I just found out that I am pregnant again, this is my second pregnancy. I have pretty much been raised with my mother telling me that for anything that has to do with the female body I should see a female doctor. The thing is I made an appoint at the gateway womens clinic in portland and in order for me to be seen when my husband can give me a ride I have to see a male ob/gyn. So my question is , Should I feel stupid for wondering how comfortable I could be with a male doctor. My aunt had a male ob and her kids were delivered great. Or if anyone has seen DR. Robert Dyson, (I think thats the name.) I would really appreciate some advice. Thanks
well, first of all, I want to thank everyone for their great advice. I had as pleasant an experience as I could have. I started to miscarry in his office so considering my emotional state and everything it was a pleasant experience. When my husband and I get pregnant again I will probable go see him for prenatal care.
I did not enjoy my experience with a male OB for my son's birth. I felt though he was not very sympathetic, and couldn't really understand what I was going through. But my advice would be to go ahead and start out with one if you felt he was good, but be brave enough to say, "this isn't working" and switch if you need to.
L.,
That is not a stupid question. Ob/gyn doctors see many women, daily. If you are worried about a male looking at or touching you,they are doctors who see lots of women daily. Your body is just anatomy. As far as knowledge goes, there would be no difference. If a man makes you feel uncomfortable maybe you should ask them for a female, even if you have to wait for another appointment. I prefer a male because I really don't like females touching me. Sometimes we have to just grin and bare it and work through our hang ups.
I have never gone to a man and never will just because I am more comfortable with women. If you feel that you will be uncomfortable, maybe you should shop around a little more. Or you could chalk it up to a new experience. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
You should not feel stupid. This is not only a new experience for you but also one that goes against what you were taught. Everyone is anxious about new experiences. The doctor will put you at ease and everything that he does will be done in a professional manner. A female medical assistant will be in the room if he does a pelvic exam. If you'll feel more comfortable telling him this is your first exam with a male doctor, tell him so. And if at the end you don't feel comfortable with the dr you can ask to be put on a wait list for a female dr.
When I first make an appointment with a clinic they always have asked me if I would prefer a male or a female doctor. A lot of people have a preference. You're not alone in this.
I've seen male and female and my daughter was delivered by a male doctor. I felt comfortable with both. I think it's just whatever you're comfortable with. There will probably be a nurse in the room durring your exam, and if there isn't you can request one or have your husband go in with you. They understand that there may be a little uncomfortableness so they handle things very professionally. Remember they've seen it all before. Yours probably looks the same as anyone else's.
Give it a try and if you don't like it, go to another office or see another doctor. Good luck.
I know how you feel! With my first child I had midwives (a clinic so I saw several) but didnt like the one I ended up with at birth time so with my daughter I asked several people and got a referral to a male doctor. I was very nervous about it! This Dr was great though! He talked about general getting to know you stuff during the exam and I was so busy talking I almost didnt notice! Also, we went to his office to talk instead of sitting on the exam table which was wonderful. I had heard that male doctors tend to be gentler because they DONT know what it feels like while women can be rougher thinking if it doesnt bother them....
My husband has gone to some of my visits, maybe it would be good to have yours there for the first one. Congrats Jen
L.,
Oh Yes, Doctor Dyson. He has been my families ob/gyn for as long as I can remember(20 years+). He saved my moms life. I will tell you he is a good doctor. He delivered my daughter and my sisters daughters. He's been there for emergencies etc. One of my sisters has had 3 boys delivered through Dyson.
Okay, so I don't have Providence insurance anymore, so I don't go to him at this time, but I will say he is very experience though and knows what he is doing. During deliveries he is very demanding of his staff and they know to do everything he asks.
I do, however, have a complaint. I didn't like that I had to argue prefering to wait a week after my daughter's due date to have her. Dyson believes that you should not wait for the safety of the baby. So, it's up to you on this issue. Oh yeah, and he doesn't smile very often. I don't know why I seemed to notice this, but no one else in my family is bothered by it.
Anyway, I can understand wanting to have a woman to assist because she might relate more. I guess it's relating verses maybe having experienced or experience in what women want. Some men do deliver this well....
Hope this helped, and Congrats!
Gabe
I know 2 people who saw Dr. Dyson for their pregnancies. They both really liked him.
