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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that a hospital should have a female gynecologist?

330 replies

crazyspaniel · 03/09/2011 21:35

My local hospital only has male gynecologists. If I want to see a female practitioner I have to travel 40 miles. In the end I went to my local hospital and found the whole experience somewhat traumatic - the fact that the doctors were male was part of the reason for finding it so horrible and humiliating.

Is it really so hard to hire a female gynecologist? I get that consultants are often of a generation when not many women went into medicine (and particularly surgery), but there are now more women than men becoming doctors and one of the doctors in the room was SHO level (or whatever they call them now), so not of that generation. I really think this is one area of medicine where there should be female quotas and where each hospital should have at least one female practitioner.

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:21

I can quite see why you don't get many women opting for gynaecology-far too much aggro.
They want a job where they can just get on with it without fuss. If I was training to be a doctor I would avoid it after reading this.
You have a problem with a part of the body-you need an expert-a professional-the best for the job. To quibble that he may be the best in the country, but he is a man and you would rather have someone who was only given the job because they were a woman-seems silly to me. (unless you have suffered sexual abuse and are a special case).
Apart from the fact OP can see a woman-she just has to put herself out a bit, rather than expect everyone to put themselves out for her.

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:28

exotic the people aren't going to be quibbling with the doctor Confused

They will ask for what they want, and be told yes or no or go somewhere else. It is then their choice what to do.

In the OPs case she has been offered a male doctor, or a female further away, and she needs to decide what to do.

I suspect that in the case of smears, women who want women change practices to ones that can accomodate that, or simply don't have one.

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:29

"It was not intended to sound callous. I meant only that the evidence-gathering process in such cases will not wait for scientific reasons. It is the natural physical world which is callous, not me.

You have had a go at me, feel free, but you have had not said why I am wrong."

I have not said you are wrong, just that your post sounded callous and lacking in empathy.

The simple fact of the matter is that some/lots of women in this position will walk if they find out they are to be examined by a man. So no-one gets any evidence at all, and the case is dropped/no crimed - not a desirable outcome.

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:31

It was the "world won't stand still and wait" for a woman who has been assaulted to see a female medic that sounded callous.

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:31

In the OPs case she has been offered a male doctor, or a female further away, and she needs to decide what to do

Exactly-I don't know why we are discussing it!
She has a perfectly reasonable choice-she hasn't choice 3, a female doctor closer-and I don't see why she should be. Women should get jobs through merit and not quotas.

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:32

Yes exotic but some on this thread have a very hard line indeed on whether people should be allowed to express a preference etc

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:33

So I am arguing with points that other people have made and then you are arguing with me. But you don't think what the other people think so it doesn't make sense!

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:35

Of course you should be given a preference, but generally there are not the staff-I have never had a choice.
Last time I took my mother to her post operative appointment we didn't see the person on the appointment card-he was busy with an emergency and he delegated. I'm sure that people would agree that emergancies should be dealt with, even if it leaves them with a different, fully qualifies person?

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:36

qualified

OriginalPoster · 04/09/2011 19:36

When I did Urology none of the male patients ever complained. I have got a phobia of men's trousers now though....

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:36

sorry-even more spelling mistakes-I should proof read.

strictlovingmum · 04/09/2011 19:37

I agree with you SardineQueen, in the case of Papa test/Smear test woman should def. have a choice, vis a vis who is going to perform the test, if giving woman that choice it will ensure that she has one done at least every three years, not having it done is not an option, price of not having Smear is to dire, sometimes at the cost of life.

Scheherezade · 04/09/2011 19:37

exoticfruits - am assuming most hospitals can afford to have more than just one gynaecologist.....

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:39

They should still appoint the best for the job-I expect they are equal opportunity employers. So even if they have more than one they may all be male.

SardineQueen · 04/09/2011 19:41

Phew! So we have (near) harmony Grin

Andrewofgg · 04/09/2011 19:42

Well, SardineQueen I can only say that I am not callous or lacking in empathy.

If a woman walks away from the complaint because the only doctor who can do the necessary work is male that is sad, and it could be tragic for a future victim, but it is her choice. It is no good blaming the police because the female FME's are otherwise engaged.

