To think men should not be allowed to be gynaecologists

[CaragianettE]

Just that, really. Saw one last week. He was trying to be helpful, but I really really really don’t want to discuss ‘do you get clots’ ‘do you experience flooding’ ‘do you find intercourse painful’ with a strange man. Yes it would be awkward with a strange woman too, but at least I know she likely has some lived experience of what we are talking about. TBH I also question men’s motives for choosing this job, not just the licence to look at strange women’s vaginas, but I think there’s something deep in the male psyche that just loves laying down the law to women about their reproductive systems. It’s a job for a woman, and while I know men were allowed to train for it in the past, I think they should now be phased out.

I find that doctors of both sexes tend to be more dismissive on women's iasues

Yes- but I feel like you are taking that out of context to imply he didn't care deeply about his work and his patients. If you read his books you see he cared so much it almost destroyed him and his personal life. Dark humour is a very common way of dealing with the difficulties of being in that kind of high stress environment.

I mean, I really connect with my female GP.

But, also my male midwife was amazing…

When I went for a vaginal ultrasound, I was expecting the usual lady sonographer. But it was a guy instead. I felt fine about it, I like her a lot, but I found him very good at the job too.

You haven’t read the book, have you….? There’s only one person on this thread thinking someone should be restricted and banned purely for their sex, and it’s you 🤷‍♀️

I am 68 and scince l was 28 l have had gynae problems from PID to PCOS/ endometriosis. Had 8 laparoscopies to remove ovarian cysts. Had an endometrial resection.. a laparotomy where all my organs / uterus/ tubes/ bowels/ bladder etc were stuck together. Three hour surgery to seperate them. After 9 years of hell and one ectopic he helped me concive again...after my second daughter l had a total hysterectomy age 38.. all under a male consultant.. same one and his under study.. this surgeon was amazing..the best one within our local NHS trust at the time.. ( 1980's).. my sister had a female gynecologist.. who was absolutely hopeless... never got anything done.. dismissed as put up and shut up .. we females have to suffer etc etc... just because she herself never suffered.

You’ve lost the argument twice over with this silly analogy

I’ve had the opposite happen. Female medical professionals assuming because it wasn’t their experience it must not be true. Have a look at some of the recent midwifery issues.

I do agree to an extent as I think it’s an odd specialisation for a man to choose. I’d love to find out what made them choose this area out of all the hundreds of areas of the body they could specialise in. If there was a penis specialisation I doubt many female doctors would choose to go into this (and no, urologist is not the male equivalent of gynaecologist). However, I don’t think men should be banned from specialising in gynaecology.

Only if you're happy to wait even longer for appointments.

You can request a female. No one should be banned from a career due to their sex.

Oh give over. There are some men out there who don't fit the Mumsnet narrative of "all men are dirty perverts". Would you also barr lesbians from becoming gynaecologists? Male surgeons from doing mastectomies? Anyone over the age of 18 from operating on children incase they're paedophiles? Waiting lists are long enough as it is and you want to make them even longer?

I'm going to use the famous phrase used by all disgruntled NHS staff when knobhead Patients are being hilariously self important and unrealistic...."Perhaps a private service might suit your needs better".

It’s totally understandable to not want a male as your gynaecologist and you should always have the choice, but men are damned if they do and damned if they don’t get involved in women’s medicine.

If they don’t they are told that they don’t care about women’s health issues and if they do they are told they are making women uncomfortable and are probably perverts.

I hear you OP

My gynaecologist was amazing. He was the first person to really listen and tell me my level of suffering wasn't normal. He operated on me under local and assured me my pain threshold was high, when others had implied I was making a big old fuss about period pains. He gave me my options and listened to what I wanted. I've been pain free since 2020 after 30 years of pain.

I don't think you can stop men becoming gynaecologist, however my own personal preference would be to see a female doctor every single time.

Perfectly fine for men to be gynos. Perfectly fine for any women or man to specify they want a doctor of their own sex.

It’s very rare that a doctor is purely a gynaecologist- generally they are also obstetricians, and that’s a popular area of medicine because: 1. You’re bringing actual lives into the world, which is pretty cool. 2. It’s a bigger challenge because there’s effectively 2 patients, not one. 3. It’s pretty much always interesting as the run of the mill patients are handled by the midwives, 4. It gives you a dual speciality. 5. Gynae private practice is big business and well paid.

I have seen way too many gynaecologists in my life and the best were men. So YABU.

In the last year I have had surgeries with a male gynaecologist, a male breast cancer surgeon and about to have reconstruction with a male plastic surgeon. They are all very intimate procedures and involved a lot of intimate discussion.

I can honestly say it made zero difference to me that they were male. Each to their own and I’m all for patient choice but it simply wasn’t something which registered for me. All were professional and sensitive and very good at what they do.

My reconstruction surgeon is one of three in the country which does this particular operation - female could not have been one of my criteria even if I had wanted it to.

And where would it end. Hundreds of medical professionals must have seen me naked in the last year or asked about my periods or questions about my breasts etc. There’s often 10+ people in theatre. It just wouldn’t have been possible for them all to be female.

Personally, I'd prefer a female gynaecologist.
But I wouldn't ban male ones, that's too far.

I don’t think male gynecologists should be banned, but I think Adam Kay’s book did not come across well to me from the point of his opinions about his female patients. When I later heard some of his song lyrics I wasn’t as shocked as I might have been.

So you’re also saying female doctors shouldn’t be urologists then as they shouldn’t be examining penises? Right?

As long as they are qualified then I don't care. It makes zero difference if they are male or female.

But completely misogynistic in many places. Vile bloke.

Maybe we’re just a lot more sensible than you.

You’d probably be up in arms if a man with testicular cancer refused to be treated by a female oncologist.

Oh, how about this Adam Kay?

www.lyricsfreak.com/a/adam+kay+suman+biswas/menstrual+rag_20596243.html