Surely doctors who do this should have short fingernails?

[bgudd]

I had my Mirena coil replaced this week. It's the third replacement and I don't remember any pain at all from previous times - just a bit of discomfort. But this time it was intensely, sharply painful, and made me scream out. I'm wondering it was because the doctor had long fingernails. They weren't talons, but they were long enough to stick out, and therefore stick in. (I noticed them because they were painted black and quite chipped). Aibu?

Did the doctor not wear gloves? They absolutely should not have long nails though. I work in healthcare and long nails are such a massive infection control thing. So much gross shit (occasionally
actual shit) can get stuck under them.

They shouldn't really have had polish on either, but that's less important than them being long.

I assume she wore gloves - I didn't see - but in any case, gloves wouldn't have cushioned the fingernails.

My GP surgery said they couldn't do the replacement so they referred me to a sexual health clinic. The doctor looked more like a tattoo artist than a doctor - short black dress, tattoos, and the black fingernails.

It was probably the speculum that hurt.

I'd had loads of coils and none of the fittings hurt except one, where she pinched me with the speculum.

But obviously the dress, tattoos and fingernails colour has nothing to do with anything.

One of mine was agony on insertion - but I later learned there was a fibroid blocking its path.

Was this in the UK?

Doctors wear gloves.

I’m it sure the doctors fingers should be inside in order to cut you, should they??

How revolting and unprofessional. I work in the NHS and we have to have short nails with no polish not even clear polish. They are an infection control risk, gloves can easily split.
I would not allow anyone near me with nails like that.

Doesn't sound professional. I know someone who is a cleaner for the NHS in a hospital and they are not allowed to wear nail vanish. There should surely be even stricter rules for those that work directly on patients

Yes

Gloves don't cushion fingernails though, and fingernails can split them.

Nurses aren't allowed long painted nails, I didn't think doctors were either!

I don't know - she gave me instructions on how to use my finger to check if the coil is in place, so I assume she had to use her fingers to insert it. How would she do it otherwise?

Her fingers are not inside you though - only the speculum, forcep-type thing and the coil

During my induction one of the midwives was super rough (managed to make the ear thermometer temp check hurt) and had long fake nails. I genuinely opted for a c-section the next day in part because I was afraid I would have her again overnight and she would do a cervical examination with her horrible long talons 🤣

It's inserted using an applicator device not using the drs fingers, could easily also have been caught by the speculum hinge

Although they may do a vaginal exam before hand to determine which direction the womb is facing (they didn't when I had mine done)

Yes, of course.
Carers have to have short, clean, unpainted nails.
I see a lot of consultants and pediatric doctors with DS. I have never noticed any of them wearing nail polish, always neat nails.
Hope you feel better soon.

She will have inserted her fingers at the start of the procedure as generally you do a bimanual examination before you insert the speculum and do the coil.
she will have worn gloves (hopefully!) but I agree nails can be painful. I do coil fittings and occasionally I notice my nails are getting long and make sure I file them down.

As someone who works for the NHS we not allowed long nails and certainly not painted. I never see any gps or anyone who works in the NHS with long painted nails.

100% sure they were a doctor? Either way, I would raise it as a complaint. So unsanitary.

I will never forget a contact lens appointment I had in 1990 - in those days I had rigid gas permeable lenses and the fit had to be checked - the dispenser had ridiculously long, albeit natural nails - similar to attached image. Having those fishing around my eyeballs still makes me shudder when I think of it.

Yes, they were a doctor. It was a sexual health centre so my first impression was that she was dressing for the role.

I've filled in the online feedback form.

Was it a private centre run on behalf of the nhs - I’ve never seen a directly employed doctor with long and/or painted nails, and most wear neutral clothing lets say, my gp is usually in a seasalt jersey dress or similar

Nope. It was an NHS service at a community health centre.