Will smears be done by men/TWs in future?

[WeepyWillow]

I had a smear test this week. The female nurse asked whether I wanted a chaperone in the room with us.

Bemused, I asked what she was on about. New policy apparently. Previously, if a male medic is performing an intimate examination the (female?) patient is offered a chaperone. But now, For Equality, the offer is made to all irrespective of sexes involved.

Is this to pave the way for TWs doing smears? Will the offer of a chaperone be to cover the NHS back?

I know from breast examinations that a female is always in the room when a male doctor examines. They don't even ask you, the team of two will be in the room. For mammograms a female x-rayer is guaranteed. But what might that mean in future?

On the one hand I think, don't be so ridiculous Weepy, it'll never happen. But on the other...

At the moment I can ask to see a female GP, no problem. For most complaints the sex of the doctor is irrelevant but sometimes I feel more comfortable talking to a woman. Might I lose that option in future?

I don't think you can assume it will never happen. When this has already happened.
metro.co.uk/2022/10/20/hospital-cancels-gender-critical-womans-surgery-over-17604469/

@Nellieinthebarn A male nurse administering medication or recording observations would be fine and probably happens a lot. I guess it is whether one has veto on something like a bed bath.

I'm GC, in fact I think the whole gender bollocks is complete nonsense and I think being forced to have a smear done by a trans woman is exceedingly unlikely but maybe you should ask yourself if you went to see a (male) gynaecologist and they examined you, with a female chaperone in the room would it be any different and if so why?

It matters less what gender the health professional is than their professional behaviour.

Is this to pave the way for TWs doing smears?

No.

The medical defence unions recommend that a chaperone is always offered by medical attendants who are performing an "intimate examination" (or one that might be construed as such). That's been the case for many years.

It makes no difference what sex the HCP is, or indeed the sex of the patient; the recommendation is the same.

Chaperones can be seen as protecting the patient against a HCP who is a bad'un; but they can also be seen as a protection for the HCA against a patient (another bad'un!) who might make an unfounded allegation of assualt (or when a patient might be violent or aggressive). Both situations are, thankfully, fairly uncommon, but either could happen on any day. Both parties - HCP and patient - are very vulnerable once they're in a room together with a closed door and no witnesses.

If a chaperone is offered, I'm really not sure what your issue is.

Female nurses regularly conduct intimate consultations with men.

No, this is nonsense. I’ve unfortunately had to have several intimate examinations over the past few months. They’ve always been conducted by female HCPs (one I was offered a man but refused and was given a woman to do it) and in every case but one, there was a (female) chaperone in the room too. As others have said, it’s for the protection both of the patient and of the HCP and it is, or should be, offered regardless of the sex of the HCP.

Hi!

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Oops ignore that! Wrong thread

I've no idea about TW doing smears, but I perform a different intimate procedure, on females (I'm female), and I have to offer every single patient having that procedure a chaperone. It's part of our policy. I have to document in our records that I have offered a chaperone. Patients usually decline.
I do an intimate procedure on males too and have to offer them a male chaperone, but I appreciate that's different!

Will smears be done by men/TWs in future?

Not on me they won't.

Men can perform smear tests now, it's not a new thing. I was offered a male nurse once (years ago, for my first ever smear test no less) but I asked instead for a female which I got.

Of course it would be different. The average male medical professional is not living out their fetish. I have no problem with male medical professionals. But if they identify as trans or nb I don't want to be treated by them.

Years ago there were no practice nurses to speak of in general practice in the UK, and so all gynae stuff was done by the doctors, of whom the vast majority were male.

It matters less what gender the health professional is than their professional behaviour.

That depends. Dc1 was delivered by a professional, kind, empathetic male doctor. He was sympathetic to my circumstances having read my file and was willing to wake up the female on call consultant. I made the choice to let him deliver dc1 based on the above. He still managed to retrigger my ptsd and according to the consultant psychiatrist I ended up in front of, that was likely a factor in me developing postpartum psychosis on top of the ptsd symptoms. I lost the first six months of dc1's life, had numerous attempts at suicide and it cost me my career as I wasn't fit to return to work.

I don't ever recall a female HCP offering a chaperone. And with a male doctor there's always been a female HCP present for intimate examinations.

Further back, I remember as a child a watching a sleazy doctor fondle my Mum's breasts, calling it a breast cancer check. There's good reason for having a female chaperone in the room now.

So long as women can make informed consent about who treats them in what circumstances then I don't have a problem.

I'm just wondering whether there is a covert push to remove that informed consent. If TWAW and you refuse treatment from a TW, can treatment be withheld or delayed?

Same here. I do find the fetish side ay gee pee alarming.
There was TW in a woman’s underwear section of a chain of stores ( Staff) a few years ago.
I found it very strange.

I've been offered a chaperone for my last 2 smears, both of which were done by a female. I thought it was standard practice

Are you young? I've been getting smears for decades

I know it's the thin end of the wedge, but you can pay for a private smear in order to ensure a female does it.

Also as a bonus, the private ones actually look at the cells under the microscope, regardless of HPV status.

As long as I can afford it, I won't have another NHS one ever again.

@WeepyWillow no, I'm not young. I'm in my 50s. I should have said that I thought it was standard practice nowadays. I certainly in the past haven't been offered a chaperone but in recent years I have.

How odd, my gynaecologist is a man, never crossed my mind to ask for or been offered a chaperone.

Sounds like it has recently become standard practice then.

I work in the nhs. A chaperone is offered for all examinations regardless of the sex of the clinician or patient.

According to the experience of a friend of mine, if it is a male born trans person you won’t get offered a chaperone, you will just be gaslit and aggressively pushed into having the invasive procedure regardless.