I was abused by my GP - wish I'd reported it

[pinkbluepink]

The Jimmy Savile abuse cases have led me to re-think something that happened when I was a teenager.

I was 'abused' by my GP when I was 17 on a visit to the surgery to enquire about going on the pill. My GP asked me to undress and get on the couch so he could 'examine me' before he could recommend going on the pill. At the time I thought it odd, but then having not been in that situation before I obligingly removed my lower items of clothing and hopped onto the couch. The GP then proceeded to give me an 'internal' before returning to his desk and writing a prescription.

It was only much later when discussing going on the pill with friends that I realised what he had done to me was wrong, and even then I was too embarrassed to do anything about it.

In hindsight I wish I had reported him - how many other teenagers did he do this to?

The GP is question is probably dead now, but as a mother of teenage girls it makes me furious that someone in his position felt he was able to do this.

Not sure why I'm posting this now - just wanted to get it off my chest really. Thanks for reading.

The same thing happened to me when I was 18 and naive- had an uncomfortable internal and breast examination. I didn't think it was wrong at the time but now feel disturbed by it.

@Dogegg33 thanks for the comment, the more I dig into this the more horrified I become

This article
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3642728/Ex-England-international-rugby-club-doctor-stroked-16-year-old-girl-s-nipples-told-nice-shaped-breasts-gave-inappropriate-intimate-medical-examination.html

And the police investigation concluded ....
'He was asked questions about where and how he touched Patient B, why there was no chaperone, whether he touched Patient B intimately and what remarks he did or did not make. Police did not charge the doctor and the matter was referred to the GMC.'

I had something in a similar vein in the 1990's. First trip to a gynacologist, aged 18, and he told me to take off all of my clothes and lie on his medical bed. No blanket. No robe. I found this very creepy and did not return to him. Every other doctor i have visited has always given me something to cover myself with. I have just discovered he did the same thing to 2 of my friends, also aged 18.

Seems this case is dragging on, more in the news today

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-42579462

and all the time this GP is keeping the poor girls suffering going, and imagine if the police pick it up (which they should) even more evidence and suffering

So practices of years ago that were seemingly allowed by male GP's are now frowned upon, but still happen

I was given an internal examination at a family planning clinic in the early 80s before getting the pill. This was done by a female and my friend who went along with me had the same done. I think it was standard practice back then.

I am however convinced that my physiotherapist in the 90s behaved inappropriately though and I stopped going for treatment because of it.

That case. That was my GP.
At my postnatal check in 2002, he did an internal, and touched my breasts strangely.
He made comments about how many women 'let themselves go after having a baby'. He said that I should be proud to have maintained my 'beautiful figure'.
He made no comment about the significant damage caused by an ulcerated episiotomy, with significant tears.
I realised that the comments were strange, but not that the examination was completely unnecessary.

Every other female patient of his (that I know), has a similar story.
He used to parade around the waiting room, flirting with young female patients. He also worked part-time doing Botox etc for his daughter's tanning/beauty salon. Lots of potential for abuse, in hindsight.

It sickens me to know how many women he has violated.

The last comment I think says what so many feel 'sickened' whilst we almost accepted that 'back in the day' these types of examinations were far more routine that they are now, and many younger women wanting BC for the first time had to endue a male doctors whims, to see it still going on is sickening, especially when a real medical issue is missed or not addressed!!

We should be able to and need to be able to trust our medical professionals, there will always be the odd 'bad apple' but it's the victims every time that so often go unheard or maybe feel that it was okay or just them

I hope the police pick this case up otherwise what does it say to the victims?

Had to sympathise on this point. I was put through the same in 1982 simply to confirm pregnancy. He examined everything n hv always felt violated over the yrs. Iv never even told anyone.
Subsequently I never allowed anyone to go anywhete near me intimately ever since even with two later pregnancies. He was a dirty old pervert n I would never allow anything like that again. Its always male doctors as in most other casrs but iv been extremely private with my body ever since. It scarred me cos I soon relised why I felt I ws violated n taken advantage of. It didnt srem right even bk then

Zombie thread

Just came across this thread, I know it's from a few years ago , I just wanted to share my experience. I went to my Gp when I was 17 , over 20 years ago now and I was a virgin. Reason for going was my periods were very irregular, almost non existent. He had me lie down and he examined me internally, not just vagina but up my bottom also . I can't remember much of what he said only that I was tight so he couldn't examine me well I guess. I don't remember what else he said. I remember being quite traumatised and went back to work and told my colleague who didn't seem very phased. I'm not sure I told my mum ever. I was just thinking about it recently as my daughter is thinking about going to the gp as her periods are making her sick and it just bothers me the thought of something happening to her, she's 19 .

