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👍

I’m genuinely amazed that you think you can speak for every person who has been sexually assaulted and claim a man who has been assaulted isn’t even allowed to feel traumatised by the event, it at least that his trauma is not as valid as a woman’s.

Having a baby is the one time you’re in hospital for a positive and happy reason, in the main, so I can see why it’s an attractive specialism for doctors.

Agree.

If there are millions of women going wrougn sexually assaulting men then they must be a lot better at it than men as 1. Hardly any women are in prison at all compared with the huge male prison population 2. Hardly any women are in prison for sexual offences compared with large numbers of men 3. Sexual and violent crime is nearly always committed by men - like almost 100% of the time.

No they're not. You can't train as one without the other.

@Loopyloopy "...... Because Obs/gyn is one of the only areas of medicine in which patients want to be there."

Sorry but I don't agree with that statement.

Not men/anyone set out to do a specific field. They study medicine and train for years and find out where they fit, what suits their family, what they're good at, where the money is etc. It's not like they've been dreaming of being gynaecologists since they were kids 😅

Nope.

Because OBGYN is one of a handful of medical specialties where you can do surgery and medicine. It suits people who enjoy operating, but also like non operative solutions and longer term relationships with patients. Other specialties like this include ophthalmology but lots of people are put off by eyes!

Whereas in the rest of medicine you have e.g. gastroenterology and GI surgery which are totally separate. Cardiology/ Respiratory medicine and cardiothorac surgery again totally separate.

My DH and I (both doctors) both considered gynae for those reasons but both went down a different route in the end

I know 3 male gynaecologists and funnily enough they're all gay.

Some people become fixated on the class level, they lose sight of or simply do not care about the individual.

It's a tired question. Instead of asking why there are so many men in a field, ask why there aren't more women. Working in male dominated fields, it's got little to do with the subject matter and more to do with choosing a lucrative role which will always be in demand.

If the men all quit you wouldn't suddenly have a surplus of women all applying to medical school. Ask yourself why.

Some men are ready to abuse their position no matter what profession they go into.

I once knew a young medical student who made a comment about ‘maybe I’ll go into gynaecology, I’ll get to see all the naked ladies’ with a snigger and a wink.
We we’re all repulsed. I’ve often thought about him over the years.

I’ve had 7 cycles of IVF and have seen many male gynaecologist without giving it a second thought and, in all but 1 of my embryo transfers (& that’s because I insisted) I’d had men do them. The last man did assault me. I just froze, even the nurse came to stand at his shoulder as she knew he was touching me too much. That’s why I insisted on a woman for the last one. I still get flashbacks over a decade later but at the time I felt powerless.

I have had 2 male gynaes examine me since, I just gritted my teeth and got on with it but ready to jump up if I felt anything untoward, they were fine but both were horribly unsympathetic and downright dismissive of my issues. I was very glad I had a young caring woman to do my hysterectomy.

I asked my female gynaecologist this question and she said the surgery was really attractive to that speciality. She said there was lots of it and it tended not to be long surgeries and lots of variety.

I thought thus exact thing when I had a colposcopy recently. The gynaecologist with a rather curt bloke, who didn't seem to have much of a caring side, but did the job well I guess. The 2 nurses who were there were very lovely.

But I just thought, at some point while he was doing his training he must have thought to himself 'yep, I definitely want specialise in gynaecology, I want to look at vaginas all day long'. And I just thought it was really weird!

I don't know, why do women perform versectomies?

I cannot understand this either. Over the years I have been seen and treated by a male gynaecologist, a male midwife and a male breast Dr. I felt immensely uncomfortable and hated all these experiences and have always wondered what the appeal was for men specialising in these purely female fields. I would always choose a female nurse, Dr or midwife.

To be clear, do you mean men or heterosexual men?

Obs / gyn is about the creation of life patients who are mostly well and happy to be there. I’d think it’s one of the most appealing branches of medicine and there is nothing intrinsically odd about a bloke wanting to do it.

I am not speaking for a single person who has been sexually assaulted, let alone every single one! I am expressing a belief (or suspicion).

Obviously a man is allowed to feel traumatized if sexually assaulted by a woman. But for a variety of reasons (not least the much smaller likelihood of it happening to a man a second time, and the man being much less likely to have felt physicaly powerless compared to a woman being assaulted by a man) lead me to suspect that opposite sex assault is worse for women ON AVERAGE. It in no way invalidates someone's trauma to suggest that there may be other people who have suffered worse trauma.

As I said before I'd love evidence.

Completely off topic, but is it called Obs/gyn in the UK? Have only seen that expression on here

@Somedo
What a dreadful experience for you.
Did you report the doctor who assaulted you ? The nurse was a witness who you said knew what was happening and perhaps she had seen it happen before.

Both of my children were delivered by men and I had an excellent experience. Haven't had a smear done by a male but I'd be open to it, they're there doing a job just like female HCP's are.

If women on men violence and oppression and negative attitudes was similar to men on women, then I might be deeply cynical and suggest that there is something a little off with a woman who - out of all of the things that she could be doing in medicine - chooses to conduct the operation that sterilises a man.

Women on men violence is almost just as prevailant, it just isn't spoken about.

For all saying they would ask for female gynae. If u knew that female was a lesbian would u request a change?