Who does your smear tests? Man or woman?

[Ikeasucks]

In my 50’s and had a recent very painful smear test. I’ve always had a female do them, i just prefer it but it’s always been just the norm in my experience. Just wondered about others as I’m following a thread on twitter where lots of posters are pouring scorn on women wanting or expecting another woman to do it, saying they don’t care or have had males doing it. Some might be from other countries of course where it’s more normal to have men doing it.

I have had both. Usually at the doctor's it is the female practice nurse but when I had one as part of a Gynae appointment at the Hospital the Male consultant has done it with a female chaperone. (Not chaperone at my request) It doesn't bother me a health professional is a health professional whatever their sex.

In the UK I've mainly had women do my smear tests, though I have had a colposcapy carried out by a male doctor. Personally I don't mind either way and the best gyno I've ever had was a man (not in the UK though), but ultimately it's completely down to the patient and what they feel comfortable with.

I’ve had them done by males and females, and whether someone is hamfisted or not doesn’t particularly correlate to sex, but if all other things are equal, I prefer a female practitioner. My current gyno is female and was recommended to me by friends. I hate smear tests but she makes them bearable.

I don’t have smears, but if I did I would insist on a female. I will always refuse care from male HCP and I would walk out of an appointment if I wasn’t given a choice.

I've always had women but last mammogram was a man which surprised me.

I’m following a thread on twitter where lots of posters are pouring scorn on women wanting or expecting another woman to do it, saying they don’t care or have had males doing it

Woke signalling is rife on Twitter. People are so desperate to be seen as cool and with it.

Most women would, if given completely free choice, prefer another woman to undertake intimate examinations and procedures. We understand it may sometimes be a man and we understand they are medically trained and we can accept that.

What is not welcome is being railroaded into a male practitioner and being made to feel bad or somehow lesser, if you have any reason whatsoever to not want that. Or a man who strides in and says he’s a woman.

It's always been women, although the last one wasn't good, but I assume it was because it's now the practice nurse who has to do them where I am and she didn't have the skills- it had never hurt before, or the personality for the task. Repeatedly asking me how I would feel if I were pregnant (first smear post partum) was at best gauche and for me upsetting as my husband was at the hight of his abuse at that point. It turns out she was supposed to be asking if I wanted contraceptive advice!

I've had had both and actually the men are better at it. Don't really care either way.

I’ve only had female, and I think I’d probably refuse a male due to personal reasons and not feeling comfortable.

I've had both, doesn't bother me.

Practice nurse ( female) usually for the last 30 years or so. Male GP donkeys years ago. I would expect any male HCP doing an intimate procedure to be chaperoned, for his own protection as well as the patient's.

I've had smears from both women and men (trained obviously :D). I don't have much of a preference, I've yet to have a bad experience. But I would never pour scorn on a woman for wanting or needing her smear done by a fellow woman. Bodies are personal, it's all personal choice and that choice should not be belittled.

I've always had a woman doing my smears and mammograms. I would not have a male doing them unless it was an emergency situation, and I can't think one of those would ever occur.

And I agree with others. It's your body- you don't need to have a man touching it, unless you want them too.

Always been a woman. I have refused to have a procedure done by a male in the past and couldn't care less if anyone else doesn't like it.

I asked for a female at my first smear but have since had a young male doctor do one when having a check up on the maternity ward. I didn't mind as others have said, they are health professionals who look at them all day, everyday when on a maternity ward but I was a little mortified that it wasn't tidy down there and even warned him that that was the case 😂

My GP wrote 'female only' on my notes so I don't have to ask.
The comments on the Twitter thread are ridiculous. Medical procedures rely on consent.

I had my very first smear done by a male GP, with a female nurse standing at his shoulder with a headlamp on, chatting to me about my mum, whom she knew from chapel . All subsequent routine smears have been done by female nurses, although I've had umpteen colposcopies and two loop excisions done by male doctors. Doesn't really bother me too much any more - I've had so many people peer up my foof that I'd probably be fine having it done on the reception desk in the waiting room and live-streamed on YouTube now! But I think women should have the right to request that it be done by a female if that;'s what they want.

I actually don't mind whether a man or woman does mine.

That doesn't mean I don't have the empathy or critical understanding to understand why some women might mind and why every women should always have the option for treatment by their preferred sex HCP (emergency situations notwithstanding)

The female nurse does all the smear tests at my GP practice. My first was done by a male GP though, and it was fine.
I wouldn't worry about twitter, though, OP. It doesn't reflect real life, see the general election result.

Whenever I have to see a doctor or nurse about stuff like that I always ask for a female nurse or doctor when I book the appointment so I never end up in an awkward position having to ask for someone different at the appointment.

I get that some people don't mind either way but I have anxiety and it just makes it easier on me if the person doing it is female.

Female, but I’ve had STI check done by a male hcp, who was very good, and actually read my between the lines of my answers and referred me for urgent psychological care, which meant an awful lot to me at the time.

I’ve also had breast examinations by both male and female Drs, and found them equally uncomfortable - possibly slightly worse with female GP as I felt so aware of my old lady saggy boobs next to a young woman (which I realise is completely ridiculous but there we go).

I don’t think women should be made to feel bad for requesting a female, but I also don’t think women should speak for other women as a pp above did - not all women prefer a woman for intimate examinations, and whilst we can have empathy with another’s position we can all only speak for ourselves.

Mostly female as it's generally been the practice nurse, who at my surgery is female, but I've had male Dr's do them as part of treatment or when it's been required outside of routine, they were always chaperoned and I've always been lucky that they haven't been terrible experiences.

Always had women do it, really would feel vulnerable if it was a man.

Always a woman and would choose to have a woman.