Ladies only - guys beware!
 

Do you see a male or female gyno? Which do you prefer and why?

I've always seen a woman, but she's away on vacation until I leave for school so I'm probably going to have to see a guy in her practice. My mom prefers seeing that guy to the woman I usually see....

Still, I'm a little creeped out about seeing a guy...

thoughts?

Ditto. I just get squeamish about going to male doctors in general. I have heart disease and I have to go to a cardiologist every 6 or so months, and I hate going to male cardiologists, but I have to anyways.

It's much, much more than the clique "I wouldn't take my car to a mechanic who doesn't use one," it's a huge and possibly life-changing decision!

My own gynie had health problems of her own for a year, and I had to see a man during that time. When she came back, I told my doctor what the male doctor said, and she was absolutely furious!

Obviously, this is one thing I feel quite militant about. I simply cannot begin to understand why a man would be encouraged to go into gynecology.

$$$

What did he say?

I see a female gyno. I love her, she is sweet, gentle and very understanding. Two years ago I had to have surgery that my dr's partner was an expert in performing. She did all the exams and whatnots until surgery time-- the partner was a male, I consulted with him, had one exam prior to the surgery. I like him- he was nice and understanding and a great surgeon. I would see him again if need be---- but he is not the same as my female gyno.

1) That I have no nerves where I was in pain, therefore, I was not in pain. (I felt like hitting him in the head, since he obviously had no nerves in his brain!)

2) Even though it is in my file that I am pro-life and have refused an IUD or the Morning After Pill on several occasions, he insisted I take a script for the the MAP.

(this is the killer)

3) A week later, he called to say that I had endometriosis. I asked for an explanation. He said, "You have cancer." Just like that - no description, no "go online & check it out", nothing.

Endometriosis is NOT cancer!!!! I was in shock & borderline clinically depressed for at least 4 days before I decided to make a few more calls and get some answers.

OMG! Wow. That's insane.

There's $$$ in proctology, too - THAT'S where men who want to become gynecologists should practice!

He if it's good enough for Eric Stratton...

no excuse for that honeychile...
thank god you're ok.

I would only see a woman gyno and for that matter also a woman therapist. Men just don't understand.

The hell? What kind of crack addict is this guy? I have endometriosis and it's NOTHING like cancer.

I go to a woman gyno and she's fantastic, I love her.

I've been to both and I much prefer going to a male.

Just because it doesn't hurt YOU doesn't mean it doesn't hurt someone else with the same equipment. Not everyone is built the same way. The men I've been to have been much gentler during the exam.

I think unless you're in touch with what your own body does, you're not going to get a satisfactory result from a male OR female.

I have always had a female. I had a male for 1 check up because the female was out, and I just didnt feel the same. I like knowing that the female would be easier to talk to because SHE could go through the same things. Its just easier to me to talk to a female.

For me, it's been more about experience and care.

I've seen both women and men in state health departments. All my experiences in these were AWFUL!

I saw both women and men in Planned Parenthood. Again, AWFUL.

When I saw gynecologists in private practice, I had much better luck. My favorite gynecologist was a woman (unfortunately, she had a stroke and passed a few years ago). She was very gentle and was careful to use warm instruments. She also talked through everything and explained any issues in detail.

In a way, I was very much at ease with her because she was a lesbian. I'm sure it had no bearing on her qualifications as a doctor, but in my mind, it meant that she knew how to work with my delicate equipment. I suppose that anything that comforts a woman psychological is good during an exam.

I also saw a man who was my gynecologist/obstetrician for a time. He was also wonderful - very gentle, informative and thorough.

I see a male and wouldn't have it any other way. I go to the same ob/gyn that my mom has been seeing since before I was born. In fact my gyno delivered me and he and his partner delivered my sister (as my mom says, never go during shift change or there will be more people in the room than you really want;) )

He is very nice and gentle and always looks out for the best for me. When I had to have surgery he actually called to apologize to say he wanted to change the surgery so a doctor he trusted could assist.

I got very sick my junior year of college with female issues (so i thought based on symptoms). The only covered doctor in the area was female so I went. It was the worst doctor experience i've ever had. She was mean, started out by talking about my weight issues. I probably should have realized this office was horrible when on the phone they're diagnosisng me with a miscarriage based on symptons. EXCUSE ME!! It turned out to be a blood disease and thankfully i only had to see her once since i then went under the care of a hematologist.

I don't know what i'm going to do when i move b/c i don't want to change doctors.:rolleyes:

My first-ever gyno experience was an emergency when I was 15 for ovarian cysts. The only person available was a male doctor, and I was traumatized. I've seen a female ever since just because I feel more comfortable talking to her about things. She's not necessarily high on personality, but she knows what she's talking about and is very professional.

I think it's just a matter of personal preference. I have friends that will only see males.

