Among the survey's other findings:

February 1, 2004

The majority of female ob/gyns believe menstrual suppression is safe when used long-term (69%) or occasionally (30%). More than half (53%) say they've used oral contraceptives to suppress their own menstruation.

Among those female ob/gyns who said they had undergone a caesarean delivery, 78% said it was performed for medical reasonsnot as an elective. When asked if they would perform an elective C/S if a patient requested one, 36% said they would not, 32% said they would, and another 28% said it would depend on the circumstances.

Female ob/gyns are more likely than American women in general to be screened for cervical or breast cancer. While 89% of American women of reproductive age have had a Pap test within the past 3 years, 78% of female ob-gyns had the test within the past 18 months and 90% had one within the past 2 years. Additionally, 70% of American women over age 40 in 2002 had a mammogram in the previous 2 years, while 73% of female ob/gyns age 48 and over had one in the past year and 86% had one within the past 2 years.

50% of female ob/gyns use hormone therapy to treat their own menopausal symptoms, and 19% said they did not use any treatment. Other types of treatment used by female ob/gyns include antidepressants (13%) to treat hot flashes and alternative natural therapies (13%), such as botanical black cohosh.