To wonder why men work in gynecology?

[CustardC]

Genuine question, my sisters and I were discussing our most recent smear tests and sister 1 commented on how her nurse was male. I've always asked for a female when I book a smear or any type of gyne issues and it's always been respected, but it got me thinking...if there are any men here who work in that field, why?

I'm fully prepared for the backlash that ill probably get but honest question👍

@YouSirNeighMmmm clearly my bit about lesbian was tongue in cheek as some people do think males do it to get off on staring at vag all day hence why some people think males shouldn’t do the role (not saying anyone on this post has said that as there’s too many to read through all of them, but it’s a known fact that some women in the world do think this)

sarcasm is evidently too hard to convey through texts though and my cat amongst the pigeons part didn’t give you any extra hints either. READ THE FUCKING TEXT AND GET THE FUCKING JOKE NEXT TIME!

@ScotchPine that's a great question! I do think there is a gap in care around managing trauma which is often carrued in the body unconsciously. I suffered serious abuse as a child and whilst I'm pretty emotionally sound (lots of work there), I found being prodded unexpectedly when sleeping (when I was in hospital) deeply disturbing. There was zero acknowledgement that suddenly pulling sheets back, grabbing someone's arm or roughly waking a sleeping person might actually be distressing particularly when you're sick and vulnerable

For anyone who wants female clinicians any hospital would absolutely accomodate this where possible. If it absolutely has to be a male (eg it's overnight and only one doc on call) then you can ask for a female chaperone tp be present during any procedure/examination and this should be accomodated no questions.
I guess what some might be suggesting though is, if for some women and girls with trauma from assault, it feels like sexual assault, shouldn’t it be something that isn’t ‘avoided’ but can’t happen. There should always be a female available for this reason. I know potentially there aren’t the numbers for that now, but to completely eliminate that group of women suffering what feels like assault, that would be the ideal scenario. It’s just not obviously a priority for anyone.

Sorry that was directed at @88milesanhour not @ScotchPine

I can imagine for every nice fanny they see there’s going to be many more that are grim. My friend is a midwife and has told me some horror stories, some women don’t think to wash before any of these appointments!

@Lullabies2Paralyze what you said WAS NOT FUNNY OR A JOKE IT WAS JUST DISGUSTING LESBOPHOBIA

It's very common to shit yourself while giving birth. I doubt they're getting their rocks off somehow...

Few comments on here have made me as angry as this @Theroad

I'm a daughter with a father, a sister with a brother, a wife with a husband and the mother of a son. Not all men are sexual predators.

I am not naïve about the existence of sexual depravity and I don't need your patronising dismissal of my opinion.

@Notanotherwindow If you RTFT you would realise that women are disclosing actual sexual abuse by actual HCPs on this actual thread.

So maybe hold the "witty" comments?

DS was delivered by a male student midwife. In fact he was his qualifying baby. The bizarre thing as that it never crossed my mind I'd have .an delivering my baby. I went from 2 to 9cm in a rather painful 40 minutes and I till midwife on ward told me I was making a fuss about nothing and I could ha e a paracetamol! Then I insisted she examined me and she almost threw me in a trolly saying " you can't hVe baby in the ward think.of the paperwork"..

Next thing I knew I was in a lift and a man's voice was saying " don't push yet Lists you're not quite ready.. jist listen to me and wait a while".. and the only reason I paid any attention at all was because I thought it was the porter, there was no one else in the lift and he didn't fancy delivering a baby 😂

In tbe end I couldn't asked for better midwife. He was superb and made me feel so safe and cared for. I really hope he went on to have a great career and no one else mistook him for the porter I think some men are just suited to the work and it does t bother me

Think about it. It’s the perfect job for a man. 9 out of 10 women will probably ask for a woman so there will be hardly anything for you to do but relax all day..

The only doctor I have had who treated me with any sympathy for period pains was male / every other Gp especially ones that are female waved me away.

I think gynae was male dominated until the 80s, more women doctors now so more doing gynae. Also a male nurse may a GP surgery does a lot more than just gynae, they do asthma clinics, diabetes clinics, immunisations etc. I also think a lot of doctors specialise in gynae as there’s only so much that can go wrong, it’s seen as an easy speciality, I did gynae as a first job, and by god was I bored after 3 years!

It's a factor, yes; it's called defensive medicine. Interestingly, caesarean rates in the US peaked in the 2000s and have declined slightly since. There's also a theory that it's partly because of payment differentials, since the doctor is paid more to do surgery, but an increasingly large share of doctors are salaried employees (there can be billing pressures from management, but your own pay is not directly dependent).

It’s not that silly. Having had the most appealing treatment from a nasty misogynistic twat of a gyne (and his colleagues) a few years back, I’m afraid I’d be very wary of male gynes and do wonder on some of their motives. Not suggesting they are perverts, just that they like welding power and making judgements on their patients.

My nannas gynaecologist was the most preeminent in the country at the time, he saved her life using a new procedure not done before in the U.K. and he wrote it up for a medical journal - 12 years later he was my ob when I had complications in pregnancy and he remembered me.

I didn’t say that. It was another poster. If only I did have the intelligence to be a doctor!

@ScotchPine I know, sorry, I did catch it and apologised upthread.

Yes, he's clearly a very, very clever doctor coming out with statements like that!

The same reason female doctors work in urology….

because it’s a medical field.

Cross posted. No worries!

41% of gynaecologists are male (as of 2018, can’t be arsed to look up more recent figures.

Anyone thinking OP is unreasonable: try Googling “gynaecologist scandal.” Then count what % of the gynaecologists on the first few pages of results are male.

Is it perhaps a bit more than 41%?

@Rocketclub i came on to say exactly the same thing. My female gynea consultant is harsh, unfeeling and rough. Her male registrar is lovely, warm and caring. I have stage 4 endo and im in constant pain, bleed so heavily i need several iron infusions and my quality of life is horrendous. I have NEVER had a female doctor treat me with any empathy whereas male doctors are always kind and understanding.
I would of course fight to the death for any woman to ask for a female doctor for any reason she sees fit. Personally? I would be happier with a male doctor .

This sort of question is no different than wondering why males choose to teach young children. Same response, though I bet you wouldn't dare ask this question!

Makes no difference - the doctor that abused me spent the first 5 minutes telling me I had a ‘weird, deformed, strange’ vagina . It’s nothing to do with what you look like, smell like, if you’re young or old . It’s a power thing . It’s not because they like the look of your vulva …

I’m aware most men are not like that - I’ve worked with many wonderful male doctors and nurses and AHPs - but I couldn’t put myself in that position again of being so vulnerable .

The worst thing for me after was I remember collapsing on my friend in upset two weeks later - and her saying, ‘but why did you let him do it, why did you let him near you?’ . Because I was ill, in a hell of a lot of pain and I thought he would help - instead he took advantage of all of that and used me for his own gratification .

Tbf to the NHS though they couldn’t be more supportive now, I have a wonderful consultant and have had two amazing GPs .