Is your OB a male or a female and did you have a reason for choosing male vs. female?
Mine is a male. I didn't specifically request a male, but I requested the nurse's favorite doctor and they sent me to him. So far I like him better than any female doctors I have had. I have friends who say they would NEVER see a male though. Just curious what the majority is.
Re: Male vs Female OB?
My practice has both so it depends who you draw that day. I've had appointments with two of the men so far and I think the first was only awkward because it was the first time I had a male gyn. I have him again and my 16week appointment and am looking forward to seeing if I still like him.
Interestingly, I've also had an appointment with one of the two women that work there and really didn't like the vibe with her. But my teenage OB was a woman and I loved her.
Mine is male as well. I didnt have a preference but I went to him based on referrals. I heard great things about him from a few different people so I picked him. Not to say that there arent great female OBs out there but I wanted to go with someone I knew a lot about and trusted (especially after hearing horror stories from others).
Abraham Arthur 2/21/10 // Asher Kendall 11/11/11
For years, I was terrified to see a male doctor. Until, DH and I needed fertility treatments and basically when its ovulation time, you see whoever is on call. My first experience with the male doctor in the practice was with our 1st IUI cycle and DH couldnt go to this second insemination. I was terrified and couldnt stop shaking....He was excellent and honestly wouldn't mind seeing him again.
Since my first IUI with this male doctor, I saw the second male doctor in the practice for the IUI that worked. He was also great.
I have learned alot through my infertility treatments and diagnosis procedures. I honestly feel that the female doctor doesnt have as much sympathy for any discomforts or pain. The first IUI(1st cycle) was done by a female and my cervix wasnt opening and so she had to clamp it. Oucccchhh. She stated that it shouldnt have hurt that bad. Really??? The next day, I went to the male and explained how much pain I had. He looked at the chart and explained that timing couldve been off a bit with the cervix and she had to clamp it open. He then said that at anytime, I couldnt handle it anymore, He would stop. During the process, he kept saying "hang on hun, one more second, I'm so sorry" and then it was done.
I love all the doctors within my practice but my perspective has changed. I still feel weird though about a male seeing my privates..hahhaha
I'm sure you will all laugh at my decision-making process, but I always tell it like it is...so here goes
I have always seen a male. To me, I feel like a male is like, "cool...it's a vagina, let's get to work" whereas a female may be thinking internal things like, "hmm...been 2-3 weeks since you last waxed?"...."oh..hello chunky thighs/cellulite/huge ass/etc"
Men are incredibly simple creatures. Put a vagina in front of them and they can get past whatever is around them and concentrate on work. Women on the other hand...well, we all know we are judgmental little hookers
My first GYN was a male; he retired eventually. He was nothing but professional and kind. My OB/GYN now is a wonderfully gay male who is so supportive and caring and fabulous
I kind of get where you are coming from. I had a few female doctors who seemed judgemental and kind of preachy about what THEY do or what I should be doing. My male doctor has always been super comforting and caring and listens well and just kind of does his thing without giving off any know-it-allness because he doesn't know it all because he doesn't own a vj. In a way I feel like he is trying harder to listen and understand me than to judge me based on his own experiences. However, I am 100% positive there are great female OBs out there. I just think I had some bad luck and that is why I like my male OB better.
Ha, you crack me up! I never thought about it that way, but it does make sense in way. Although, having a gay male doctor now actually makes me think more about the female perspective you mentioned...all my gay male friends are so grossed out by vaginas, and they are the first ones to point out my cellulite or hygiene lapses!
For me, I picked a female when I started going to a gynecologist at 18, as at the time it felt the most comfortable. I've changed doctors several times, and always just ended up with a female. At this point I don't think I would have a problem with a male doctor, but won't go actively seeking one out, because I've always has good experiences with women (except the Russian woman I saw one time, but that's a whole different story!)
I have only ever seen females and I haven't yet found one I've liked. I've been thinking of switching docs to a practice that is just two males because they have terrific reviews online. It will be weird at first, but it's more important to me that I like the doctor.
I think the quality of the doctor totally depends on the individual, but the top rated practice in my area has only males, so I'll just have to get over my fears of seeing a male OB.
This is ...offensive to say the least. Wow. I work with medical students, and have both male and female students that have become Ob/gyns and that are currently interested. I can guarantee you they don't think like this. Med students/residents/doctors enjoy Ob/gyn for several reasons-its a semi surgical specialty (meaning they still get to cut-which most students enjoy), the anatomy is complex, and the entire process of conceiving and giving birth is absolutely fascinating. Not because they "like vaginas" or are out there to judge other women.
But maybe I'm just being a "judgmental little hooker" by replying negatively to your post. Whatever.
Anyways. I've had both male and female doctors-I usually pick my doctor based on recommendations, the state of their medical license (no infractions or actions against them) and asking other doctors around the community who they would recommend. I have lived in 3 different cities in which I needed an Ob/Gyn, and this is what I did all three seperate times-and everytime I have been extremely happy. My current doctor is a male, and absolutely fantastic. He's been gentle, proactive about my fertility issues, and genuinely happy to see my H and I get pg. I'll stick with him as long as I'm here.
