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👍

Motive? How ignorant and small minded you sound.

I think this is a useful starting point - once you study medicine, different areas are interesting or appealing for reasons that might not be apparent to non-medics. I mean, does anyone set out to be an anal surgery specialist?

That said, an infectious diseases doctor once told me that male obs/gyn are considered "weird" because "it's all fannies" and "patients aren't ill - but might become ill". So perhaps not just non-medics

My DC was delivered by emergency c-section by two male docs who were both brilliant

I probably should have read the other replies before adding my own.

I would say opting to work in this field, has nothing to do with vaginas or sex. These are part of work, not a reason to do it. Anyone thinking this should not be working in health.

The reason they do it is so they can help the people it is possible to help. Not every symptom has a known/knowable reason. Doing surgery is not always a good idea. Offering medication is not always going to help the recipient. Practicing medicine is still an art not a science and a limited, difficult one. It is wonderful to be part of relieving suffering, when this is possible.

I don't think you can look at it that way when it comes to why doctors choose their speciality, otherwise there wouldn't be any doctors. Are procologists obsessed with butts? Are cardiologists turned on by seeing hearts? Are infectious disease specialists thinking of their patients diseases later in bed? Why would any doctor do any specialty because they are all gross really.

I'm a radiographer, do you think I chose this career so I can see inside people's bodies and get a thrill. No, it's a job that needs doing and I'm able to do it, that's it really.

It's crazy, both as an idea but also the practical implementation of something like this.

If the NHS made this decision, it would inevitably be followed by serious recruitment problems and longer waiting lists.

If I had to wait months longer to get an appointment because my doctor had to be the same sex as me, I would be extremely upset. I don't care who treats me as long as they are qualified.

People should (and do) have the choice to request a doctor of the same sex.

It shouldn't be compulsory.

I'm actually reporting this for being sexist.

So my male GP shouldn't treat me for my menopause symptoms? A female doctor shouldn't treat my partner for a vasectomy?

What a truly backward way of thinking.

Adam Kay of This is Going to Hurt fame was a specialist in obs and gynae - and gay. I would imagine that most doctors look at their patients first and foremost as troubled beings whom they would like to help with their knowledge and expertise.

I have been treated by both male and female gynaecologists and the man was every bit as kind, reassuring and empathetic as the woman.

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.

There's more to the job than that. It also involves providing maternal care in many cases and delivering babies. It's not that specific either, there are lots of variations within gynaecology.

From the BMJ:

Some gynaecologists will be involved in:

Assisted delivery using instruments including forceps or ventouse (vacuum-assisted delivery)
Caesarean sections (planned or emergency)
Surgical interventions following miscarriage
Treating abnormal bleeding or polyps
Major surgery for gynaecological cancers
Minimal access surgery (e.g. in endometriosis)
Fertility treatment (assisted reproduction)

Subspecialties:

Gynecologic Oncology. ...
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. ...
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. ...
Maternal-Fetal Medicine. ...
Critical Care Medicine. ...
Complex Family Planning. ...
Hospice and Palliative Medicine. ...
Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.

It can be a very challenging specialty but it's also interesting with lots of scope for specialising in different things/different patient groups. Many of us who've had minimal input from a gynae might not realise the breadth of things they do.

Ffs
Not all men are predators and it’s a shame you feel this way.
Am pretty sure they’re interested in this area the same as being interested in respiratory or neurology. The female anatomy isn’t just a sexual thing.. it brings life in to the world.

I'd always been treated by male gynae doctors, throughout uni, pregnancy and beyond.
Then I read Adam Kay and now I insist on a woman. If only one of the male doctors I've seen in the past think like he does about women and their bodies, then I'm out

Anecdotally speaking, it was a male gynae that treated the rogue cervical cells a female gynae had missed, it was a male obstetrician that saved my life when I bled out after my first was born and another male obstetrician who delivered my second by emergency section. I for one am very grateful for them! I don’t see what genitals have to do with it, I want confident and competent I don’t care what form that comes in. There’s nothing to stop women being footballers, construction managers, engineers…

Why do people get so weirdly defensive at this question, plus the shaming of women who have boundaries or are not comfortable with being treated by a male? Why is consent and boundaries okay in other areas of the life but suddenly not in this setting despite it being particularly intimate and vulnerable?

there’s always a lot of support for single sex toilets and changing rooms for dignity and privacy on here, so surely not a stretch to imagine some women don’t want a male stranger in this capacity?