Jellykat · 04/09/2011 19:42

Just to open this up a bit more..

The workers at my Womens Aid group attended a huge seminar/discussion debating whether Men should be allowed in posts at 'ground level'.. i.e DV Workers.. The overwhelming vote was No, and indeed at least half of the women attending my group, said they would not feel they could attend if a male was present in any capacity.

Given the above, why is it so bizarre for some here to not understand why some women wouldn't want a Male doctor fiddling around with their lady bits?
WA deal with hundreds of cases each year, most of the victims they see will have to see a gynae at some point.

Also, most GP surgeries have a female doc in the surgery - my past surgeries have, and present one does too - and when she left she was replaced with another female, who a year later left on maternity leave, and was replaced yet again by another female.
Was this just a coincidence? I think not - i suspect the surgery recognizes the need for a female doc in the surgery.. Why can't that be recognized at the Gynae consultant level?

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:45

Maybe there just aren't many female gynaecologists full stop. They understand what a mine field it is and steer clear-choose something where they can just treat patients without fuss.

Andrewofgg · 04/09/2011 19:46

Jellykat To answer your last question: because it would be illegal in British and European law. And any GP practice which acts as you think yours did is also acting illegally. That they may not have got sued for it is irrelevant.

Not sure about the WA position - but if a woman phones the police and alleges DV and two male officers arrive she will have to accept that if she wants to proceed.

strictlovingmum · 04/09/2011 19:46

Head of the whole Gyno department at our local hospital is male, and consultant I saw was male, even the doctor gyno/oncologist is male, in fact they all seem to be males, I genuinely don't know why?
As I said my mind was focused on different things, so I didn't care they were all males.

exoticfruits · 04/09/2011 19:50

I have googled it and it appears that 4 out of 5 senior gynaecologists are men-so I think it is highly likely you have to travel to see one.

Jellykat · 04/09/2011 20:08

Andrewfogg, i know they could not advertise the GP post as 'only females may apply' by law, but what i'm saying is that my surgery must recognize that having a female doc is important, it can't be just a coincidence.

Yes, when the shit is hitting the fan in DV cases, help is needed fast..the fact 2 male police officers turn up is going to be irrelevant genderwise, it's someone.. but the stuff that follows, in the refuge and WA, is run by women, and there's a damn good reason why.

I get that more men train to be Gynae consultants, and that's just how it is- but i don't think it's unreasonable for some women to express a preference by wanting to see a Female Gynae.

Andrewofgg · 04/09/2011 20:16

Jellykat I doubt your practice have been engaging in an unlawful conspiracy, but all things are possible. It could be an unconscious bias that leads to a female GP being replaced by a female GP.

If a woman wants to see a female gynae and all the gynaes at the hospital of first choice are male, she will either have to travel to a hospital of second or later choice or waive her preference. She can't expect a female gynae to come to her. At the risk of being called callous again: the travelling time would be wasted time during which the gynae could have seen other patients.

SmethwickBelle · 04/09/2011 20:17

I would rather have a woman for anything gyn/obs, fortunately for me that's always been what's on offer, even after two kids the thought of having a smear from a male nurse or doc makes me feel really uncomfortable. I refused even female MWs and nurses checking my stitches after DS2, I knew they were healing OK and I only get my hoo ha out when I absolutely have to.

I am still amazed that I had DS1 without any internal exams from the first appointment to when he was in my arms. In part due to great midwives who let me get on with it in the birthing unit.

wonkylegs · 04/09/2011 20:35

I'm not going to get into the rights or wrongs of wanting a female dr here (personally don't give a stuff , Altho I once on a GYN emergency got rushed into find out my BF's father was on duty Blush)
But I would like to highlight that although there are more women in medicine than ever before many of these are not at consultant level in lots of hospital specialisms not just OBGYN, female cardiologist consultant?, consultant surgeon? you'll be hard pushed to find one, same with many other specialisms....female GP's however much easier to find. It's partially due to the more family friendly nature of that part of medicine (hours/training/jobshare) and therefore its accessibility to women.
This means that altho there are loads of women in medicine there rare relatively less in hospital consultants positions.