I really like my gynecologist, not only is she smart but we laugh quite a bit together during appointments. (Same thing with my dentist, she and I laugh quite a lot, too, and I don’t think it is all nervous laughter on my part either. Get your medical treatment from someone with a sense of humour). This recent conversation happened, literally, in the middle of an internal examination.
Doctor: You’re very European.
Me: You can tell this from my vagina?
Doctor: I mean, you’re very comfortable with your vagina and nudity. You’re not like people from my culture and you’re not like my other patients with an Anglo Saxon background. You remind me of when I was working in Europe. It’s nice, but unusual, about you.
Me: Oh right. Thanks?
Doctor: You’re almost…. Dutch.
Dutch women, WTF are you doing at your gynecology appointments?
Haha, Dutch, Danish…all the same – I’m the latter by the way. Brings back a lot of memories from visits to the doctor in Australia, the look on the face of the first one when I just started taking off my clothes ready to prostae myself on the table legs up, and was hurriedly told he’d have to go behind a curtain, then come out when I was lying with a blanket over me -what?? I was shocked, felt suddenly embarressed, which I had never been before, he was a doctor, not a first date, what was there to be shy about? Subsequently I find Australian doctors almost have to have their arm twisted to do an examination, again, they seem embarressed at the suggestion – even before and after birth, routine standard procedure where I come from, as if you’re asking them for something slightly wrong, or dirty. Anglo-saxon culture, strange….
Oh yes, I relate to this.
I had one midwife ask during my annual exam if I was a pagan of some kind, I immediately thought “wait, does my anatomy look some like of symbol from a certain angle? COOL!” but alas, it was only based on my clothing choice that day.
My mother-in-law is Dutch, and honestly, I don’t want to know!
Hmmm…I’m Dutch, and I hate going to the gynecologist.
Haha, that’s great! I’ve never been particularly shy about my gyno appointments either; my last one, who has sadly since moved to the east coast, was rollicking hilarious, and unlike some other gynos I’ve seen who’re weird about the whole nudity thing, she didn’t bat an eye when I stripped down and hopped up on the table. And she talked girls with me and even recommended some places to pick up ladies, ahaha. Best gyno ever!
I’ve never been to a gynaecologist since check-ups are done by GPs in NZ. What I do know is that personal therapies (eg massages) are conducted pretty carefully all round, in order to avoid suggestions of misconduct. The doctors and therapists need to stick to the guidelines for this sort of thing. I suspect that same goes on in Oz.
I live in The Netherlands and yes, in my experience, the concept of covering up with sheets and being embarrassed or shy is non-existent here. I was actually surprised to learn that this is standard practice some countries, I had thought it only happened in movies :).
Great to hear! I wonder if men have to shamefully cover up when visiting a urologist. Well, will ask hubby in the morning!
[…] blue milk shares a conversation she had with her gynaecologist. […]
Ha! I love this and can so relate. Never knew it came from my Dutch heritage though 😉