HCPs - midwives, nurses, doctors - do you really use the term "assigned F/M at birth"?

[GreenUp]

Just wondering if any HCPs working in healthcare can explain whether or not the term "assigned male at birth" and "assigned female at birth" are commonly used by HCPs in everyday environments? If so is this a recommended term, a new addition or has it long been used?

I was under the impression that HCPs observe sex at birth based on genital inspection and thought that the concept of "assignment" might happen in a few intersex cases but perhaps this is out of date?

If this is a term you use in everyday practise and if there is some process of assignment involved, could anyone point me to the relevant guidelines, textbook and training etc. used by NHS staff?

I was reading on a forum where people were suggesting that cervical screening targeting "people assigned female at birth" would be an appropriate term to use in place of "people with a cervix" as they said it describes women and wouldn't be insulting to trans people but I thought this is odd as I don't know anyone outside of the trans community who uses this term to describe themselves - but if it is commonplace in the NHS I suppose I will need to update my vocabulary.

Never came across this term as a healthcare professional (although not NHS).

I'm a doctor and have never heard that used in clinical practice. I'm often in theatre when babies are born, although I'm not a paediatrician so not much involved with the actual baby, but I've never heard anyone say anything other than 'it's a boy/girl'

It's never been used in everyday environments. It's appropriation of the language used for patients born with intersex conditions years ago that made their genitalia ambiguous as newborns. There was a time when such babies were 'assigned' to a sex but those days are no more.

These days any baby born with unclear genitalia due to a chromosomal issue would be karyotyped and have their sex determined.

P.S. not a doctor or HCP

I’m a nurse and have never heard this

6 years ago when babies were born several forms needed to be filled in and the choice we male/female/unknown based all based on external genitalia.
these forms were filled in by nurse/midwife or dr. all went off to varying government agencies.

HCP (although not one from your list)& have never heard that phrase be used.

I'm a midwife. I say it's a boy/girl. Everyone does! The check boxes in our system for newborn details at birth are male/female/undetermined (for those rare babies born with DSDs).

I find it laughable that this term is used at all. 99% of people I know find out their unborn baby's sex before birth.

I’m a HCP (nhs nurse) and just use man/woman/alternative that the individual prefers. I’ve never heard the phrase ‘assigned xxx at birth’ used professionally.

Of course not. It's made up bollocks for people with a massive agenda.

IT'S BEEN ASSIGNED MALE!
That's a bit of a mouthful to fit across a helium balloon.

No, never, and I have attended to thousands of newborn babies. The worst part is, it’s being written into legislation as something that happens.

I'm due to give birth soon and every HCP I've seen so far has asked conversationally, "Do you know what you're having?" Me: "Yes, it's a boy". There won't be any assigning at birth.

I’m a Gp and I’ve never heard of this.

This guy who appears to be an assistant professor nursing seems doesn’t “subscribe to the concept of maje bodiedness”

twitter.com/gilmorejnurse/status/1291063467265458177?s=21

If people like this are teaching nursing I’m lost for words

He also dismissed all the people asking him clear direct questions about the impact of this as transphobes

Gah too soon

So people trained in the past won’t use assigned at birth but i bet they are being taught to use it now

I’ve delivered hundreds of babies and have never assigned a sex at birth! They’re male or female or unknown in rare cases where genitalia are ambiguous. This is such bollocks and if it comes my way I’ll be out of the profession. I’ve already noticed the increases use of gender on forms when they clearly mean sex. I have started to change gender to biological sex on social services forms. They seem to be the biggest culprits!

Of course it isn't. Clinicians don't just randomly assign sexes (or indeed genders) to babies.

@Kit19 Only by that Gilmore goon I expect but it's worth writing to the Royal College of Nursing to find out what should be taught and why he's allowed to teach.

He is male of course, and it's funny how equality has meant men surging into the NHS and taking over.

Another doctor who has never heard it used. Again on labour ward it’s always “it’s a girl” or “here’s your girl” no assignment nonsense.

@EdgeOfACoin

I find it laughable that this term is used at all. 99% of people I know find out their unborn baby's sex before birth.

My daughter is pregnant and just had a scan at 4 months. They told her the baby is a girl. YAY!!!! A sister for gd1!

Thanks so much everyone who replied - glad to know this isn't commonplace language in medical environments at the moment. I wonder if it will start to take hold though.

PS. Sorry didn't mean to make the list/workplace exclusionary - I realised after I posted that you can't do editing (new user). I just wanted to know if HCPs in the UK (any sector - public or private) use "AFAB/AMAB" in the workplace between themselves or about patients.

This is all so ridiculous.

I was pg with my twins in 17-18, so 3 years ago now. Then, I had a NIPT (non invasive prenatal test also marketed as Harmony).

It observed male DNA so we knew at least one of the twins was a boy.

I was 10 WEEKS pregnant.

So no one assigned DS male. They didn't even inspect his genitals. They observed his gene when he was basically a tadpole of around 2 months' existence in his mother's uterus.

Assigned, my arse.

Former midwife here - have never "assigned" anyone's baby M/F, only very recently I googled AFAB/AMAB myself. Never heard this used in a healthcare setting and hope never to.