VILNIUS - Lithuania on Tuesday scrapped a soviet-era regulation that forced women to have a gynecological exam before getting a driving license, AFP said.

The Health Ministry made the decision under pressure from the nation's gender ombudswoman, Ausra Burneikiene, whose office had received a complaint from a 24-year-old would-be driver.

The woman had said the law was unfair because men were not required to have a similar exam to get their licenses.

"We are happy that the Health Ministry finally did what it had to do," Burneikiene said.

Some medical officials opposed changing the law, saying that certain gynecological disorders could cause enough pain for a woman to pass out behind the wheel.