Pap smear trauma - question?

I went for my first pap smear recently and found it scary and traumatic. I wanted to ask other women if they found it the same. I had a male doctor but there was a nurse present. I had to strip and put on a gown. First I had my breasts checked but then the worst bit! I had to lie down and she put my feet in loops and hooked them up on poles at the end of the bed so my legs were way up in the air and spread. I hated it as I couldnot close my legs and was just left there spread open. The doctor then pushed a metal instrument inside and stretched me open which hurt (I am a virgin). Afterwards he inserted his fingers inside me and also up in my butt. I felt really embarassed and violated as I had my legs spread wide open. Is this normal?

Well believe me you would beileve it if you had been there. No it was not n the UK, I live in Phoenix, Arizona.

Well Hon, you just described in perfect detail a "female exam". Sorry to say, but get used to it. You will be having one every year for the rest of your life. I am not saying this to scare you, but that is how it is done. I find it easier having a female gynocologist/primary care doctor. My experience with male doctors in that area have been they are much less gentile. Also try and remember that it is not a sexual thing to them AT ALL. They are just checking all your parts and pieces to make sure everything is okay.
Sorry you had such a traumatic experience. It would have been nice if someone had explained it all to you ahead of time so you wouldn't have been so freaked out.

Everything but the "up the butt" part.

I went at age 11 and have had it once a year (I'm now 33).

I think you were not relaxed, which is why it was a little painful for you. I was nervous/scared too at age 11 and my mom was there and I had an excellent doctor (female) who helped me to relax.

Next time try a female doctor. Voice your concerns/fears prior to the exam.

Just remember, this is for your HEALTH. Its something every woman/girl goes through.

Smear test are horrendous I've never had to put my legs in stirrups (apart from when I was giving birth) though or had fingers up my bottom even when I had to have internal at hospital due to problems! It is humiliating but I look at this way it's like a mechanic looking at a car. It is awful and in uk we don't get smears until had sex as can imagine be extremely painful and humilating.

Totally normal . unfortunely that is how it is done . Did you tell him that you were a virgin ? Tell him to be gentle with you . There are many doctors that really have a great bedside manner and many that don't . The nurse in the room is fro his safety so that you can't accuse him of rape . It is law for the nurse to be in the room in some states .
It really sucks ,but you do get use to it . Once you aren't a virgin it just gets easier .There are many great women gyn. too .

no the anal part is usually NOT included....there should have been no fingers involved

not here in the uk it isnt,there is no need to have a smear if you havent had sex yet and as for stirrups no way,and most male drs here now leave the job for their practice nurse to do,i cant believe the answers i have just read,but i do as it is usa i suppose,to give an 11year old a smear is totally unreal and would never happen here ,and smears are only needed every 3 to 5 years,unless you have a problem and never fingers,no way

The most uncomfortable thing for a woman to go through, and it's your first one is a pap smear. Yes, it's extremely normal to feel embarrassed and violated after all you have some stranger touching your unmentionables, and if the nurse was present then that's alright because that's legal, if the nurse wasn't present I would be a bit concerned. I have had pap smears now for nine years and I still feel uncomfortable. I have had two gynecologist and when I went to the one I have now for the first time I felt extremely awkward, he looked too young to be a doctor. But then I went through an entire pregnancy and many people have seen my unmentionable area, and even a pubic shaving for my cesarean so you just kind of get use to it after a while. I have an appointment due in October so I will still feel kind of embarrassed but it's nothing he hasn't see before, and he sees so many women that it's nothing he will remember. Just maintain these appointments as they are very important, try to stay calm so it doesn't feel so uncomfortable and be honest with your doctor if you have problems.

Normal as in how? Normal to feel embarassed? Of course, youve been violated in the worst possible way.

I cant understand for the life of me why women go to male doctors for this type of thing. Always get a female doctor; just because theyre doctors doesnt make them any less male, they still have urges and whatnot. I cant imagine what he was thinking when he was doing this to you, do YOU think it was all professional thoughts going through his mind??