Having delivered 8 babies, I've seen a ton of doctors and I'd say that they averaged out to be the same. However, if I'd had a choice, I would've seen only women for OB. A woman delivered my first one and she never made any stupid comments like the ones her male partner made. This is what he told me before I had my first one and I stupidly believed him:

"Oh, labor pains feel like gas pains. You can do it naturally."

Yeah, right! ASLFRose, who's tiny now, weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. And I'm little and she was my first! The first thing I wanted to do after delivering her was go after him with a club.

A woman OB, especially one who had given birth, neeeevver would have said that.

My first gynecologist that I ever went to was a man. He was my mother's ob/gyn and delivered both my sister and me.

After graduating from college, it was difficult for me to travel back to SoFla for appointments so I found a female ob/gyn in Orlando that was recommended to me by a sorority sister.

Now that I'm in Atlanta, I have to find another.

I don't have a preference of a male or female gynecologist. My only requirement is that they're a good doctor and I'm comfortable with them.

i go to women gyno's-who better to sympthasize with pms symptoms and labor pains, than someone who has actually personally experienced them?

I have had both. My ob who delivered my son was male and he was the BEST dr in the entire world....very sweet, informative, senistive to my needs and talked to me on a non- medical persons level. Since i moved i have run the gamut of male dr's who are crud! Should never have lic. to be a dr.

My current dr is female and wish i had her before i had an emergency hysterecotomy at 36. The dr i had he was so clinical and nothng would change his mind. She reviewed the records and said we could of avoided the hesterectomy all together.

That's heartbreaking!! ((((((((cutiepatootie)))))))) No one should ever go through unnecessary surgery, especially one so final!

I wanted to add that, when I told my (since retired) family doctor which gynecologist I see, he was very happy, and said that she was (and I quote) "the best female cancer doctor in the East." That played quite a role in my deciding to stick it out with her, even while she was ill herself!

I see a female gyn but have had a male, once, when the female had to go to the hospital for an emergency with another patient. It was either have him see me or reschedule, which was not an option. I think I was less nervous having him see me bc I didn't have any time to think about it. While I agree that women usually are more understanding about things, I think men are less judgemental when it comes to some topics that come up in a doctor's office.

The doctor I see here in NYC I've reccommended to so many friends, she's got a great teacher patient base now! LOL

Yeah the finality about is what makes me sad and very depressed at times because i wanted more than 1 child and the fact at 36 i am put automatically into menopause really angers me at times and also again very depressed. The dr i have now she is a very caring and compassionate dr so to chalk it up 2 very good ob/gyn and 3 really bad ones.

Can you PM me her name, so I can see if she's on my insurance? I have to change docs because of my new insurance. :) I don't have to go for a while...but sometimes it's nice to have some names.

I've only had female OB/GYNS for regular exams. I think I've had an emergency or two that required I see a guy--but the experiences must not have been fine, since I don't remember anything bad about it. In my hometown, it wasn't until about 92 or 93 that a female gyno was around, so my mother had to go to men out of necessity. Now, there are tons of women gynos around. I had two I absolutely adored--but, because of the stupid Florida malpractice insurance, they decided it was too expensive to practice the way they wanted to.

This reminds me--has anyone had negative experiences with a doctor? One of the doctors which I had who I adored--some teenage girls I knew had a terrible time trying to get BC prescriptions from her. "My son is going to Emory Medical School," she told a few people, "and he wouldn't want to marry a girl who had slept with half the football team." The first time I heard that, I didn't believe it---but enough people said it, so it had to be true. I liked her, however, and she seemed to be okay with me.

For my first gyn visit, I went to my mom's gyn, who is a man. He was ok, but when I went off to school I found a woman who I loved. Now that I live in Atlanta, I have another woman gyn who is fantastic! I think I would be less forthcoming with a man than I would with a woman.

I used to have a male GYN. He was my mother's before me and delivered me. He made me very comfortable but he retired a few years back. I had a woman gyn but she was not personable. I tried to make small talk because I was nervous but all she would do is grunt. I don't have a male/female preference just would lole someone is knowlegable and makes me at ease.

Could you PM me her name and where her office is located? I'm currently looking for a gyn in the Atlanta area.

I find male gynecologists somewhat creepy. I mean, I just don't get it. I only see women.

I always thought I preferred to see women for everything, but I've been seeing a male psychiatrist, and he's awesome.

i'm big on the female perspective, but i'm also HUGE on having a female nurse practitioner do everything. most NP have more 'hands on' experience and more practically oriented training.

generally speaking, my male gyno experiences have been pretty icky. one told me, during my cervical biopsy, that it wouldn't hurt much (kinda like menstrual cramping) because there 'weren't a lot of nerve endings there' - needless to say I DOES FREAKING HURT YOU stupid $hit. grrrrrrrrrrr, that trauma still affects me.

in general, i've always felt more judged by male doctors and i don't get the feeling that they 'understand'. just last week i had a male doc who felt the NEED to push on my bladder to check for signs of a UTI even AFTER the urine culture came back positive and I TOLD him i've got one and my chart shows a HISTORY of them. what kinda sick person truly needs to do that? one who just doesn't know what it is like to have a bladder infection. thats who. grrrrrrrrrrr...


sorry for the rant. GO FEMALE DOCS!

