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 think it is interesting too as the female andrology numbers are low

I am not sure about why a male nurse would do smear training. I imagine it would be pretty much the same as getting any new skill/part of job.

Gynaecology is linked with obstetrics and most Consultants work in both. This involves surgery, which is still a male dominated area. There are several reasons women do not become surgeons.

A book "This is going to hurt" by Adam Kay is a good explanation of the pressures in training. It was hard to do this as junior doctor and take a maternity leave. I am not saying impossible. But it is truly hard in many ways, I did take a maternity leave over 15 years ago in this specialty, and I am not faint hearted but after this I did another speciality. Honestly wasn't convinced it was for me anyway.

I've wondered about this too. I don't expect an oncologist to have had cancer, but when 50% of the population are female, is it too much to ask that a gynaecologist is female?

The discussions and physical checks are so intimate.

A woman gynae will know what we mean by ovulation pain, shooting vagina pains, intense cramps etc. If I say that after a foreceps delivery my tampon doesn't feel right.

I've been looking for a local private female gynaecologist. Not many out there.

I have to say it is even the thought of this that puts women off male practitioners in these fields.

I take it men don't do mammograms because the radiographer has to get very close to the woman, like standing directly at her back, while handling her uncovered breasts, and they don't want complaints that he's got aroused during the process, never mind using the memory as wank fodder afterwards. I mean, they don't come out and explicitly say it, but it must be part of the reason.

It's also fascinating to see how many women will come out in defense of them
In defense? What planet are you on? They don't have to defend anything. Medicine us that, medicine. Not everything outside of MN is women Vs men. They are interested in the specialty because from a physiology perspective, it's fascinating.

I'm really concern where we are going with a growing number of women are bringing absolutely everything men do to sexual unhealthy habits. It's really becoming an obsession for some women and that certainly is concerning.

Never had anything but make gynae and all of them have been professional and exemplary. Is this a real question? Boggles

Funny, my oncologist has never had cancer.

Less shit (actual faeces) than general surgery, I can handle most bodily fluids but faeces makes me boke.

I think a lot of doctors (speaking from personal experience) don't put a lot of sentiment or feeling behind what body part we are looking at, it's healthy or its pathological. I don't really feel any different when looking at a vagina, penis, foot or head 😂 just see if it's normal, if it's not, cut it out. Obviously we try to be considerate about how the patient feels about a certain body part being looked it, but at the end of the day I'm just there to look for disease and cure it!

hope none of you need IVF! I had 5 rounds of IVF and never encountered a female Dr - ALL of the nurses were female but for the business end it was always the male doctors.

Honestly I wouldn't have cared either way

Exactly this. Their motive? No idea. I guess proctology is a bit less appealing.

Because they are qualified and it is of professional interest to them?

It is fine to request a female if you prefer, so I don't see the issue.

To actually disagree with the idea of men working in a particular medical field of interest is absolutely bonkers.

Can't agree it's silly. There have been enough cases of male medic criminal behaviour towards women to make me wonder about the motives of some.

Shame for the decent ones that they are subject to suspicion, but they need actively to address male medic offending.

It’s one of the better work life pay balances in medicine

I have a couple of male gynaes in my social circle (married to a doctor). For both of them they were passionate about women's health issues and found the specialty interesting and believed they could do it well, it's as simple as that really.

I've only ever had one female gynae, rest have been male. Midwife who delivered my son was male, and absolutely brilliant. My male GP did my last smear test (offered to get it done there and then). I understand not everyone feels comfortable with a person of the opposite sex providing intimate examinations and treatment but ime most people don't really care as long as they're qualified and competent.

This has nothing to do with stereotypical job roles and is a genuine curiosity, because the biological males in this profession don’t have vaginas, ovaries, or any gynaecological issues and never will, so I'm wondering what made them choose that very specific topic.

Exactly. Why are people so upset about the question? If you’re not in medicine you might genuinely wonder why? It’s a question plenty of my female friends have discussed with me too. It’s just a question and it’s not like any other job! It’s a female body!

I personally always have female doctors. That’s my choice and men can make a similar choice to only see male doctors if they wish. This kind of thing is about our own bodily boundaries and nobody needs to question it or make it seem crazy. It’s valid and it’s fine.

Not all the time, as a female doctor I've never experienced any of those things so wouldn't be any more qualified than a male to treat you!

It's a good question and one I would ask if I had a male gyneo but it's not something that bothers me personally

So men should be banned from working in women's gynaecology?

I think that this may cause a tiny bit of a recruitment issue.

FFS

I do think some people want to see certain areas of medicine sex segregated, Always surprises me on MN the vocal minority who are furious that a hospital may employ a male midwife.

Can't agree it's silly. There have been enough cases of male medic criminal behaviour towards women to make me wonder about the motives of some.

'Enough' out of how many? What's the percentage?

If you've had a particularly bad, or even criminal experience with a gynecologist then your assumption that all of them are like that is understandable, if irrational.

If you haven't, then it's just plain silly full stop. It's the kind of mentality that results in hardly any male primary school teachers.

The traditional answer within the medical profession is that it’s a prestigious speciality, with opportunities in many sub-specialisms and good opportunities for private practice on top of the NHS work. Conversely there are specialisms that are not held in such high regard, such as paediatrics, which has a high proportion of female consultants. Funny that.

Some of us have suspicions that men who like to have power over women gravitate towards it. Certainly some of them are very callous and uncaring about our pain and our need for dignity. Or in the words of a nurse I knew, they tend to be much less empathetic than other specialists and many are “absolute shits”.

A feminist magazine did a good article about this many years ago. It was aptly titled “A pig and a poke”.

That’s not to say all of them are like that of course. In desperation I once saw a female gynaecologist in private practice and she was next to useless. A male gynaecologist I saw in the NHS was the kindest and gentlest doctor that you could wish for.

So nobody should ever be treated by someone who isn't exactly the same as them, because we can't possibly empathise?

Should we only ever be treated by people of the same ethnicity as us? Elderly only treated by doctors who are 60+? Obese people only treated by obese doctors? People with cancer only treated by people who have/ have had cancer?

Don't be ridiculous.

My, I wonder why.. is ... I wonder why people want to become Dentists.

Because it's a field of medicine that's pretty important and they find it interesting?