# male or female?



## britchick (Oct 2, 2003)

I was asked at my doctors if I would like a male or female nurse to do my smear test. I asked my friends what they prefered and responses were mixed. Do you guys have a preference? Im not really bothered but have found in the past that a male gyno is usually not so rough.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I, personally, do not care, but I know a lot of woman do.K.


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## Elariel (Jan 1, 1999)

i found quite the opposite brit.. the one female nurse i had that did mine for awhile was very good. i never had cramping etc after her exams. my current doctor, i'm in pain for most of the day!


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## ashleighjordan (Apr 28, 2004)

I prefer male doctors for everything.I just find that female doctors are not sympathetic to 'female issues', and sometimes won't take you seriously when there could be a more serious problem regarding cramping or pain. JUST my opinion, though.







Ashleigh


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## Arch-Angel (Aug 13, 2004)

While I may be male.. i'll answer the question anyways lol. I'd perfer to have a male do it, guess it's embarassing to have a female do anything like that to me. (this is for male issues, not for the specific one you talk about here.)


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## charmedimsure (Apr 14, 2004)

I have a female gyno (midwife) and she is great. I will only go to women for gyno stuff.


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## heatherstar (Aug 11, 2004)

I prefer women, but it doesn't bother to see a male. I find I can tell a woman doctor more than can I could a man.


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## JoanneThomas (Jan 17, 2002)

I used to prefer men to do them as the woman who used to do them could be pretty rough at times. My most recent one was done by a nurse and though more "comfortable" (if you can call it that) it still hurt like hell.I think sometimes men can be a bit more gentle!


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## KLG (Jul 8, 2002)

I have always gone to a woman. When I got pregnant I started going to a different group and requested a female. I saw male doctors a few times anyway because they felt I needed to "know" all the doctors before the big day, because they might be delivering the baby if the female wasn't in. Well I had a new male doctor deliver the baby and I requested him for my 6 week post partum check up. I really like him, he's pretty gentle and I guess initially I thought it would be awkward to have a male doctor, but now I'm very comfortable with it.


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## Julie55 (Jun 30, 2004)

I myself prefere to have a woman do the exam. I have had two women doctors and they were both fine, I am surprised to hear that some women are in pain afterwards or durring. Granted, it is not comfortable but I find that if I relax then it doesn't hurt. I am also surprised to hear about nurses performing the exam!!!! I know a female nurse is supposed to be present when a male doctor performs it but I thought the doctor was always the one to do it.


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## karen3480 (Apr 11, 2002)

When I first began going to the gyno a few years ago I always requested the nurse practitioner because she was female and at the time I made the appointment the other female doctors were booked up she was so gentle. Now I had a problem with an abnormal pap and low-risk HPV so now I must see the Dr. for my pap every 3 months, I hate her, and she is so rough. At my last pap I was so nervous about it, I guess I was tense and she was having a prob, she got snippy with me and said "Please stop, I feel as though I'm assaulting you" I have 2 more paps to go before they consider me ok then I'm getting rid of her.


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## peardrops (Jan 3, 2004)

I had a smear done this week. Quite honestly if that had been my first it would have been my last one! I've never experienced anything like it before it was just awful. It was a lady doctor but she had real difficulty in finding the cervix, I almost screamed. OK she was really sorry but that didn't help me much. She thinks I might have to have it done again as she doubts enough cells were collected. Her answer as to why it hurt so much was that the older you get it can become more difficult to do a smear. My previous smears have been painless, I'm just dreading having to have another one.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Peardrops...a friend of mine used to be in a group of woman that helped doctors practice doing pap smears. I know she said that one of the things they do before the exam (and I swear I will remember to do this next time because I too can get the cervix way up in...although mine have never hurt trying to get to it).She said they would squat and bear down a bit to move things downward right before an exam. This made it easier for the doctors just learning how to do this to find everything they needed to.K.


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## peardrops (Jan 3, 2004)

Thanks for that K. I've never had a problem with having a smear before. It got so bad that the doctor told me to place my hands under my bottom!! This should have tilted the pelvis but it didn't seem to make any difference. The best and most comfortable smears I've had done is by a gyno - I remember lying there waiting for him to do the test when he told me he'd already done it! Unless we pay privately over here, or for some reason are already seeing a gyno then it's usually our family doctor or family planning clinic who does it. Some nurses over here have been trained to carry out the test.It will be 8 weeks before I know if it's to be repeated. I'll remember you tip about bearing down


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## chihuahua_girl (Mar 16, 2004)

Ive gone to only females, mainly just because I have my regular doctor do it, and shes a woman. I dont think it would bother me going to a man, but I feel more open discussing certain aspects of my medical history with a female. Although, they are all doctors, so really it is all the same.


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## magicjenjen (Sep 23, 2003)

I have been to both and really think I base my decision on the doctor and their "technique?" My last one was a female after spending ###18 months coming back for abnormal smears from a male. Everyone else seemed to love him. I just thought there might be a problem going back and forth so many times and him not doing anything but saying to come back. BUT he was the funniest I ever saw, even offered to write me a note for work that I was not allowed to wear pantyhose and he once made me wait while he delivered a baby in the parking lot!!!


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## 14114 (Jun 17, 2005)

I definetely prefer a woman. I don't like anyoone but my husband poking around down there in my secret garden........lol!


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## thegirlleastlikely (Feb 7, 2005)

i prefer male doctors. but, when it comes to nurses, it doesn't matter to me. with my ob/gyn, if the dr is male, the nurse must be female.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

The idea of having a smear test makes my blood run cold. Never had one. Dont want one. Full stop.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Really the idea of them is much more scary than the reality. I've never found them to be that bad, and it is and important screen to get every 3 years or so.If you squat and bear down before the test it pushes the cervix down in the abdomen making it easier (a friend of mine used to be in a group that was for doctors to practice pap smears and that was what they did to make it easier on the students).K.


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## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

I've got one friday and its a new doctors surgery so I have no knowledge of what the nurse who is doing it is like. So I'm more than a little apprehensive.My housemate had one a few months ago and the nurse who did it had exactly the same problem Peardrops and poked and prodded about then said after causing untold discomfort and pain that my poor housemate would have to repeat it.But going on how nice everyone seems there, I'm hoping it will be someone gentle and considerate.


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## 13641 (Jun 28, 2005)

I'm not really bothered. I hate smear tests as they always hurt like hell and sometimes I bleed afterwards. The doctor or nurse always tells you to relax, but it's impossible!


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## Lagomorph (Mar 4, 2005)

I can't believe that nurses do smears. My doctor does all those sorts of tests. The nurses only check my height and weight.


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## 21880 (Jun 15, 2005)

Looks like you got your wish Clair! Thanks for the advice K, I will do that. I am going on Friday.


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