A woman was refused a hospital test because she had never had sexual intercourse. Liverpool Women's Hospital denied the 19-year-old patient, who was being assessed for endometriosis, a transvaginal ultrasound, according to a recent VICE World News Investigation.
Four years ago, the woman, who was concerned about her hormonal status, general health and future fertility was told they would "cross that bridge" when she was no longer a virgin. It was revealed that the hospital is among 32 trusts in England and Wales that don't offer the internal examination to people who are not sexually active or have not had sex, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
Nearly 200 tests were contacted as a part of the investigation and 57 responded to confirm they offered the scans. A transvaginal ultrasound enables doctors to look inside the body at organs such as the ovaries or the womb according to the NHS website.
This can help with diagnosing conditions such as endometriosis which can cause a lot of pain and heavy bleeding in one in ten women, as well as some trans men and non-binary people. People that suffer from endometriosis can develop the condition in their teens and it can take an average of eight years to officially diagnose the condition.
Many people with it struggle to get a diagnosis due to a lack of understanding about its symptoms and the limited range of diagnostic tests available. A spokesperson for Stonewall told VICE World News: "Denying people healthcare because of their sexuality, sexual history or gender identity can have life-threatening consequences.
"Assumptions about sexual behaviour create barriers to accessing healthcare for many LGBTQ+ people and contribute to ongoing health outcome inequalities. It is vital that all NHS trusts ensure that anyone who requires a transvaginal ultrasound can access one."
The British Medical Society (BMUS) updated its guidance in October last year, saying "the concept of virginity plays no part in the clinical decision making for transvaginal ultrasound". A spokesperson for Liverpool Women's Hospital said patients who haven't had sex will be eligible for the examination later this year.
They said: "Liverpool Women's has recently gone through the process of reviewing its standard operating procedures to remove no 'previous sexual activity' as a contraindication for transvaginal scanning for procedures where a transvaginal scan would be clinically indicated as per BMUS guidelines.
"This work is in the process of being ratified with the intention of all revised standard operating procedures being in operation later this year."
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