Man being asked if they're pregnant??

[CC2021]

Had the covid vaccine and as a female, was asked if there is any chance I'm pregnant. Fair enough question I thought. But a male friend was asked too and the nurse told him "you can't be too careful these days". Umm what??

AIBU to think it's ridiculous to ask a MAN if they're pregnant?

@AIMD they have names and date of births on the form before they go through the questions (which have already been answered but they double check some). I can't remember if gender was a question tbh though, probably wasn't if they're asking pregnancy related questions.

Bizarrely we also had to tick to confirm we aren't TTC within the next 2 months despite RCOG guidance changing to say it's fine (but the nurse didn't ask me to verbally confirm that one).

It isn't ridiculous, it's really important. Trans men have died because they haven't disclosed their biological sex and been given the wrong treatment by healthcare practitioners who assumed they had all the info.

Very sad, but avoidable by making questions like this common practice.

@Trickyboy

Nope. It's barking mad.

Either you are a female where this is an appropriate question. Or you dress and behave as a woman. In which case by all means ask.

If however you are male. You CANNOT get pregnant. No matter how politically correct you think you are being. Because biologically in humans it is impossible. So why ask a pointless question.

I think it's silly too but I guess it's because there was a man who was born female, didn't have his womb removed and then had a child.

It's becoming more of a thing all hospitals are doing. My midwife now must say human milk feeding to me instead of breast feeding

In medical settings it is always going to be better to ask than to make an assumption that could be dangerous.

Do the vaccinators not have the medical info of the person they are vaccinating?

@JackieWeaverIsTheAuthority they have one form with limited medical info on it. I can't remember if it asked gender, did have name and date of birth on though plus sole generic questions (job, are you pregnant, got certain medical conditions, allergies etc) but is very basic. It's a very quick in and out job really and literally spend 1-2 mins with each patient so they dont have a whole lot of info to go off. I was at an NHS staff vaccination centre though so may be different for those vaccinated at GP surgery.

@JackieWeaverIsTheAuthority

Do the vaccinators not have the medical info of the person they are vaccinating?

I work in hubs and no we don’t.

@KnobblyWand that's horrible. Wouldn't most trans people rather discretely tick a box on the form that asks if there is any chance of pregnancy rather than announce it to the whole waiting area though?

Did they check out other questions too, like allergies?

Wonder if they’re just covering verbally what the riskier areas are?

I work in a vaccination centre and when you’ve more or less said a very similar script to 60 people all day, everyday for two weeks, occasionally the wrong patter slips out to the wrong patient. We have laughed with most of our patients and the vast majority of them have laughed back, when it’s happened the odd time. But, there’s always that one that seems to have taken it seriously.

@AIMD yes they double checked those sections too.

Silly click bait. It reminds me of those PC gone mad posts that used to clutter up the letters pages of the Daily Express. Loony left council bans Baa Baa Blacksheep. Christmas now called Winterval etc etc. Hardly ever grounded in reality- or just officious staff misinterpreting a a diversity course. Also its surely best to ask everyone the same questions- specially as there are hordes of new vaccinators - rather than leave it to the judgement of individuals

Can any one genuinely evidence that midwives are mandated to call it human milk feeding? Or are people exaggerating to score a anti trans point

That's fair enough @soundsgreektome. The nurse wasn't laughing though and came across like she was being dead serious so whilst I appreciate it sometimes comes out even if you don't mean it to, I think this nurse was being genuine.

[quote CC2021]@JustCallMeGriffin shouldn't the onus be on the person to tick yes on the written consent form too though (which equally applies to females)?[/quote]
Yes but why wouldn't the person sticking the needle in their arm, that could possibly kill an unborn baby, not want to double check?

I think you are being absolutely ridiculous. As a nurse, if I do something wrong I’m at risk of losing my PIN number, therefore I lose my job, my income and my career.
Pregnancy is a contraindication, you can’t assume that someone is male or female so you would be right to ask.

AIBU to think it's ridiculous to ask a MAN if they're pregnant?
We need to start looking them in the eye and saying "does the NHS understand how biology works?".

I asked a trans man friend about this sort of thing - did he not feel he was at risk of things like cervical cancer because his medical records now say he instead of she? He wasn't bothered, and said they were welcome to try to screen him for prostrate cancer if they thought they could find it.

I asked, wouldn't it be better to have a discrete box on his medical records that say he has transitioned, but he didn't think it was necessary. He passes very well so I do worry what would happen if he received medical treatment whilst unconscious - the levels of lots of internal biochemistry differs between sexes and he might be put may risk because his level is deemed normal for male but is wildly wrong for biological females.

Yes, and I guess there’s always that one jobsworth that feels they have to ask every question to everyone. It’s a crazy world. I worked with a vaccinator today who got quite excited by being able to ask a younger patient if there was a chance of pregnancy. She’s not been asking the other 70’s.

They should have the sex of the patient available to them as sex is relevant to whether the vaccine is safe in terms of potential pregnancy. This would save asking men silly questions.

When my dad was in hospital with a blood clot he was asked by two different people if he was on the pill 🤷‍♀️.

Jackie NHS records contain your preferred gender, not your biological sex. We need to have protocols that will pick up pregnancy in people whose records say they are male, without putting the onus on the healthcare practitioner to decide whether a person whose records say they are male is biologically female. This is the result.

Yanbu OP, but many on MN and general society now are playing the game of Emperor's New Clothes. Of course every man should be asked if they're pregnant, because people get pregnant now, not women.....

Perhaps the NHS should add sex and gender ticking boxes to forms, so medical staff don't get too confused to what a biological woman is when asking people if they're pregnant.

A trans man could be pregnant. Its safe to assume most men aren't trans and aren't pregnant. But it's also safe to assume that most 14yo girls aren't pregnant but I've been asked since before I started menstruating.
And they ask because some people tick no but you can tell from their body language they're not actually sure.

NHS records contain your preferred gender, not your biological sex.

Absurd! Sex is very relevant. That needs to be recorded too.

@Spindelina

Jackie NHS records contain your preferred gender, not your biological sex. We need to have protocols that will pick up pregnancy in people whose records say they are male, without putting the onus on the healthcare practitioner to decide whether a person whose records say they are male is biologically female. This is the result.

I didn’t realise this. So even at the gp for instance I could state my preferred gender as male (I’m a woman/female) and they’d have no where to indicated that I......not even sure what words to use.....have a womb, menstruate.....might be pregnant or need other health care focused on my biological we (like smears tests).