I am so grateful I found this. I was abused by my GP from the age of 13 to about 16 in the late 70s early 80s. His office was in Hove East Sussex. He used to make me strip and lie on the bed. The he gave me a long internal groped my breasts and told me I was the kind of girl that would get into trouble. It led to me being abused by others many times because I didn’t have a male role model and thought it was normal, I had a difficult childhood and was very vulnerable. I was a virgin but he said I had a std called Gardenerella so he had to see me a lot. When I was 16 I fell pregnant with my first boyfriend he said he wouldn’t help me because he was a catholic! I struggled through life making bad decisions and self medicating. Eventually in my thirties after having my daughter I got an education and became a teacher. The trauma caught up with me in my late 40s and I had lots of medical issues. I had a breakdown in 2019 and with 2 years of trauma therapy I am better but left with CPTSD and ADHD and inflammatory conditions. Today I had to have a smear and it reminded me of when I went for my first proper smear. I took all my clothes off, the doctor told me I didn’t need to and to get dressed. I was shocked when they used the speculum and it was over quickly with no groping of fingering. I still didn’t realise he had abused me until about 10 years ago. I’ve often wondered if there were other girls he did it to.

Has anyone had their bad experiences with Male Gps in south or east yorkshire?

It's a zombie thread , but decided to go on the pill at 21 and hadn't had sex . I had to hide it all from my parents as well.
I went to a family planning clinic in the next town to me ( was the late 80s) and had to have a smear first ( which really hurt ) and be examined. I didn't have a nurse in the room with me and thinking it about it , I was treated pretty poorly.
I just assumed everyone had this as I hadn't anyone to talk too about it and I was very naive The GP seemed more amused at the fact I was 21 and hadn't had sex
Reading this thread has made me realize that maybe this wasn't how it should have been at all and hope things have improved somewhat since then. I guess women just accepted it back then in order to obtain birth control pills?

This is a long nightmare story cut very short, I met a GP on a dating web site, I found out he was also using sex sites at work, didn't even know what sex sites were. Previously I left an unhappy highly abusive relationship and had been single a long time before i met this GP, looking back now he saw my vulnerabilities through professional eyes.
I was worried about patients seeing this GP and went straight to the police with the evidence, they did not help, this GP got reported to where he worked and he was investigated, he lied and said he was on dating sites at work for 2 days only with no sexual conversations, so he lied, during this investigation they found out he had not logged that he had used any chaperones.
If anyone on here had their bad experiences in south yorkshire or east yorkshire, together we would stand a chance of getting this GP struck off and he would never have the opportunity to do this again.

I went on the pill in the early 1970's, and having an internal examination was absolutely normal. It happened with friends as well.😗

I had a termination when I was 17, via BPAS. I had to see a doctor to get the termination signed off (as is the law) and he examined me vaginally. I was 17, I didn't know any different but it's only with hindsight that I now go "WTF was that about?" I have had three further pregnancies and never been examined in the early stages of pregnancy.

I think it was fairly standard practice back then to have an internal examination before going on the pill. I had them and my friends did.

I’m close to seventy, but my “experience” was well under sixteen… roughly twelve/thirteen.
My mum called the GP to our family home, I was upstairs in bed…

my mum (I believe was making a cuppa for him) had great faith in doctors and I seem to remember Drs being almost revered back then.

My mums reason to call out the GP was that I had severe kidney problems for years as a child, and although she was well used to my usual symptoms, I guess she felt this was beyond that.
we had no family car.. no one in the house had ever even driven.

So yes I was intimately examined while mum was downstairs… and although I was a child, it felt “off” and I wouldn’t “see” that Dr again… my mum finally got it out of me some years later.

By that time, he had been “struck off”, for similar behaviour to other young girls.

My goodness, I’ve got a terrible memory usually, but that monsters name is emblazoned on my brain.

if you feel you can talk to someone, it may help you… if you can’t do face to face, make it a telephone conversation………
…… if neither of those are possible for you, write it all down in as much detail as you feel you want to.
Not just what he did, but how it made you feel, and express any words that describe how you felt towards him…
then burn it, or float it down a river… how, doesn’t matter.

You may feel better just putting it all down in black and white and then saying goodbye to it.

Just my thoughts, and I hope it helps.

I went to a female GP several years ago. I had a discharge and very obvious symptoms of BV. I didn't know this and asked if it could be an STI.

The GP said it was unlikely but should get tested anyway. She did the test and didn't put the lube on the speculum. She put it directly on me which I thought was inappropriate.

I have raised concerns about this GP
about other issues and the Practice Manager doesn't want to know.

At the end of the day GPS aren't experts in everything but I would expect them to know I don't want to be touched up.

When I was 17 I was examined by a female before being prescribed the pill, this was at a family planning center around 1981.

My experiences weren’t as awful as many of these but I used to get the contraception injection every 3 months when I was a age 15/16ish and the male gp used to make me remove my top and would ‘examine’ my breasts every time. When I changed gp practices it was a nurse who gave the injection and I never had to have any kind of examination.

I recently googled the name of this dr out if Interest and discovered that he works abroad in a teen health clinic, which concerned me greatly but I still don’t know if the examinations he gave me were necessary or not.