Will smears be done by men/TWs in future?

Chaperones aren't a new offer, even when the patient and doctor are same sex and regardless of which examination/procedure is happening. Our gp surgery has always asked if you want a chaperone for anything which involved removing clothes or for more intimate examinations, whether it's a male or female doctor/nurse.

I have been examined and treated by both female and male gynaecologists. I have had gentle, courteous treatment from both females and males, and I have had unkind, impersonal treatment from 1 female and 2 males, out of many more than I can remember. I do not like internals, regardless of whether a woman or a man performs them. But when men perform them, regardless of how gentle they are, I feel invaded and far more distressed. I will never again accept to be internally examined by a man.

It's not a new policy, they have asked for over 30 years (there's a sign in the waiting room about asking for a chaperone too). Men have always done smears, you may be surprised to know that gp's used to be the ones doing them and many are men. At my doctors you have always been allowed to request a woman for a non urgent intimate procedure but there's no ban on men

Of course it would be different. The average male medical professional is not living out their fetish. I have no problem with male medical professionals.

Interestingly, of the 70 or so male midwives in the UK - several of them now have convictions for sexual assault or owning child sex abuse images.

There have been quite a few convictions of male nurses/doctors for rape or sexual assault - one elderly stroke victim was raped so viciously she haemorrhaged and died as a result.

In Brazil, an anaesthetist was convicted of orally raping an unconscious mother while she was undergoing a caesarean.

I don’t think you will find a similar ratio of convictions to staff among female HCPs. Chaperones are offered for a reason.

I don’t want a man doing my smear test or mammogram.

I refused an intimate procedure recently, and they had to find an alternative way of examining me (which they did).

It was with a female doctor - I just didn't feel comfortable. I don't think it's actually anything to do with gender - sometimes you just feel triggered. I think a chaperone would make me feel worse actually. I'd rather the fewer people involved the better.

I don't think it's sexualised at all on the part of the medical professional, but that doesn't stop you from feeling vulnerable. In some ways, the fact that it's so mundane and everyday for them makes it harder, as in my experience, often they can't relate to how big a deal it is for you.

I think I'd actually be willing to have an intimate procedure done by a male doctor or nurse, providing he was a human with empathy. Same goes for a trans person - my recent instinctive reaction to a female doctor has made me realise it's about how they treat you and make you feel, not what anatomy they have.

I volunteered at a covid vaccine site. I remember we had a young adult male ask if he could have a female nurse for his injection. He was nervous and said they were more like his mum than he male nurses. Usually, I would think it dodgy as anything, a bloke requesting a female hcp, but not in this case, he was scared, bless him 🙂

I have had a few smears done by male doctors

I was at a practice for a while with 3 male doctors and only one woman so it was commonplace - they did always offer an appointment with the female doctor but I don't really mind

You may be surprised to discover that the average nursing professional isn't living out their fetish either.

But I agree, I wouldn't want a trans-woman giving me a personal examination either - or a trans man/NB for that matter. I'd just want someone competent, with a grounded sense of scientific reality.

I'm just wondering whether there is a covert push to remove that informed consent. If TWAW and you refuse treatment from a TW, can treatment be withheld or delayed?

A rape survivor who wrote to request a female hcp for a mammogram had her letter held up in a training session as an example of unacceptable transphobia.

I guess it depends on how captured your NHS trust is and if there are any staff on the side of women.

According to the experience of a friend of mine, if it is a male born trans person you won’t get offered a chaperone, you will just be gaslit and aggressively pushed into having the invasive procedure regardless.

I work in the nhs. A chaperone is offered for all examinations regardless of the sex of the clinician or patient.

How odd, my gynaecologist is a man, never crossed my mind to ask for or been offered a chaperone.

@WeepyWillow no, I'm not young. I'm in my 50s. I should have said that I thought it was standard practice nowadays. I certainly in the past haven't been offered a chaperone but in recent years I have.

I know it's the thin end of the wedge, but you can pay for a private smear in order to ensure a female does it.

Also as a bonus, the private ones actually look at the cells under the microscope, regardless of HPV status.

As long as I can afford it, I won't have another NHS one ever again.

I've been offered a chaperone for my last 2 smears, both of which were done by a female. I thought it was standard practice

Same here. I do find the fetish side ay gee pee alarming.
There was TW in a woman’s underwear section of a chain of stores ( Staff) a few years ago.
I found it very strange.

It matters less what gender the health professional is than their professional behaviour.

That depends. Dc1 was delivered by a professional, kind, empathetic male doctor. He was sympathetic to my circumstances having read my file and was willing to wake up the female on call consultant. I made the choice to let him deliver dc1 based on the above. He still managed to retrigger my ptsd and according to the consultant psychiatrist I ended up in front of, that was likely a factor in me developing postpartum psychosis on top of the ptsd symptoms. I lost the first six months of dc1's life, had numerous attempts at suicide and it cost me my career as I wasn't fit to return to work.

Years ago there were no practice nurses to speak of in general practice in the UK, and so all gynae stuff was done by the doctors, of whom the vast majority were male.

Of course it would be different. The average male medical professional is not living out their fetish. I have no problem with male medical professionals. But if they identify as trans or nb I don't want to be treated by them.