To think I should have waited to speak to the female doctor?

[purpletablet]

I’ve been experiencing pain in my right ovary since Monday. It’s not unusual for me to experience ovulation pain but it usually only lasts about a day. This time it has gotten gradually more intense and it woke me up during the night last night and was radiating into my back and down my leg.

I called the doctors this morning and explained to the receptionist and she said she didn’t have a female doctor available. I said that was fine and I was happy to speak to a male doctor.

He just called me there and after I explained my symptoms he told me that ovarian pain is not really a “recognised phenomena” and it’s much more likely that I’m suffering with bowel colic and that I should take some buscopan. I tried telling him that I get ovarian pain every month when I ovulate and I can tell the pain was coming from my ovary but he pretty much said he understands what I’m saying but I’m wrong 🙃

Thankfully I have a long awaited gynaecology appointment at the hospital next week but my goodness. Nothing like a man telling you your ovary pain doesn’t exist 🤣

Can you ask to speak to a different doctor OP?

What I don't understand about these doctors is that if he thinks you're wrong, but it's nothing serious and buscopan will help, why doesn't he just tell you to take that and tell you to tell the gynae dr you're seeing next week. Buscopan can help with that pain too as it inhibits smooth muscle contraction.

I don't see the benefit of debating the existence of this pain with you, even if he's positive there is no such thing.

Nothing helps ‘get over it’ like a man mansplaining ovarian pain . I am sure you feel better after his patronising brush off!

You should not have to speak to a female GP , but at least your gynaecologist should take you seriously .

No I shouldn’t have to speak to a female gp. The pain is bearable at the moment but if it gets any worse I will call back and ask to speak to someone else. I do also have IBS. I’ve had it since I was about 10 so I already have buscopan I can take. I did tell him that I have ibs and I know the difference in how it feels but he just kept condescendingly telling me how he “understands”. I will speak to the gynaecologist next week but I’m also considering writing an email of complaint to the surgery.

Would would it be assumed a woman doctor would be any different or better, do they go to a different medical school to men?

Hmm.. GP here. Most likely he is right but if pain worsening you need to be examined to make sure than it is not an ovarian cyst which has twisted. Is it possible you could be pregnant .. is so and if you have had any bleeding need to think about ectopic pregnancy.
if pain getting worse phone surgery back or if after hrs consider A and E.

You can recognise ovarian pain if it is a regular occurrence. It could possibly ovarian cysts or an infection in your fallopian tube. Do also consider any pregnancy and ectopic pregnancy if it could be a possibility.

I don’t think he is right. I have ovary pain every month during ovulation. This pain is coming from my right ovary and is not “bowel colic”

Pain is manageable at the moment but I’ll definitely get seen if it gets worse.

The Germans have a name for this pain.
i get monthly ovarian pain (different sides) it stopped for a while in my 30’s but is back now that i am peri, i find orgasm helps.

Considering that you know what this pain is and you are soon seeing gynaecology (possibly about this or maybe something else), what were you hoping the GP could do? If you don’t want to hear alternative possibilities I think the GP might not have had anything helpful to offer anyway

Possibly not. Medical research historically has focused on men’s bodies rather than women’s so there is a data gap that can affect women’s health. You’re right that men and women would be taught the same at medical school. Possibly having a female body could give women more knowledge on certain things than their male counterparts though. For example if a female doctor had experienced ovary pain she might be less likely to to tell a patient that it doesn’t exist 🤷🏻‍♀️

Mittelschmerz.

An experience that is seared into my mind forever: I was 17 and visiting the doctor about something else, and finally plucked up the courage to ask my "door-handle question". I had been experiencing very severe abdominal cramps and unusually heavy bleeding during my period.

The male doctor looked at me, looked down at his clipboard and said "well while that sounds completely normal to me, that's really something for a woman doctor to deal with now isn't it?" with a condescending smile.

I was too embarrassed and scared to even consider calling again to be grilled by the receptionist and request a female doctor. It'd already taken all my courage to just ask him the question.

And that's how I ended up having to have an Oopheroctomy at 21 🙃 because a male doctor thought my "women's problems" were beneath him and/or none existent.

Sorry for your experience, it sucks not being listened to about your own body.

