Regular gynecological examination plays an important role in a woman’s life. A specialist should be visited at least once a year to ensure that any abnormalities are detected and treated in good time. However, many women do not want to see the gynecologist regularly because of negative experiences. It’s understandable: who wants to be humiliated in one of the most intimate situations? We asked Hungarian women * about their worst gynecological experiences.
* The text comes from the Hungarian website Noizz.hu
- Most women are concerned about visiting a gynecologist. The reason is not only intimate examinations, but also unpleasant experiences from previous consultations, which for many patients turn out to be traumatic
- One of them mentions that when she went to the doctor for a breast examination (there were cases of cancer in her family), he shouted at her that she had chosen a gynecologist-oncologist for consultation and wanted to examine the “lower body”
- «I lost 12 kg due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but unfortunately I was able to regain it within a few months. When I went to the gynecologist to do something about it, the doctor said: »I can see that you have gained weight. Maybe you should stop eating so much «» recalls another patient
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Author: Barbara Szabó / Noizz.hu
The annual routine gynecological check-up is of great importance. It can reveal infections, cancers and other diseases or disorders that can be treated in time to prevent more complicated health problems. Every year in Hungary there are about 8. cases of breast cancer that, if left untreated, can be fatal. Cervical cancer screening is also an important step in detecting the presence of cancer.
The negative experience of visiting the gynecologist may result in the cancellation of the follow-up examination. Unfortunately, the longer women do not report for checkups, the greater the chance that they will not do so at all. If they have not experienced unpleasant situations themselves, there is a risk that they will hear about them from someone they know, and they will consider hard whether they will also experience this experience. Screaming, humiliation, complete lack of help, disregard for the disease – these are just some of the factors that discourage women from regular gynecological visits.
What should happen during a gynecological check-up?
Generally, women are familiar with the course of the basic examination. They know what should happen during the visit. However, not all of them are aware of how it should proceed under normal conditions.
Many women [in Hungary, fn. ed.] knows Janka Cserháti-Herold, founder of the channel and website “Bez hormones”. It provides educational content on contraception and the female cycle. The woman recorded a video in which she shows what a gynecological examination really looks like under the right circumstances.
The rest of the text below the video.
However, even if we are aware of what should be happening in the chair, doctors do not always behave professionally. The following stories were told by our colleagues from our editorial office, almost all of whom had negative, humiliating experiences with a gynecologist.
Scream and unwanted words
«I was 23 years old when security failed one Friday night during my intercourse. On Saturday morning I went to the emergency room to ask for a pill the day after, but my request was ignored and referred to the gynecology department. There too They sent me back in a tone of no objection, saying that since they cannot cope with my irresponsibility, they will not find a doctor to remedy it. Finally, on Monday (the third day), I went to the nursing station where at the reception desk I was scolded for waiting so long and told that it might be too late. Finally, the doctor gave me a prescription and replied that I knew everything because I was a regular patient. The day after I took the tablet only once, six years earlier ».
«Almost all the women on my mother’s side had lumps in their breasts. I also found them myself, so I immediately went to the gynecologist, who was also an oncologist, to make sure. The doctor examined me and then ordered me to come in a year. I didn’t want to leave it like that, so a week later I tried another doctor at the hospital. I was already lying in the armchair, we talked about the fact that I am actually here to examine the breasts, but he insisted on examining the lower body as well.
As I was lying in the armchair, he was shouting at me, asking what I imagined going to the oncologist as if I had cancer. I told him that my relatives had suggested it because they had such research behind them, and he began to describe my family with unrefined epithets. Later, while examining my breasts, he talked about how beautiful this part of my body isas if nothing had happened before. When I left the office, my girlfriend looked at me questioningly. It turned out that the screams of the doctor could be heard outside. Later, for five years, I refused to go to the gynecologist, even though I was only 18 at the time of the visit ».
«I lost 12 kg due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but unfortunately I was able to regain it within a few months. When I went to the gynecologist to do something about it, the doctor said: »I can see that you have gained weight. Maybe you should stop eating so much«».
The rest of the text below the video.
No medical help
«I was diagnosed with PCOS, but instead of telling me what it is or how to treat it, the doctor just told me to read about it on the internet«.
«I was hospitalized because I had cramps, I couldn’t stand on my feet, I was vomiting (later it turned out that I was suffering from inflammation of the renal pelvis, presumably from the contraceptive, which was aggravated by flatulence). They kept me in the hospital for several days, and during the gynecological examination, the attending physician did his job, speaking only to the assistant. I asked if I could continue taking the contraceptive and said he didn’t know, I should try and see (I should not)”.
«I was referred to a gynecologist because I had irregular periods. Instead of sending me for a blood test to make sure I had no hormonal problems, the test was started right away without telling me what was going to happen. I stared at the ceiling, terrified, feeling all these unpleasant things ».
«I was 16 years old. I was with my first boyfriend for six months when I decided I wanted birth control pills because it’s the safest option. My mother came with me, we had a private date, so she came with me to the doctor’s office. I begged in vain, said I could make it – she wanted to hear the details. We sat down in front of the doctor who was so surprised by my request that he almost fell off his chair without opening his eyes for a minute. I remember it was evening and I thought he was tired, but in this innocent situation it was quite uncomfortable to mock someone so spectacularly. This set the mood for the entire study.
Eventually I told him what I wanted and that since I’m here, a general survey would not be a bad idea. “Right, from the waist down here,” he said between yawns. Then, when I undressed and tried to get into the chair half-naked, he said that I should take vitamins, not contraceptives and why, at my age, I am no longer a virgin. All this in front of my mother, with naked intimate parts, at the age of 16. Eventually the doctor examined me, prescribed the pills and said it would be fine. I wish he had forgotten to ask if I was at risk for thrombosis ».
«I was sent for surgery because of an ovarian cyst, but by the time I was due, the cyst was gone. I was prescribed a drug, they did not say it was a temporary solution. Seven years later I found out that it completely upset my hormone balance and was a determining factor in the development of PCOS ».
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder that occurs most often in women of childbearing age. Appropriate diagnostics can help diagnose the disorder and introduce therapy. You can order a PCOS laboratory test package at Medonet Market.
«I was hospitalized with abdominal cramps, suspected appendicitis, I was 16 years old. They sent me to a gynecologist in a public hospital where everyone opens the door and people come in and out while you lie down with your legs apart. I was very scared. The doctor took the first swab in my life without asking and without saying a word. I just felt a twinge. When I asked what it was, the gynecologist said it was so bad he didn’t know it himself. When I went outside, I was sobbing in Dad’s arms, it was terrible ».