School health checks - stretch marks on hips - extra examination - why the fuss?

[MyShinyWhiteTeeth]

When I was at secondary school, around the age of 13, I was examined by the school nurse and visiting medical staff at a routine health check. I think they just took height and weight measurements of everyone else.

I was seen at the end and I had to pull my trousers down so they could see my hips and look at the stretch marks (I had very big stretch marks on my hips that were very noticeable - I have no other stretch marks from pregnancy and was always underweight as a child). They asked about my period and felt my stomach.

I was asked if I'd been pregnant (I replied No as I was only so many years old). I think they took Polaroid pictures of the stretch marks and I was asked lots of questions. People went in and out of the door whilst they did the exam and I felt really embarrassed.

I think they talked to the sports teachers too as they were outside when I came out.

I know my stretch marks were quite large and noticeable. Were they all just having a gawp? Are there likely to be pictures of my stretch marks on the internet? Were they allowed to do that? (Late 80's)

Sorry, that's slightly confusing. I had the very prominent stretch marks on my hips from puberty I assume. I was underweight as a child and didn't ever had huge hips/thighs.

As an adult I was worried I'd get bad stretch marks when I got pregnant but I didn't get any at all.

That's strange. How intrusive. I got stretch marks too as a teen, despite never going above 9 stone. It was because i suddenly went from having a child's up and down figure to developing a woman's shape. Must have been the suddeness of it

I didn't really change shape though. I was stick thin until my mid 20's. I was teased in the changing rooms about them so would change in the toilets instead.

I was reading about professional conduct and it struck me how odd and lacking in privacy the whole incident was.

The Polaroid thing is a bit much even for the 80's but then they didn't think about consent / privacy as much as today (which is a bad thing, thank god we evolved). First thing I though tough was that they were worried about something else like Marian syndrome.

I've been looking up the connective tissue related syndromes and I'm now not completely sure they have my diagnosis correct.

I meant *Marfan sorry
Sorry you're having health related anxiety :/

Bright and new stretch marks can be a sign of Cushings. Could they have been concerned about that? Whatever, it sounds very intrusive.

I've never been 100% sure about my diagnosis but I think mfs - which is marfan's has been mentioned in the past. I've felt fobbed off for years though.

It's been on my mind quite a while because of some of the recent reports on Drs misconduct on young women and whilst my exam was only done in front of women, the door was open during the exam and there were male teachers by the door. I didn't feel at any point I could say no to the exam or questions.

Perhaps they suspected you had been pregnant as a result of abuse and that's what all the concern was about. Was there ever any follow up to that? Did they contact your parents at all?

I dont remember anything like this. I left school in 88

I didn't really go into details about the exam with my parents at the time and they'd forgotten when I asked about it years later. I had 'growing pains' and had lots of time off school. I didn't feel believed about how bad the pain was sometimes and my mum didn't take it serious enough to see the Drs.

I wouldn't change in the changing rooms or have showers after games. I would say it was because of my period many times. They may have thought abuse or my periods - that makes sense.