Yes, I know what the pain is but like I explained it’s a lot worse and lasting a lot longer than usual. I guess I was just looking for reassurance that it wasn’t something that needed to be dealt with urgently and perhaps some stronger pain killers as I can only really take paracetamol because ibuprofen causes me to get gastritis if it take it more than a couple of times.

I am sure gaslighting female patients who complain about pelvic pain must be a module in med school :(

I did an econsult yesterday which stated that i had been bleeding for 3 weeks. The response was to make a phone appt in the next 4 weeks. Rang immediately, no appts for 4 weeks exactly. Asked at what point I needed to escalate if the bleeding doesn’t stop. “Do another econsult.” 🙄

I've had Gynae problems in the past, mostly as a late teen and actually found male doctors to generally be less dismissive so it's a shame you didn't have one like that OP.

I will say I dismissed my own right sided pain as ovulation pain and found myself in surgery 24 hours later with an ectopic pregnancy, so sometimes even when you 'know' a pain you might not know. I didn't know I was pregnant, having had a 'period' the week before but I was actually 6/7 weeks. So if it is relevant to your circumstances and you haven't already, I'd just do a test to rule it out.

I've also had several ovarian cysts rupture, and they hurt as you describe for a couple days and then it'll burst and it causes me to collapse.

Ultimately OP you do know your body and your pains, and you know if you do need further medical attention but if it's out the ordinary definitely keep a tab on your symptoms and call them back if anything feels different to normal. And complain to the surgery about that GP, the next woman might actually be having an ectopic pregnancy and get dismissed. You shouldn't have been dismissed by him, he knew his diagnosis (because your a woman) before he even spoke to you by the sounds of it, and we are way past that being acceptable in these times.

Can I just check - are you sexually active and of childbearing age? If so, please do go to A&E if your pain worsens, just in case it’s an ectopic.

I’ve had rubbish dismissive female doctors and amazing male ones. I think rule of thumb is if GP makes you feel dismissed ask for a second opinion x

Yes I agree it’s not fair to tar all male doctors with the same brush. To be fair I have no issues with speaking to male doctors and I didn’t even think twice when the receptionist asked if I’d rather speak to a female doctor. I had never spoken to this doctor before so I think he’s new.

I’m 38 and there’s no chance that I’m pregnant. Something the doctor didn’t even ask me about this morning.

if its the same every month then its likely ovulatory discomfort and nothing acute- unless its changed it is quality/severity.

Not much else they can do about that TBH

I understand you completely OP.
I used to get it every month..
Ovarian pain.. ( had many ovarian cysts drained or taken out).
I was once in so much pain and old male GP told me.. it's womens problems.. take some Asprin.
Turns out l had a dermoid cysts ( was taken to hospital via ambulance) .. it was as big as a grapefruit with hair / teeth and bones... I've also had ectopic.
Ovarian pain can be extremely excruciating painful.
( l also had Endometriosis and adenomyosis).
Ovarian pain can make sex more painful.
Can make you tired and exhausted.
I really hope the gynaecologist can help.
Mine was wonderful ( believe it or not a male).
In the end after my second child ( took me 8 years to get her after the first) l had a total hysterectomy..at the age of 38.
I'm wishing you all the best for an outcome that you want .
🌷

Yes, like I said the pain is a lot worse than usual and has also lasted longer. That’s why I decided to call the doctor this morning. I know I’m not pregnant so I’m not worried about ectopic pregnancy but was worried it could be a cyst or torsion. The doctor I spoke to this morning didn’t even bring up the possibility of pregnancy. He decided I had a bit of trap wind and that was that.

I have IBS and I used to get ovarian pain every month (I always knew which ovary popped out the egg) and the pain was completely different.
In my experience a female GP isn't necessarily going to be any more sympathetic than a male, as she might never have felt ovary pain. Of course every GP should understand and agree that a woman knows her body and can tell the difference.

I’ve been asked how I’m so sure it’s ovary pain before
because I have a giant endometrioma on my right ovary and my ovaries are so covered in endo they’re kissing, and I would like to remove my right ovary by myself please
Gynae confirmed it is in fact surprisingly ovary pain

I take morphine for it now