One of my parent’s friend groups years ago has a male ob/gyn and he was a filthy pervert.

The conversations between him and the friend group over dinner were absolutely vile and I’ve never used, and will never use a male ob/gyn largely due to him. He was vile and would speak about female patients in front of his wife, and how he often had to ‘control himself until they left’. Disgusting.

I’d assume and hope he was the exception to the norm. But had put me off male gynos.

Oh dear. I’m a doctor and find this attitude so regressive.

If you’re interested in surgery, it’s a really good option. Seeing patients in out-patients is a small part of the job. Often they are operating on cervical/ovarian/endometrial cancers. And helping with conditions such as endometriosis.

I absolutely don’t bought their motives at all and am really glad they do it.

I would hate for my options so be limited because I’m female.

Do men who work in obstetrics and gynaecology statistically abuse patients more often than men who work in any specialism? Yes, there are men who choose careers like medicine, nursing and care for the opportunities it gives them to access vulnerable people, but there’s no evidence this is any more the case in ObGyn than in specialisms like e.g. dementia care, paediatrics, psychiatry and intensive care nursing which offer particular access to the vulnerable and disempowered.

Most breast surgeons are male. Most colo rectal surgeons are male. Actually, more male doctors choose surgical specialities than females whether it is eye or ENT surgery or Orthopedics ( bones and joints).
So what do you think about male colo rectal surgeons putting fingers up your backside??

Also, a very close friend is an oncology consultant specialising in prostate cancer… she doesn’t have a prostate will I tell her she should find other work?

Isn’t it! What a way to live one’s life, constantly questioning motives of medical professionals. This is peak man hater MN

Absolutely.

When I delivered my baby it was after an utterly exhausting five day induction, the ward was busy and I kept being rejected by the delivery suite as there just weren't enough staff. When we eventually arrived and our midwife arrived to introduce himself and carry out an examination I didn't care if he was a martian tbh. It would be fundamentally wrong on every level to try go back to the ages of sex segregated specialties and harmful to patients to boot.

The NHS isn't exactly overrun with staff... imagine telling a doctor that they can't practice in a certain area because a small minority of patients would prefer to see a woman, everyone would suffer.

I've just had a thermocoagulation done today by a male gynaecologist he was so gentle and empathetic. It was much less painful than the biopsy done by a female . I have no problem with male doctors/nurses as long as they have the skills.

Adam Kay is a misogynist.

most porn is of women in pain. If my male gynae uses porn and is aroused by women in pain is that why I didn’t get an anesthetic before he stuck a tentaculum in my cervix?

I don’t know. But the fact that I have that question in my head is why I’m never having a male for my gynae needs again

It's fine to not want to be treated by a male - you have that choice, and can request it already.

The suggestion in the OP is that men should not be allowed, or should not want, to be gynaecologists - which is an incredibly backwards way of thinking - that is why people are annoyed at it.

Gynaecologists treat cancer. Can midwives only practice after their first baby? Even 2 women experiencing the "same" think will have different concerns and experience situation completely different. This is a very weak argument,

@Aussiegirl123456 that anecdote says just as much about your parents as it does the man, and it says nothing about other gyn consultants.

Ooh yeah, staring at several vaginas every day is really sexy - looking at stitches, checking for abnormalities, seeing them after birth. Phwoar! I bet they get so turned on. 🤦🏻‍♀️
It's a field of medicine like any other. As long as the person is good at the job in hand, I don't care if they are male or female. A man stitched me up after birth, I didn't care - they were very professional, took care and did a good job of it. Should I have asked for a woman who wouldn't have been as good?