To think that having a mammogram carried out by a man is preferable to a long wait for an appointment.

[JudithOnHolidayAgain]

I know many people who wouldn't be here now without early detection of breast cancer due to the screening programme.
I have had a few myself.
It's not something I look forward to but it's a few minutes of discomfort that could save my life so I put up with it.
Given the choice I would prefer a woman carry it out as it is quite intrusive but as there is a shortage of female staff I would be ok with a male member of staff as long as there was a chaperone and Iwas told in advance.
If they do change the rules I think there should be a choice.

Thats why i was so surprised and asked where summer

sounds awful and with the exception of one of my c sections when i think the porters accidentally got more of an eyeful than they intended everyone one was very careful of my dignity and nakedness

i am sorry your experience was so dreadful

I haven’t poured scorn on women who would have an issue. How many times do I have to say I support any woman’s right to request a female mammographer or surgeon or any medic and that imho she doesn’t even need “a reason” to request this. As in she doesn’t have to say “ I’m a victim of SA “ in order to be listened to and her request honoured.

I am against a complete ban on men in the profession because I don’t care whether I am treated by a man or a woman and limiting your worker pool to 49% of the population doesn’t seem like a good idea when cancer screening and treatment is on its knees. I support any woman who wants only women to do her health care, all I ask is reciprocal support to we women who are fine with men doing this treatment by not going for a full ban on men.

It has been conveyed to me that a ban is necessary because a few of the women who don’t want men treating them shouldn’t have to ask for a woman mammographer. They would rather a ban on men do it for them, no matter what the impact is on other women.

So yes, a woman who doesn’t want a man doing a mammogram but doesn’t feel she can say no to a man doing it is chicken shit.

After all this talk of women holding their boundaries and our right to choose our health care providers by sex or other measures, the least action these women who choose by sex can do is have the guts to say no and ask for a woman.

I have plenty of empathy for SA survivors as I am one. That’s why I say a woman shouldn’t even need a reason to ask for a female medic at any time for any procedure.

I also question how helpful your post was on a thread about breast cancer where it could stop women from seeking help
Why is this even an issue? Are you in favour of whitewashing what some women are going through? You think women would skip to their breast cancer appointments merrily if we didn’t tell them oh a mammogram can hurt like hell? Or don’t be silly losing your hair due to chemo is extremely rare. Or pretend radiotherapy to the breast is somehow fun and dignified,

That’s been said by many posters on here because it’s the truth. You’re not going on about er that’s not helpful, women will skip mammograms if we tell them they might hurt. No, you only say that to me about my breast cancer surgery which I had no idea was so horrific or traumatising for people to just read about, when to my mind it went fine and I just had some post surgery complications with healing,

Yes this was in the UK.
I lived in the US for over twenty years as a young adult and so I sometimes write American terms instead of British.

@SummerFeverVenice - part of the problem with having some male mammographers, as far as I can see, is the scheduling issue, as I've said previously. Where I have my mammograms, there's only one mammographer and a receptionist, so if it was a male mammographer, all the attendees that day would have to be happy for him to do it - so if lots opted out, you could end up with empty slots, which wouldn't help with the problem of getting more mammogram slots.

And what would happen to the women who refused a male mammographer? In my mind, there's a risk that they'd be bunged back to the bottom of the list, thus potentially delaying a diagnosis. I can't see how they could be fitted in easily within the existing scheduled appointments, without bumping other women further down the list - if that makes sense.

Plus, a male mammographer would need a chaperone, which would mean more cost to the NHS.

Maybe we need to be incentivising more women to train as mammographers - that is the best solution, in my view. Unless there is a significant proportion of women who would prefer a male mammographer, it makes sense to me to think that an all-female service will suit the largest proportion of women.

I had no idea only women can undertake mammograms. Patients can state a preference but I'd be happy to just get seen sooner. I'm still fairly young, maybe this will have changed when I'm called for them.

I would only want a woman in this scenario now after I had a bad experience with a creepy male gynaecologist years ago. Also my friends ex husband is a breast surgeon and I’ve heard him and his colleagues be very ‘unprofessional’ about women they have treated. I’d never want a man to treat me for any women’s issues.

So yes, a woman who doesn’t want a man doing a mammogram but doesn’t feel she can say no to a man doing it is chicken shit.

Jesus, that's so nasty and disgusting. How appalling.

I once had a creepy male optician when I was a twenty something. He turned off all the lights so it was completely dark and there was a lot of heavy breathing when he did the eye examination.

I’ve never experienced that since, and every eye examination has had lights dimmed but not completely dark.

I would absolutely refuse a male doing a mammogram without a chaperone (which defeats the object as it becomes expensive).

Surely that was because of the test he was doing? I've had the lights switched off with the optician right upto my face with a little torch thing (a bit like a jewellery uses!) whilst holding my eyelid. They're so close that the breathing does sound heavy. I'm not entirely sure what they're looking for when they do his but Im pretty sure it's just a normal teat because I've had it many times from both male and female optometrists. So maybe he WAS creepy but I'm going to suggest the test was genuine.

I’ve had many eye tests since (I’m in my 50s now) and this particular one was just really off and uncomfortable.

As I said, it was absolute darkness and I’ve never had another eye exam like it since (had male and female opticians).

Just googled it. It's a dark adaptation test. They're checking the performance of the rods in you eyes. This is what Google says:

Procedure:
Performed in a completely dark room, the patient sits with their chin on a chinrest and looks into a dark adaptation machine.

My eye tests are more in depth than the average ones because I'm almost blind in one eye so they are extra cautious with my good eye. So maybe this particular guy was just being super thorough. He obviously should have explained what he was doing.
Sorry I'm not trying to suggest that it wasn't unpleasant. And he may have been creepy too. But I DO think it's a genuine test.

Why are you so intent on trying to say the pp could have been mistaken? She felt uncomfortable. As a woman, sometimes you just sense things are off. Having someone try to minimise our experiences under the guise of trying to say it could have been normal is really fucking insulting. OP has had other eye tests, this one was different. Women need to trust their instincts, not have others try to make them doubt themselves.

@BurntBroccoli 💐

It's awful and I would detest a man doing it

Have you had one.

There is no shortage-the society itself put out a ‘clarifying statement’ to apologise and said that it was raised as a motion to have better career prospects for all as men are currently barred. Since then, women have been calling up, worried that their screen will be performed by a man.The SOR has had to eat humble pie.

So it was (again) all about the menz? FFS.

Yep. It always is.

Why are you being so aggressive? I accepted the guy was "creepy" just pointed out there's a valid reason an optometrist would turn the light out completely. The PP was saying THAT was weird. It's not. But the guy might have been.

No, you suggested that the man was maybe just being super thorough. 🤔 You also suggested that the pp couldn’t tell the difference between normal breathing by someone close to you and creepy heavy breathing.

Now you have gone on to tell another woman, me this time, that I’m ‘aggressive’ for speaking up about your appalling comments and minimising that posters experience.

I have no time for posters concerned about protecting men instead of women or those with an agenda, so I don’t be responding further.

I mean this isn't actually true but ok.

Amazed and astonished to find this is actually all about the menz and nothing to do with increasing uptake of screening. 🙄

Meanwhile in the real world screening services are reporting cancellations due to women’s concerns about seeing male mammographers. But who cares about them eh?

Literally none of this is true. The poster was simply pointing out that its’ a legitimate test.