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 do wonder if Adam Kay realises just how much he has damaged the reputation of male gynaes. For me he's totally destroyed the idea that HCPs are totally professional and see all body parts as just body parts and so we shouldn't feel embarrassed. I think we're all aware of how young (male) medical students can be misogynistic arseholes but the confirmation by nurses on here that they don't necessarily grow out of that is something that I find worrying.

I haven’t put any words in your mouth. You said ‘all these comments about specifically asking for a woman are funny’. Those are your words. But glad to hear that you meant something different. Your post certainly wasn’t clear to me, nor to the previous poster.

But perverts in the profession DO exist as countless news stories and court documents show.

Somebody on Twitter did a thread of male obs/gynae doctors in the news for assaulting patients and it went on forever! Was really disturbing.

And these are just the ones who were caught and had enough evidence to be charged. So clearly the argument about no male dr would EVER see patients in that way it’s so gross bla bla is silly.

I also would not be surprised if those attracted to the specialism (even if they didn’t initially study medicine with these motives) happened to be misogynistic and disrespectful of women in average.

I think it would be normal to have some discussion about what you see - I work in IT, and I can understand talking about what you work with - "OMG, the cabling in that datacentre was just so neat and beautiful and tidy/ the cabling was a total rats nest, really disorganised!" Or my farmer father talking enviously about soil or a wheat crop or a great milker of a cow. I think if you can't appreciate the amazing parts of your job (be it an ear, a lower intestine, or a vagina, or whatever rlse,) you're probably in the wrong job - but that is different from just ogling and misogynistically commenting.

I would hope most med students get over this pretty quickly, and most have more respect from the outset. The trouble is, mostly we don't know which are the bad ones, so it's easier to avoid the whole class.

No babe, these were your words “all you care about is getting the best care not what gender the staff are”. Newsflash. You don’t speak on behalf of all women. You also said you found it ‘funny’ that some women request female HCPs. Hilarious is it when a sexually abused women doesn’t want to be intimately exposed to a male? 🙄

New flash I also never said I spoke on behalf of all women…. I said I wanted the best care. I spoke about myself. Jumping to conclusions about a statement someone made on the internet and getting mad about it is also pretty funny so I’m just gunna leave that there.

I’m not mad, you’re the one jumping to conclusions if you think that.

You said “all you care about is getting the best care not what gender the staff are”. That ‘you’ means someone else. If you were speaking about your experience, then you should have said “all I cared about was getting the best care…”. so you did speak on behalf of others.

You also did say it was funny that some women ask for female care givers. You said it twice in the same post.

I am not the only poster who has pointed this out to you…

Agree with this. Why would a man pick this specialism knowing the majority of the women would prefer a women doctor and feel uncomfortable and potentially traumatised/violated by a male doctor.

That's what I want to know. Screams power and misogyny to me over the women they are supposed to care for.

Absolutely this ☝🏻

Its not about the feelings on the male medics either for whoever is stating that. It’s about having the best doctor there to do the best job when you need it most.

I think it's slightly different if a male is performing an emergency surgery to save your life and child's than a male in an office who pokes vaginas all day in a calm manner.

@Mumclub the hard-as-nails 'ooh I could give birth in an auditorium and wouldn't care WHO was there' line gets so old.

Many women know and remember exactly who was in the room, and how they were treated, and how it made them feel, for a very long time.

So maybe go somewhere else if you can't show some empathy?

Because it's a good mixture of medicine and surgery

Every time there is a thread about wanting female intimate care there are always the ‘I didn’t care if the Pope and a marching band in were in the room!!’ type replies. It’s like.. okay, good for you??

Do the majority of women prefer a woman doctor?

@sourcreampringle Exactly 😂The idea that dignity is meaningless just because it's childbirth is pure gaslighting.

If it comes to labour/delivery I always liked being left alone, midwife coming in occasionally to check all was well and then clearing off till needed.

I still didn't care if the midwife/doctor was a man or a woman.

We come in all varieties don't we. The thing I hated about my female midwives was the pressure they put on me to have DH there. Not sure why they felt their feelings about the father being present was more important than mine.

Just remembering my poor mother having a midwife who was a nun. She was totally mortified and felt it was terrible that the nun knew she wasn't a virgin.

I think maybe her Ulster protestant upbringing had given her a strange view of nuns.

Ever since an ex male acquaintance of mine said he wished he was a gynecologist so he could look at vaginas all day, I’ve insisted on a female gyn. Altho I’ve never cared one way or the other before.

I don’t think many go into it because they’re perverts, there’s much easier ways you can see naked women at work than going through medical school and training to become a gynaecologist e.g. HCA, theatre assistant, mortuary assistant etc. Im a HCP and I’ve come across and heard about a fair few pervy men in those jobs because they require next to no qualifications or experience to get into. I think it’s far too much effort and work to train as a gynaecologist if your only motivation is to see and examine naked women.

I used to date a doctor and he hated gynaecology because he said it put him off sex looking at infected/diseased/disfigured vaginas all day, which makes sense. I would imagine a man might just go into that specialism because they find it interesting. I work in cardiology and I got into that because I found it interesting and easier to get my around than other areas, I’m sure that’s true for people in specialisms like gynaecology too.

‘For whoever is stating that’. Many of those stating that are women with past trauma, including being sexually assaulted by male doctors. Should their feeling not count? Should they just ‘suck it up’ ?

I had lot of gynae problems and wanted female gynaecologist but after I saw her she just referred me onto male gynaecologist. I was so ill at the time but so angry that I put off my treatment by 6 months as I was adamant didn't want a male but when I finally went to see him Nurses told me he was the Doctor that Doctors go to. He really put me at ease and was absolutely amazing, saved my life as I was so ill at that point and I'm so grateful to him. I needed further gynae treatment and only wanted to see him... but saying that I had an internal ultrasound by a male radiologist and felt violated after and that was private appt so I'm on the fence re this

Do the majority of women prefer a woman doctor? I have no preference although my gynaecological issues were treated far more sympathetically by a male doctor.

My Crohn's Disease treatment has all been by male consultants.

So I had a male consultant at the breast clinic when I went for a mammogram as part of the 2 week referral. This was after I’d requested a female gp at my own surgery for the initial appointment that got me referred. It hadn’t even dawned on me I’d see a man next. It bothered me less than I thought on the day though.

I recall going for my 6 week appointment with my requested female GP after my first daughter. She had a male medical student in with her and asked if he could observe. Why not I thought? She did my smear whilst she was down there and he observed and asked me questions. When I’d been in the hospital giving birth I’d had a range of male and female practitioners have a look down below during and after the process.

Interestingly, only male GPs have perisisted in trying to get me off the combined pill and onto the coil!! Female GPs have asked them taken my quick no as final.

As long as they’re qualified I now think I’m ok with either.

I have had better experience with make GP’s and hospital consultants and specialists. They have generally been less judgmental and shown more care and patience.

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