, the first visit is commonly related to pregnancy. Regardless of educational level, age, or frequency of visits, it is clear that going to the gynecologist is very important for the women interviewed.