[Lucara]

Heres a question that been bugging me. With all my worry about my IUD, I'll have to admit, my main worry is having to go through having it put back in again.

To be honest, I hate going to the OB-GYN. I find it horrible humiliating and just way to personal. It took me months before I ever trusted my boyfriend to go..down there :wink:. Not that theres anything wrong with "down there", its just that i find it a very VERY personal place and I rarely feel comfortable enough with a guy to ever even think about letting him go "there".

When I got my IUD, I cried up a storm. Not so much that it hurt like hell, because I can deal with the pain, but more so about the fact of what exactly was going on. It just made me feel humiliated. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that my OB-GYN is a guy. I'm thinking of switching to a female instead.

Does anyone else feel this way, or did feel this way about their "lady" docs?

 

[shesinthebarn]

This is exactly why I use a midwife for my pregnancies. They also do my PAP's. I'm just not comfortable with some dude having his hands in the "cookie jar" so to speak.
I'd try and find a nice lady gyno...I'm sure there are some nice ones out there that you would be more comfortable with. I understand how you feel - it IS a personal and private space, and having a stranger that you have no relationship with in your business is a little...disconcerting.
Oh, and a lot of that shyness will go away after you have a baby (if you choose to, that is), I was like you, and now, I could care less! After going through birth, your perception of your nether regions changes!

 

[Honeysuga]

I do not like having a male gyno either. I have had so many now though after having cervical cancer I am kinda used to it... but I still prefer a lady doc. There is really no reason to be shy about your vulva, everyone has one. If and when you choose to go through child birth there will be plenty of people messing around down there. And by being shy your BF down there you are really missing out on some great intimate time, not to mention some great fun! lol

But I see where you are coming from, I was the same way at first, it will get easier.

 

[my2geldings]

Not to sound bad, but as a health care professional, the last thing they care about, is the fact they are seeing your private area. They are professionals who see dozens of them a day, hundreds every month. To them, looking there is like looking at you in the eye or face to face.

There are lots of OB/GYN physicians who are both male and female and you should definitely stay with the gender that makes you more comfortable. I have seen a lot of women actually being more comfortable with male physicians. It really depends what you are used and your reasons for requesting either one. Both are always available.

Good luck kiddo.

 

[Alwaysbehind]

I do not think how you feel is unusual.

I think you just have to look at things in a less personal way. Like what My2Geldings said, they are doctors. They do not consider your body as anything more than something they are looking at medically. It is not sexual at all.

But the bottom line is, you need to find a doctor that you feel comfortable with. Male or female.

I always had a male GYN. He was great. Good understand, etc. I tried the female PA once and I hated her. Then my male GYN left the practice and I started seeing a different male GYN and I hated him. Totally callous.

I recently switched to a young female GYN. She is great.

I would also suggest that you tell your GYN that these types of appointments are very difficult for you so they can help you deal with it.

 

[TaMMa89]

Same here. I've gone a gyn only once but I'm very conscious about things like that and my privacy. My feelings just scream at me that it's too intimate, even my rational side says it's just an examination for me and routine for these doctors.

 

[Vidaloco]

Your not alone at all. I'm sure thats why many medical schools prefer that women go into the gyno fields rather than their male counterparts.
I've always had a man GP and gyno but I would have much preferred a woman. I just don't think a man can comprehend the special needs of women and their hormones. If a man wants to go down there as a profession let him be a Proctologist :lol:

 

[Lucara]

I am fully aware that this is just a job to them and he has never been anything other than professional and nonchalant about everything. It doesn't change the fact that it makes me uncomfortable. I'll mention it to him though.

 

[sandy2u1]

That particular exam is just an uncomfortable one. I don't think no matter who does it, your not gonna feel good about it. The fact of it is, you have to expose your most intimate parts to a complete stranger. I don't think it's going to be comfortable or natural no matter what you do. As long as whatever doctor you use is professional and a good doctor, then I think you are just going to have to deal with it. I am due for one also, and I am really dreading it. I have to do it every six months because in one of my exams, the doctor found pre-cancerous cells. My doctor is good, but I just hate the whole putting your feet in stirrups and having your private parts looked at. I hate it too, because the doctor has to have someone in the room...which is usually the nurse and she is looking too. It is just one of those things that we have to do to keep ourselves healthy.

 

[Alwaysbehind]

Well said Sandy. I feel the same about having a mammogram. I just hate having to stand there with my breast hanging out. And then the woman has to push and pull and shove my breast to fit it just right between those plates.

 

[Juniper]

When I was younger I would only go to a woman doctor. Then I had problems with childbirth and the male doctor was so much more respectful and kind and gave me a lot more information than the woman OB I had chosen, go figure. So now I don't care as long as the doctor is competent and takes the time you need. Never get an IUD without major pain killers. That is just needless suffering!!! If the doc won't prescribe some go elsewhere!! Are you sure that a low dose pill is not actually safer though? Can't IUD's cause scar tissue?

 

[Alwaysbehind]

So now I don't care as long as the doctor is competent and takes the time you need.

This!!! I totally agree!