Is this normal.....anyone else experienced this with their doctor?

[stripeytiger]

Bit embarrassed about this but everytime I go to my gp even if minor problem, I end up having to strip off, and he says I need various examinations. He insists on examining my breasts and takes ages doing this, not sure how long it should take and how it should be done, but something feels a bit wrong. Ive tried asking to see another doctor but the receptionists insist you only see the gp your registered with. Anyone else experienced this, would be interested to hear other views.

erm...not normal!

Have never been asked to strip off. What kinds of problems do you go with ?

very very odd.

if it is a large practice you should be able to insist on a female doctor I think. I might be wrong.

not normal definatly not, i'd swop surgeries tbh.

never stripped off..apart from for postnatal exam which is with the nurse then the gp comes in for a quick look that everything is in place.

Mine never examines me at all. Just tells me to come back in a few weeks if it's still bothering me or once, if I was "still pregnant."

Does he examine your breasts if you've gone to him with something totally unrelated to breasts?

Have you had any problems in that area that he has a good reason for checking for?

If you're uncomfortable then its wrong, and it does sound highly suspicious. Have you ever spoken to any other women with the same gp to see if they've experienced this too?

If he is being a perv you really need to complain!

My gp has never examined me for anything!

Not normal and even if you did have a complaint that meritted this sort of examination, he should get the practice nurse in to chaperone, or at the very least ask if you want a female chaperone.

You need to raise this with the practice manager as a matter of urgency and ask to change GPs.....He is abusing his postion and should be disciplined.

When I had mastitis the gp said he needed to look at the breast and did I want a nurse to come in.

You should only ever need examininng with a related health problem and then you can have a chaperone.

You are also entitled to ask for a female gp for such things.

is he an old(ish) gp, stripeytiger? the one i used to have years ago was like this.

Welcome to Mumsnet, stripeytiger.

Thanks for all the replies, very useful info. Yes, rattleskuttle, he is I guess about 60 ish, what was your experience and what did you do?

i didn't do anything stripeytiger, because he didn't make me feel uncomfortable and he retired within a year or so.

however, if this was happening to me now i think i'd change gps or just tell your gp that you don't want to get undressed.

It is good practice for a health organisation to offer all patients a chaperone for any consultation, examination or procedure where the patient feels one is required. You can ask the practice for a copy of their chaperone policy. If you wish to make a complaint and you don't want to do it at the practice, you can complain to your local primary care trust who have a responsibility to monitor all local GPs.

A lot of male gp's have a female nurse or someone else in the room too these days. I don't know if that's the law or their preference though.

It does seem strange to ask you do do this so often. Even after I went for a post birth check up my gp didn't examine me - just asked a few questions.

Pretty sure that it is a legal requirement for a chaperone (sp) to be in the room for examinations of a delicate nature!

I thought that under the new GP contract that patients were registered to practices and NOT to individual doctors within the practice anymore. Infact I'm 99% sure that is correct. You should insist on seeing a different doctor in the practice- you are perfectly entitled to do so.

he is clearly bonkers or else a pervert.

It is very rare for people to ever get to see the GP they are registered with so I find this rather strange.

You can see any GP in the practice. If need be you can change the GP you are registered with.

If your GP is insistent on examining your breasts when it is an unrealted problem there is definitely something wrong here and you should file a complaint.

You should not be examined without a chaperone.

i'm not in the uk so i don't think a lot of these guidelines, etc, apply to gps here.

when i had my first baby, 22 years ago, it was common practice for doctors to get you to strip off when you were pg.