Does your partner attend medical appointments with you?

This is an excellent point. In the US state where I live, physicians and other medical professionals are required to have domestic violence training periodically for licensure. Hopefully, GPs (or PCPs as we call then in the states (Primary Care Physician) can see some actions by patients and people accompanying them as potential red flags. I think a patient being accompanied by a partner all the time, especially for even relatively minor medical issues, is one of those red flags.

My abusive ex used to beat me if he heard I’d been to the GP without him being there. He insisted. If I were a GP I’d assume that a certain number of the 50% of people bringing partners were being forced to do so - emotionally or physically.

Yes.
My husband is the biggest advocate I can have. He is in the room for every single appointment with me, because it’s the only way I can get male doctors to listen to me!

It very much depends. I have epilepsy and my husband comes everywhere with me for safety reasons. Also, the epilepsy nurse likes to hear from someone who has witnessed my seizures as I can hardly describe them 🤷‍♀️

Since my last reply to this thread things did change for us and I did begin going with DH to support him and learn things myself.

In late summer of 2025 DH was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. I went to all of those appointments as he did need support and I wouldn't have left him to go through it totally alone.

Unfortunately, it progressed very quickly and he is no longer with us. ☹️

I went to a few of my husband’s when I thought he was minimising his mental health. It really helped and it also helped that I could see that the symptoms he’d been minimising to me were being taken really seriously by the GP and the GP encouraged me to accompany him.

I think that what the OP has described is definitely a bit odd. DH and I certainly don't accompany each other to dental appointments or fairly routine appointments with our primary care physician. But as we age and have more medical issues, we do sometimes accompany each other for consultations with specialists. It's more a two heads are better than one type situation, especially because sometimes one of us will think of a question to ask that the other doesn't.

Most hospital appointments where the other cant drive after then yes. My OH comes to the eye hospital with my (like today), if he is off work. I go on the bus otherwise. He doesnt come in the various rooms with me

He recently had to have a cosultation and small procedure and he wanted me in with him.

He didnt come with me for my breast biopsy as DS was little and at school. Oh my the staff whittled on and on about me being on my own and made me feel quite bad. I was perfeclt capable of being on my own

We usually go out for dinner afterwards so think thats why he mostly comes

We never used to until DH got diagnosed with cancer. Now he needs me at all his medical appointments, including dentists, as he's developed terrible health anxiety from all the medical procedures he's had, several years of chemotherapy and a cocktail of other drugs, and general NHS incompetence. He wants me there as a second pair of ears to remember what the medic has said, and also for me to prompt him to ask any questions he may have forgotten.

He's not like that in any other setting and happily goes to other professional appointments such as solicitors, etc on his own, as well as various hobby groups, etc., but he's become a bit of a dithering wreck when it comes to his health, not surprising really as he has an incurable cancer, and has had suffered all kinds of NHS foul ups, from constantly giving him wrong appointments, medication hardly ever ready for pick up on the agreed date, even some of his infusions have been wrong (too high a dose!) so he likes me there to check things over for him in case he misses/forgets to check something with them.

I just realised this is a old thread- no idea how it popped up

Only maternity (a long time ago) and my autism diagnostic appointments- they suggest a person come who knows you well. My DH wouldn’t waste annual leave on my appointments and vice versa- which sounds really bad but if it something important we would.

DH has accompanied me a few times when I have had non routine mammograms, but stayed in waiting room (or car during COVID). He did end up staying with me in the treatment room when I was having a cancerous lump removed on my leg under local anaesthetic. I’m not great with needles etc so he was allowed to stay with me when I was given the anaesthetic but was then meant to leave but I wouldn’t let go of his hand!

He did accompany me on most of my antenatal appointments as they were in the evening and we drove past the hospital on the way home from work. Didn’t realise this could be seen as a safeguarding issue. Did have one appointment during the day which I went to on my own, not sure if midwife organised this so she could see me on my own.

Did accompany DH to emergency appointment when he managed to seriously cut one of his fingers whilst chopping vegetables for dinner. I was heavily pregnant at the time and as we walked into OOH it was automatically assumed we were there for me. I did have to lie down though in the treatment room as the sight of blood made me feel faint!

If I ask him to, or if its for something potentially serious then he'll come, and vice versa really.

Otherwise, no. And I've got far better things to do than sitting watching him have his teeth inspected.

No, never. Even if it was bad news I wouldn’t want him there.

To me this would be weird but some couples are very co dependant and if that suits them, fine. I'd find it suffocating. I had a friend that phoned her partner every lunch break but lived together. Personally I'd have saved any updates until I got home but it worked for them.

Each to their own but sounds odd, and a colossal waste of time for the person who doesn’t have the appointment.

That is so odd I would actually be concerned.

Attending appointments together because a significant health issue is occurring is one thing, expected even, attending routine dentist/gp appointments together on the other hand, has red flags all over it.

Cannot think of anything worse. If it was an appointment where I might get bad news I would take my friend or my daughter. Definitely not husband.

Only for my scans when pregnant. He was at work for the rest. I don’t see the point unless something has been flagged and it may be serious.
My DD has MS and I take her to her appointments but I stay in the waiting room, though when she was going through the initial tests etc I was with her (she was 17 at the time).

Dh comes with me to any gp appts now, I had an issue with the gp being very dismissive in the past, he seems to take dh more seriously though 🤷‍♀️

Weird, but quite sweet. Unless there is something controlling going on.

We're both pretty independent and also very busy with work and needing to care for dc.

I don't think we have ever, ever been to the gp with each other. He came to some scans when pregnant but no other mw or obs appointments.

We go to the dentist as a family but switch in and out so not actually in the room together.

I've been through some pretty difficult stuff like biopsies and DH has been the taxi, but I get more into the JFDI mindset and don't want to chat or be myself really.

When I had to go into hospital in the middle of the night in an emergency (ectopic) he was absolutely hopeless through fear and distress. Couldn't give my date of birth or anything useful. He's not an assertive type at all. He's a lovely bloke and a great support in many ways, but not like that.

No, we don't go in with each other. I think everyone should have space to talk to their health professional, whoever they are, alone. That said, if I were going in for something with a potential life changing result I would want my dh there with me.

This was a bit concerning though

The reason that it came up is that the physician had asked my friends partner to go to the waiting room and they would call her in shortly, but she just stayed anyway

No, but I attend with DH as he now has memory issues and never asks the right questions or takes anything in.

Do you mind telling us why ?

As so many have said, it is understandable for the 'big' ones, but why would you need, or want someone else there every time you go to get a dental check up or antibiotics, or get a blood test or a smear or a scan or an x-ray, unless you had additional needs?
Unfortunately, I've had to go to our surgery several times over the last couple of months, and the only time I've seen people accompany someone is when they are with a child, or someone who clearly has limited capacity.