Well, first of all, I'm sorry that you are offended. I think perhaps you read my statement in a different way than I meant it. I'm not saying that men get into ob/gyn because they love vaginas and want to stare at them all day or anything and women just want to stare at other women's parts and make comments...I was just stating that we are all human and men simply don't care as much about that kind of stuff like women do. And if you can honestly tell me that you have sat with a women's knees spread around your head and been able to concentrate on the work at hand without thinking "oh cute toe nail polish she has" or "oh, she didn't shave her legs today" or whatever, then you are a saint and I commend you for it! But, I imagine most women probably sit there and think humanly things that women think about other women all the time! And that's not a diss on women, but its just what we do! We all internally look at other women's hair or makeup or clothes or whatever.
I just don't know what to say. No, I don't find it necessary or automatic to judge others on their appearance 24/7. I find it strange that you do.
ETA: And I'm 100% not a saint. There are times I judge others (usually not on appearance but sometimes)-but definitely not when I'm working or interacting with my students or the docs I work with. I would never get anything done. My point exactly-an Ob/gyn is a professional (believe me, they are-getting through med school isn't easy and the professional standards are HIGH), and they have seen so many people, so many vaginas/uterus'/ovaries/etc that they aren't judging.
My doc usually just checks me with a finger or two...not the entire hand....If your doctor is using her whole hand, she's doing it wrong. hahahaha
LOL!
This (bolded part) scares me! Maybe that's why the c/s rate is soaring so high in this country.
Haha! I definitely get what you're saying and can appreciate your sense of humor with this topic! lol
I don't care either way. The OB I'm going to works as a group so I see all of them for my appointments. Who knows who will be there in the delivery room!
I used to prefer having a female gyn but once I started to see the male in the practice with my DD pregnancy I now prefer to see the male doctors. I felt the female doctors didn't have as good bedside manner
This exactly. My whole practice is women. They are wonderful.
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The office I go to has a team of seven OBs, male and female, so you see a different one each time and whoever happens to be on-call when you go into labor will be there for the delivery. I have no preference, just want the baby here safe.
Right now, I see a female.
I've had a male before, and personally I didn't like him. But I've also had female OB's that I didn't like either.
This doctor that I have now, I first started seeing at 14 and then stopped seeing her at 18 because my insurance changed. Now, insurance cover's her again and I used her during my pregnancy with DD and obviously during this one I love her because she is very gentle and soft spoken, but listens and goes over every concern I have (which can be a lot!) and spends time explaining things to me. She is also very cautious which I think is necessary.
We're moving to live with my in-law's for awhile which is 2 hours away and I will be switching to my MIL's OB which is a male. I'm a little nervous but she absolutely adores him so hopefully it goes well He delivered my FI.. so it's cool and awkward at the same time lol!
This, all of it just the same. Except I don't even think about it when he has to look down there. Hubby even went with me to last appt which happened to also be my pap smear and I really thought it would be awkward with tge 2 of them in there but it wasn't at all and we both really like this male dr. I never felt fully comfortable with my female gyn or her nurse practitioner.
This is a popular post! I have a female. I have been with her since I started going to the OBGYN in my early 20s. She is FABULOUS. I joke with DH that she knows my vagina as well as he does. LOL. I started with her because I definitely wanted a female. I felt that a female would be more understanding and just straight up with the exam, since she has what I have and goes through her own exams. I was just more comfortable with a female.
Now that we are preggers, I have to see all the docs in the practice because they don't know who will be on call when we go to deliver. That means that I will have to see some of the males there. This causes some anxiety for me. I have no choice, but it does make me a little uncomfortable...great for the white coat BP problem that always comes up when I am at the OBGYN.
So, we'll see how it goes, but I will continue to go to her once the little butter ball is born.
my OB is a female. when i first started seeing an OB in my teens, there was no way i would have a male doctor. now, i'm wishy washy about it. i've seen a male OB in the practice i go to, but there wasn't a physical exam.. just a follow up appointment after an ultrasound. i liked him though, and i told my husband if push came to shove i would feel comfortable with him delivering our baby.
i do prefer a female OB for the simple fact that, they get it. they have all the same parts as me and i think have a better understanding of how it all works.. yes, the male & female OBs receive the same education but there are some things that you just don't understand until you've experienced it. and no male OB has every experienced, first hand, what i'm going through. at least, that's how it works in my brain...
Haha its just a phrase. Actually our students enjoy "catching" babies more than they do csections. I was referring to mostly Gyn procedures-cysts, fibroids, hysterectomys, tumor removals, etc. Most of those surgeries have immediate impacts-relief from pain (cysts, fibroids, hysterectomy), and I believe ovarian and cervical cancer is very treatable if caught early and tumors are removed. Its a rewarding specialty.
Neither.
I receive all of my prenatal care from CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives) at a freestanding birth center. Unless I become high-risk, I intend to keep it this way for all future pregnancies as well. I never could have given birth med-free with out the support of the midwife who caught my son, and I hope to have a similar experience with this baby (less than 36 hours of active labor would be a nice change though!)