Odd and very personal question.....

[khashka]

Ladies of DU....


(Ok, here comes the personal part......)

Do you prefer a male or female ob/gyn? Assuming everything else is equal.

Personally, I prefer when it comes down to intimate stuff that my Dr is male. Although most of the best doctors I've had have been female.

(Mods this is not a sex thread! At all! I'm just curious.)


Khash.

[supernova]

1. For Ob/Gyn stuff, female

Because, I'm extremely sensitive and the male Gyns I've had have been, well, rough. Females know not to use the speculum like a roto-rooter.

edit: For other types of problems though, I don't care if the doc is male or female. I've only ever had a male cardiologist for example. And that's fine.

[Nikia]

2. I have only had women do my pelvic exam

I don't think that I would be comfortable having a male doctor do that.
I did have a male doctor do a colonoscopy on me but I was not fully conscious at the time and don't remember the actual event.

[LeftyMom]

3. I've had good and bad of either sex

I've found that the best way to find one is to get recommendations from friends.

I got my obgyn care provider because a friend who saw her a lot because of infertility issues praised her gentleness and ability to listen. I think the world of her- she's willing to listen to my concerns, takes a really thorough history, and what impressed me most is that she's the first ob provider who asked me what birth control I wanted rather than telling me what she thought was best for me. She even fought the HMO to get me the option I wanted since it wasn't on formulary.

[LynzM]

4. I don't care so much about gender

Although I think if all else were equal, I'd say female. But as was posted above, the ability to listen, and to be gentle, counts more than gender, for me.

[SeattleGirl]

5. Definitely female

Though I did have a male doctor for awhile, but I was just never completely comfortable with him. Not because he ever did anything inappropriate, but because he was a man.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. My dear Khash!

For most of my adult life, I've had male OB/gyn MD's.

That changed last year when my doc was out, ill.....

His NP took over, and she's ...well, female...

And now I go to her! MY choice! She is more approachable, and GENTLER!

Internal exams are a bitch.....or they can be...:blush:

So now I think I'll stay with her! :bounce: :bounce:

Does that answer your question?

[DawgHouse]

7. I prefer a female

but I would just like to find one, male or female, who has an interest in my healthcare!

[Shine]

8. My OB/GYN doc is female, like me.

Like you said, it's pretty intimate, so that's what I feel most comfortable with.

:hi:

[trof]

9. I have a female bias for any kind of physician.

Maybe because the best one I ever knew, a close personal friend and our family doctor for several years, was a lady.
:shrug:

[Left Is Write]

10. This is a hard question for me to answer.

I don't really have a preference by gender - I just want someone who cares about his or her patients and lets it show.

I've had the same OB/GYN since I got pregnant with my son nearly five years ago. He's just the best. He has a knack for making each patient feel like she is the only (or most important) patient. I never feel rushed with him or that he's brushing off my questions or concerns. He's just a good doctor. For me, that's far more important than his gender.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

11. I have no preference

[Fleshdancer]

12. I prefer going to a woman for several reasons.

1. I'm more comfortable asking questions.
2. I typically feel less rushed when I go to a female doctor - this goes for any type of doctor, not just ob/gyn.
3. Since I feel less rushed and more comfortable asking questions, I end up leaving with more information.
4. Ob/gyn specific: Female docs have a more gentle touch and they warn you first before touching the vaginal area.
5. A female doctor doesn't require a witness like a male doctor does. I don't like feeling outnumbered in such a vulnerable position.
6. I know it shouldn't matter, but a female doctor is, well, female. We have the same plumbing and her understanding doesn't just come from a textbook...if there's a problem or a fear, I want someone who can be sympathetic to what I'm going through.

[LostinVA]

13. Female/ Since Ive been 17

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

14. Doesn't matter

I know a lot of Muslim women will only see a female doctor PERIOD, not just OB/GYN, but it doesn't matter to me. My GYN in Wichita, a male, was EXCELLENT.

[blondeatlast]

15. Really doesn't matter to me. My GYN is a woman, but the perinatologists

who cared for me before my wonderful son was born at very high risk were mostly male, though not all.

Not really a helpful answer, I know, just my own experience.

[Beaverhausen]

16. Female only

It has just turned out that way but at this point (mid 40s) I don't think I could switch and go to a make GYN.

[fight4my3sons]

17. male

I had two bad experiences with females both during my second pregnancy loss.
Two great female doctors delivered my twins via emergency c-section, but I still prefer male doctors.

[khashka]

18. Hmmmm.

Sorry, I feel like I'm looking at a specimen. Perform for me! Divulge all you personal stuff!


That's not what I intended. I just wondered how women felt about male and female doctors and why.


Thank you for sharing your personal loss. I know how much that can hurt. (No Khash, you don't and you will never understand. So shut up!)
My heart goes out to you - losing a child, even an unborn one hurts like hell. I know. I lost my first child when my then wife miscarried. Damn near killed me. Damn near killed her.


I just wondered why some women prefer female doctors or male doctors. :)



Khash.

[fight4my3sons]

22. It's ok.

I don't mind talking about it. I always get the question 'why?' so I thought I'd just explain. A lot of people just figure that a woman would like a woman doctor, but even for my primary I like a man.
After they figured out why I was miscarrying I was able to have my three sons with the help of anticoagulants :-)

[bridgit]

19. female...

[LaurenG]

20. Female nt

[miss_american_pie]

21. The only time I cared

was when the male doctor was close to my age and attractive. That was icky.

Other than that, I've had wonderful doctors of each gender.

[fleabert]

23. I prefer a midwife..

the woman centered model of care is much better, IMHO, than the medical model that OB/GYN's practice.

http://www.cfmidwifery.org/midwifery/faq.aspx

The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.

The Midwives Model of Care includes:

* Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
* Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
* Minimizing technological interventions
* Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

The application of this woman-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.

and... http://transitiontoparenthood.com/ttp/parented/pregnancy/caregiver.htm

There are several different professionals who can attend births, and deliver babies. There is a range of philosophy and practice amongst individual practitioners, but they fall at varying points along a continuum of beliefs about birth. These are often referred to as the “medical model” and the “midwifery model,” although that’s a generalization.

Medical model: There are potential dangers and risks inherent in pregnancy, labor, and birth. The role of the caregiver is attempt to prevent problems, to remain aware of possible complications and variations that may arise, monitor and test for issues, and intervene quickly to prevent further complications.

Midwifery model: Birth is a natural and normal physiological process which varies from woman to woman. The role of the midwife is to monitor the mother’s physical, psychological, and social well-being; provide education and assistance. If problems do arise, they explore alternatives for coping with the issue, generally attempting to minimize technical interventions. Midwives identify and refer women who need the specialist care of an obstetrician.

[LibraLiz1973]

24. Female

mostly because she's got one tooand has personal knowledge of the "area"

[huskerlaw]

25. Female

I want someone who knows what they're looking at and how it works. Plus, it helps that she has experienced the very procedure she's performing...