Period-like symptoms at 60 is no fucking picnic. Yes, something is going wrong and is being checked out but I wanted to moan about it

[bellinisurge]

Apologies for TMI but this is the Menopause topic so …
At first, brown gunk. Now just bleeding. And aches. And heaviness in my uterus. And tiredness (as opposed to everyday tiredness and even MS tiredness- yes, I have MS).
I went to the docs as soon as the brown gunk appeared and I have an appointment for some kind of godawful internal ultrasound scan in a couple of weeks. Which may show far greater problems than a bit of period style inconvenience.
I’m on HRT and the GP was basically testing my reaction to coming off it. I’m on it because night sweats were really messing with my MS symptoms. But I’ll probably have to come off it if it has stopped agreeing with me.
Periods, even ones in inverted commas, are shit.

I've had a few of those scans, one was done by a doctor so perhaps that was the alternative?
I have also had three done by a man . I consider myself pretty tough when it comes to any medical procedure after having cancer treatment but I confess I was uncomfortable. Not enough to delay it but I fully understand why you would.

The OP said that the person arranging the appt mentioned about the later appt being with a "more appropriate woman" whatever that is....
Hopefully it is an actual woman.

Are the people doing these scans not doctors?

Well yes quite. Because that is what the OP requested.

I’m desperate for the appointment. If the woman isn’t an actual woman, I know that I can’t complain or I could risk negative consequences. I have asked my husband to come with me at least to the door so he can see what I’m dealing with. I’ll put up with it and raise a complaint afterwards

A woman is a biological woman. I would have no hesitation in saying it if it turned out to be a man dressed up as a woman.

I know it's a very stressful time for you and you will be reluctant to say anything if it turns out to be a pretend woman, but you are entitled to your GC beliefs and the NHS can go pot.

Look, I'm going through similar tests myself, and I know I'd have difficulty if my examiner was a man or a pretend man. But I'd refuse a male, and would refuse a pretend man too. I'd have to stand up for my beliefs, apart from the fact that I'd die of discomfort and embarrassment if a pretend man or other male medic wanted to have a look up my fanjo TBH.

Others might sail through this and wonder what the hell my problem is. I don't have to explain, it's how I feel and my dignity and comfort is not for sale.

While the me that is tapping this message in the comfort of my own home would tell a man LARPing as a woman to fuck off, the me that is vulnerable in a medical situation would be too frightened of losing care to do so. I suffered birth trauma and horrendous aftercare which scarred me literally and emotionally for years. I know the consequences of standing up for yourself in a medical setting if that setting is determined not to believe you. I was diagnosed with PTSD because of that poor postnatal care.
The best I can do is complain afterwards should I need to. I doubt this place would give a shiny shit if I talked about my protected characteristic of not believing men are women or my Equality Act right to single sex care where that is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate end.
so IF that’s the scenario (and it may very well not be), I’ll insist on a female chaperone, insist they know my husband is right outside and lodge a calmly worded complaint afterwards

It's awful that you went through what you did @bellinisurge and suffered as a result afterwards too.

And for what it's worth, I'm doing the same. I'm organising a scan today and will request a woman (and no doubt face a delay for the scan) and will be taking my husband with me for a 'just in case' scenario. Shouldn't have to but there we are.

I hope your scan goes ok.

I don't for one moment think they meant that person doing your scan would be trans.

more appropriate woman

They phrased it badly, and meant a woman would be more appropriate.
Not a man deciding he was a woman.

No not usually, they are radiographers trained in ultrasound.
If male they always ime bring a female staff member in as chaperone. These are normally internal scans using a probe in the vagina.

Male doctors who are gynaecologists always have a female nurse to chaperone.

This is true but out of four ultrasounds I've had, three were with a male sonographer who was not a doctor and one was with a female doctor.

I thought your post was about chaperones if the medics were male. That's what I was replying to, mainly. Saying that even if it is a sonographer who is male there will be /should be a female chaperone.

A male with a female chaperone is not good enough. I specifically asked for woman only.

I had a trans-vaginal scan done back in 2012 and it was a male doctor. But it was like a pen going inside - very different from a smear test and not uncomfortable.

It's not quite the same but I had a colonoscopy done about 15 months ago and it was a male doctor too. With a male nurse and a female nurse present. I was a bit unhappy about it but it was ok.

I also had a stomach ultrasound done last year and that was a male doctor too.

There don't seem to be any female doctors in my area - the consultant I saw for a skin lesion about 10 years ago was male to!

Update: it was a woman. A charmless one but a woman nonetheless. I simply could not have coped with a man doing that scam.

So what was the outcome?

Just for reference, if you are able to afford it, any of these scans can be done privately by a gynaecologist of your choice and you get the results at the time while they are doing the scan.

The scan was today. I’ll hear the outcome in about 5 days

Heard the outcome today: fibroid probably activated by HRT. Progesterone doubled. Query sent to gynaecology to see what they say.

I have had exactly this experience and had an ultrasound, followed by hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. They made me come off HRT for 3 months which has made my symptoms return in a bad way. They won't let me start hrt again until after biopsy results, which haven't come through yet. Nothing sinister was found, not even a polyp. The most likely explanation is that estrogen was too high a dose and not sufficiently opposed by progesterone so I'm going to go back on lower dose, providing everything ok with the biopsy. Fingers crossed! Hope all works out well for you, it's bloody miserable having to come off hrt when it's been helping for years.

Coming off HRT is not mandatory. I was never told to stop HRT.
It's annoying that it seems less experienced drs (GPs?) insist on this when it's not necessary.

How long are you having to wait?