- marissa

I've always gone to female doctors. Even before seeing The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. I just feel more comfortable with them.

Okay ladies (and gents) ... you asked.

As a rule, I strongly prefer to see female doctors. Women in general, I feel, have more empathy with other women, and I do not believe a doctor can truly diagnose gynecological issues unless she herself has been through those same issues or could potentially be faced with those issues.

However... not all women, and not all gynecologists, have that empathy. I had a very bad experience with a female gyno when I was 14 (I was not sexually active; different issue) and I experienced physical pain during the examination. I therefore did not go for regular visits until about a year ago.

My current gyno is a woman. She is ok, but her office sucks...

When I first started getting my annual exams, I was seeing a nurse practitioner at the college health center. When I graduated, I had a strange insurance and had a male doctor. It didn't bother me at all actually, so when I got a better insurance, I chose a male GP who was an OB/GYN prior to becoming a GP so I knew he could see me for a range of medical problems. He was wonderful!!!

When I had my annual, he was professional, and calming at the same time. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, he had no problem accommodating my requests for early mammograms or any other requests...unfortunately he recently died in an accident, so I've got to find a new doctor....UGHHHHHH..

I've had both female NPs (when I went to PP in college and just after I graduated) and a male doc (who is my PCP but used to do OB) do my annual. They were all about the same none neither better nor worse than the other (I mean, come on, it's an annual exam, like it's going to be a party?)

My first OB was male (just a different doc in the same practice as my PCP), but didn't know how to handle my m/c issues, so I transferred to a an actual OB/Gyn clinic and chose a female Doc. I haven't met her yet, but I've heard great things about her.

I have had both over the years. I've had good and bad of both genders. The most amazing was the OB who delivered both of my kids. He was the most compassionate and caring doctor I've ever met. He truly believed he was assisting God in bringing life into this world. He was gentle and never made me feel uncomfortable. He guaranteed he would be there for every delivery himself (not one of these big offices where you didn't know which doc would be on call for your delivery). He was such a cheerleader in the delivery room. He really got me through it.

My primary care doc is a female now and she does routine gyn stuff and she's fine.

My gastroenterologist is a male and I like him a lot.

I figure, medical personnel are professionals and I am relatively comfortable regardless of their gender. They've seen it all anyway. After all the gastro procedures I've had, including surgery to remove a big chunk of my intestines, the gender doesn't really matter to me. I want a doctor who listens to me, explains his/her thoughts about my treatment to me and is straight with me about what's happening to my body and what we can do about it. My gastro sits with me and tells me his whole thought process and problem solving method in determining what course of treatment we should take next. I really appreciate that. He is also available to me by pager at any time and even called me one Christmas Eve when I was extremely ill to find out if I needed anything and to let me know he was going off pager for 24 hours for Christmas. He's just awesome.

Dee

Thumbs up for Males
 

My current gyno is a male.

I went to a female gyno before and was very uncomfortable. I have horrible menstrual pains and went in for my annual pap smear. She gave me a very painful rectal exam (why????)!:mad: Then, she tried to talk to me about BC as if we were "homegirls" (i.e. "Girrrl, you know how it is when you and your man are out on a romantic evening, ...etc...etc...") I did not want to hear that after a rectal & I practically ran out of the office.

I was so traumatized that I wouldn't go for another pap smear for years. Then, last year I became pregnant. My family Dr. tried to get me in with his wife's OB/GYN, but she was full, so I ended up with a tall, built male with LARGE hands (ladies - he has a caricature on his wall of him lifting weights).

Anyway, he actually is pretty good, quick, and not at all painful. At times, he reminds me of House, but not as bad. He diagnosed me with endometriosis during my cesearean.

Ok, let me just spit out the horrifying-but-true statement so nobody's surprised.....no, I've never been to "that" doctor yet. Yeah, I know, it's terrible, but I'm scared, I can't help it. I had a physical last week and when my (male) doctor found out, he immediately told me he was making my appointment for me, he's not even leaving it up to me. :rolleyes: I know he's right, I'm getting used to the idea that I just have to.

But I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that he's setting me up with a male doctor, even if that's the best option for me (he's recommending me for a particular reason and his friend's a specialist). I don't want a man, I don't even like having a male physician, but he's growing on me. I'm not happy AT ALL about having a guy poking around down there, but hey, a specialist is what I need. It's not freaking me out so much anymore, but I do miss my female physician. After the appointment, I'll revive this thread and tell you how it goes...:(.