Urinalysis and periods

[Augustone]

Looking for some perspective and advice on how to respond to a work situation.

We have been instructed to advise our 'customers' when booking a medical appointment with us that they should avoid their menstruation dates when attending for medical.

I want to point out that we will have to ask everyone who we book in as we cannot make assumptions regarding their biological sex regardless of how they present. I can imagine the responses we will get from the vast majority of our customers who will think we have lost the plot.

Have I lost the plot ? How can I word it?

Or medical records could accurately record sex
🙄
Sorry you’re dealing with this OP

Due to the nature of your appointment we kindly ask that you do not book an appointment for a date when you are likely to be having your period. Thank you
Or can you ask people what their biological sex is - male or female. Then explain the above point to the females.
or
If you have periods please do book an appointment slot for when you will have started your period.

Fyi it’s very silly to have to jump through all these hoops.

Do not

It is a very male dominated industry we are in so having to ask this regardless of their presentation is going to be quite interesting if it goes ahead.

Due to the nature of your appointment we kindly ask that you do not book an appointment for a date when you are likely to be having your period. Thank you

I'd go with this, and just put up with any daft responses.

The real reason some men will finding this phrasing jolting is that it treats women of reproductive age as the default human.

If instead there were an instruction that "beards must shaved off for the procedure", those same men would have no difficulty in grappling with this rule and deciding whether it was relevant for them. Indeed if any woman fussed that the beard wording made her feel excluded, they would roll their eyes and deride her for being a Loony Feminist.

The instruction about periods will not be relevant for lots of women, too (pregnant, post-menopausal, etc). They too will cope just fine at working out that this rule is not relevant for them – and unlike the men are unlikely to be jolted by it.

This is such a great point.

@Augustone , I think you should use that wording.