Do you request a female doctor/nurse to do your smear test?

[catscan]

Just that really.

nitrox you FOD.

This absolutely is a vital and important discussion that needs to be had in order to protect women’s safe spaces. If you don’t understand that or don’t want to hear it, you are welcome to go elsewhere. You don’t get to shut the discussion down.

The problem there is that if you are going to mind the implication is that you are a vulnerable person who will probably find standing up for yourself and rejecting a particular HCP very difficult. So telling people they can just say no is a bit unrealistic

And if I have misunderstood your point, I unreservedly take that back.

If the poster who you directed that to is trying to make out that women are lining up in their hundreds to infiltrate men’s spaces and to loudly demand that they be given access to vulnerable men’s intimate spaces, well then they can fuck right off.

Yes, and a lot of people probably won’t even realise that they can say no.

Iv never had a smear test performed by a woman but our practice nurse is Male and he's been there since god was a boy! My IVF consultant was Male as is my consultant who is managing an issue I have currently.

I have never felt the need to request a woman in any aspect of my healthcare. Having said that I totally understand why some women do and require a female practitioner.

I didn't request a woman, as it had always been the female nurse at my practice. Then one year it was my GP for some reason, who is Male. I went ahead anyway, though I was not thrilled. Now I check I am getting a woman when I book.

I've always had a female nurse do my smear tests.

However, my GP is male, and our surgery has a policy that you always see your own doctor (and no longer have locums, so if your GP is on holiday you can only talk to the duty GP on the phone - they used to have a lovely female locum GP who I saw a few times years ago) so I don't know what they do if you want to see a female doctor and she's not the duty GP.

@HolgerDanske

"You don’t get to shut the discussion down."

I'd just quite bored of the terf wars (geddit?) on MN. I get that some of you think that this is "a vital and important discussion" but can't it be kept to the seemingly never-ending trans threads and not have a terf infiltration of normal topics?

It's boring and the tone of your reply and hyperbolic language demonstrate how anti-trans threads are never actually a discussion. Discussions mean listening to opposing views and debating them not shouting down and chasing off anyone with a different idea.

Dr's surgeries are not female safe spaces.

Yes, there certainly are problems with the idea of women feeling able to advocate for themselves when vulnerable, as a pp's story demonstrates

It’s not anti trans. I have literally zero problem with any trans woman who respects the fact that (s)he has been invited into a woman’s space, and treats women with respect. Current threats have nothing to do with old school trans issues. If you can’t grasp that, then you’re really quite dim.

It’s not hyperbole. Again, if you choose not to understand that, you’re really quite dim, or alternatively you don’t care about protecting women from men. In which case I have no respect at all for you.

And no, it should not be confined to the Feminist threads. Women and girls are in real, actual danger daily and current threats to safe spaces will exacerbate that hugely. So do please fuck off, dear.

A bit unrelated, but how many of us have ever met a trans person in RL? I'm pretty sure I haven't. I'm not sure why there's so much air-space devoted to trans matters, given that it's surely a bit of a niche thing.

It’s only ever been done by a female but I don’t ask that it is and would have one done by a Male. I had a male doctor (with female chaperone) perform a membrane sweep when I was pregnant.

I can’t find anything official actually. There’s a news report on a man who refused a female anesthetist believing females were inept, in Italy, who was told to leave and get private treatment. And anecdotes of racism and sexism elsewhere, but I can’t find the NHS’s official line, except for smear tests, where it says “you can request a female doctor or nurse.”

A doctor's surgery is not a female safe space, no. But a treatment room should be, if that is what an individual woman wants.

Maybe because there’s an agenda to completely eradicate the actual biological status of womanhood? And because there are many, many men who would, and very soon will be able to, by law, take advantage of that to use and abuse women. Maybe because current popular ideology is hurtling towards rendering the idea of femaleness as a protected characteristic completely obsolete. Never mind the much wider issues of usurping of women’s hard earned places in society. 100 years it’s taken to get this far, and it’s absolutely and undeniably under threat. If you want to call that hyperbolic go right ahead. It is not far fetched by any means. I care about protecting my daughters and their daughters, and I care about protecting all women and girls. I’ll keep shouting and hopefully a few more women will become aware, before it’s too late.

I do wonder where the line is drawn (I imagine on a case-by-case basis depending on availability of other staff). There might be people who fear a certain race due to an abuse incident, would that be tolerated? Or all treatment by the opposite gender for religious reasons?

I feel I shouldn't get drawn into a discussion with you, HolgerDanske, but how many men do you actually know in real life who are planning to mount a hostile takeover of womanhood by having their dicks chopped off? I have yet to meet a single one. I suspect all this talk about trans stuff will in due course die down, and the human race will continue just the way it always has done.

@Holger

Telling me I'm stupid and need to fuck off. Another great example of how these "discussions" go.

"I’ll keep shouting"

You do that love. Have you considered reasoned and calm arguments instead though? I have worked with the Model UN for several years and could send you some resources.

@bertrand

"But a treatment room should be, if that is what an individual woman wants."

What's that got to do with the price of ham. You can ask for a different Dr for any reason you want.

Personally I don’t think I’d decline anyone unless there was a reason like I’d previously raised a malpractice complaint against that HCP or it was an abusive ex or something.

I’d always feel as it was the NHS, I should be grateful to get treated for free.

I do understand why women might request a female for an intimate exam but for other things like surgeon, anaesthetist, I can imagine it’d be hard if your preferred person wasn’t on shift.

Um, Nathan they won't need to have their dicks chopped off. They won't need to change anything physically. Thst's the whole point of self identification.

My very first smear was done by a male doctor, he was very rough it hurt a lot and I bled for a few days after and felt very sore for about 2 weeks after. It has made me terrified of smears ever since and would never have a male do it again

Yes, it may be wrong to feel self conscious about my body, but it cant be helped how you feel.
I know I and many women would put off or not have this important test if it was to be done by a man. At a time when the take up for smears is dropping we should be doing all we can to make women feel comfortable.

Thisusername well, the only reason I can think that people would prefer a female doctor or nurse is because they don't want their doctor or nurse lusting after them or assaulting them while they're doing the test.

yorkibar, that sounds incompetent. Appreciate it is probably too late now but you have grounds to complain to the practice manager.

For something like that I wouldn’t be bothered. I’ve been sexually assaulted by a female and a male so just have to get on and “tune out” and get on woth it.

I specifically request a female GP at my surgery because I find her to be fantastic and empathetic. At a previous surgery I always aimed to see a specific male GP for the same reason.