Tips
For OB/GYN Patients
Many women prefer a female gynecologist
or midwife for a variety of reasons. You can find some
reasons below.
1) They feel
very uncomfortable having a male gynecologist treating them
for intimate female health issues.
2) They feel
like female gynecologists can understand some things better.
For example, men never have cramps, ovarian cysts, and other
female health problems.
3) They want
to protect the intimacy between their husbands or future husbands
and themselves.
4) They want
their husband to be the only man in the world to see them naked
or access certain parts of their body.
5) Religious
and moral reasons.
6) They have
been sexually abused by a man in the past.
7) Many women
have never been sexually abused by men in the past, but they
have experienced verbal harassment such as innuendo, catcalls,
vulgar sexually explicit language, having to see the pornographic
magazines that male coworkers at the workplace might bring,
seeing sexually explicit photographs and videos selling on the
windows of porn shops, and hearing some men talking about which
women have good bodies and sexual actions in details that could
be done on them.
Men who don't want their wives
to not go to a male gynecologist are not crazy. They just love
their wives so much that they don't want another man to access
and see the private parts of their wives. Some women and their
husbands want to protect their intimacy and they feel like their
intimacy is violated when the women are treated by male gynecologists.
The bond between a husband and a wife is very special when they
never expose their private parts to another person of the opposite
sex.
There are a lot of wonderful female
ob/gyns in mixed practices, but you will need to find an all
female ob/gyn practice if you are going to have a baby and want
to have the assurance of having a female ob/gyn deliver your
baby. All doctors in a practice are on rotations. Women usually
can have the assurance they will be seen by a female ob/gyn
in a mixed practice if it is for routine tests or scheduled
surgeries. You should always be sure to ask the ob/gyn to keep
the door closed when she is doing an intimate procedure or examination
on you. It would be helpful if you could ask her to put a sign
on the door that says "Don't Disturb".
If you choose to have a home birth
with a midwife, you need to make sure that you have a backup
plan with an all female ob/gyn practice to deliver your baby
at the hospital in case there are some complications. Make it
clear to your midiwife that you don't want a male gynecologist.
Midwives are often much more sensitive to your needs for modesty
than female gynecologists. Many midwives even do breast examinations,
pap smears, gynecological examinations, etc. Check out reasons
to consider home birth with midwife. There are some birthing
centers in the US that are exclusively staffed by midwives.
Birthing center is an excellent choice for women with low risk
pregnancies who don't wish to give birth to their child at either
home or hospital. If you are interested in finding a midwife,
go to the Find a Midwife page.
We encourage pregnant women to
create birth plans about how they want the birthing experience
to be. They need to be sure that they include who they want
to be present at birth. You need to make sure you come up with
a plan in case you have to have a Cesarean Section. We recommend
that you check out Create
Your own Birth Plan Through BabyCenter and Birth
Plan on American Pregnancy Association.
You need to be sure to discuss
with your ob/gyn about how you want an all female medical team
for the birth. Remember that the team may consist of the female
ob/gyn doctor, nurses, anesthesiologist, and scrubs. If you
will have an epidural, you will need an anesthesiologist to
administer the epidural. It is best if you could get a female
anesthesiologist. If that is not possible, you need to speak
to the doctor and nurse and request that they keep your private
parts covered all of the time while the anesthesiologist is
present to protect your dignity and modesty. If you must have
a Cesarean Section, you will be required to have an urinary
catheter. You should ask that the male anesthesiologist stay
out of the room until you all have done all of the prepping
for surgery including the insertion of the urinary catheter.
As for gynecological surgeries
such as hysterectomy, you need to talk to your ob/gyn and ask
that you have an all female ob/gyn team for the surgery. Remember
that this team will consist of surgeon, assistant, nurses, scrub,
and an anesthesiologist. Tell her you want the assurance that
no men will walk in the operating room during your surgery including
maintenance workers who may need to fix lights.
Check
out the directory that lists hospitals with at least one affiliated
all female ob/gyn practice.
Related Articles:
How
is Female Urinary Catheterizations Done?
Are
Pap Smears Necessary For Virgins?
Concerns
About Modesty During Hysterectomy
Why
Are Hysterectomies Often Unnecessary?
Why HPV Vaccine Should
Be Avoided?
What
You Should Know About All-Female OB/Gyn Practices?
Why
Women Should Avoid Male Doctors For Intimate Examinations?
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