I dont. I would NEVER go to a male doctor for this, i would feel just as traumatized as you do, if not more so.

the procedures you explained are normal and the feelings you had afterward are fairly normal. it is not uncommon to feel a certain amount of discomfort during a pelvic exam and sometimes very mild pain. however, if you are a virgin, these feelings seem to be more extreme. first, you have to realize that this is a part of you that no one has shared and for you to feel violated is perfectly normal. you do need to look at the fact that this doctor does it all the time and it is viewed as a medical practice not a sexual practice. rest assured, he was not trying to violate you. do not be mad at him or at yourself. it is important to have regular pelvic exams. i have family members who were as young as 24 when they found out they had cervical cancer. they were glad it was caught early through pap smears.

I am sorry that this was a traumatic experience for you. It is important that you have regular smears to check for pre-cancerous cells etc, however, did you explain to the nurse or doctor that you are a virgin? They may have taken more steps to relax you, or explain what was going to happen during the procedure. You can always request a female doctor for your next test, and maybe have a chat to the nurse beforehand so she is aware of how you might be feeling. Don;t stop having these tests though just because it was uncomfortable - it just might save your life one day.

That's not how its done in the UK and I can see no reason why he would do a rectal exam. Go to a woman GP next time.

hiya,
First of all i am sorry to hear what happened to you. Most women find it scary and traumatic but it needs to be done in order for you to get well a healthy reproductive life. Having a male doctor when your a woman can be scary as the man really dont understand doctor or not how to handle us, it also makes you feel comfortable a man doing it to you as you would prefer a woman even though a nurse is there. Stripping and putting a gown on did they see you and watch you do this if so this is violating your rights however if they left the room while you done this then you were treated correctly. They check breats to make you sure if you have lumps and irregulairarities if he was proffesional about doing this as in he didnt feel you up to much, however if you think he done the opposite and felt you innaporpriately as in to much or to long you NEED to report this. This is also normal how they positioned you legs this is so they can get a proper look and get you in the right position, but did you feel open and as you were watched? was the curtains around you? if not then you got another problem if they made it also visible so other people as they walked past could see you then you need to report this. This metal instrument is like a fully erected dick ( but in metal format) cut in half this is stuck up you to give evetively up into your womb and vagina. And it would hurt you because it is like so big did you tell them you were a virgin cause there is to types of these metal things one for virgins, one for other virgins if you get the wrong one this is another reason for it hurting but it needs to hurt for it to be done properly if you felt uncomfortable you should have told the doctor performing this while you was there.

All what you are explainin is totally NORMAL however if you felt you was not treated right and you dignity was given away during this procedure i recomend you talk to either the doctor who performed it or The general medical council, to express your fears. But everyone has to go through it ( well women) but at any time you feel uncomfortable or embarressed speak out.

Plus dont let this experience get on top of you!

Best wishes

If you need to talk to me email me i will help you

xox

Its a bit different here in the uk but when i had a smear test done i hated it i felt so uncomfortable having doctors staring at my bits and poking at me. its not a nice experience but its necessary. i know its horrible but its worth it just to know everything is ok, thats the main thing. they do this every day so its nothing new to them so just relax in future, its not something your expected to enjoy. but, from some of the things you have said it doesnt sound right so if you are prepared to i would put a complaint in as i havent heard of some of these things being necessary.

i would be questioning the fingers in your butt in all the smear (PAP) tests i have had i have never had one where they put fingers in my butt, i also thought that you didn't need to have a smear ( pap ) test if you haven't had sex, i don't know if the rules for pap tests are different in America, if you feel like you have been violated then you really should consider putting in a complaint, smear tests are not the most comfortable of tests but need to be done, but having said that it should not be as traumatic as you feel it was, you should really tell someone about this because if the doctor in question has done something untoward them it needs reporting, we put our trust in doctors and any abuse of this trust should be stopped

As most people expressed, what you are feeling is pretty normal.

I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada so I'll give you some guidelines of what you would expect here.

All women should have a pap test either when they turn 18 or after they first start having sex...which ever comes first. If you have a history (3x in a row) of normal pap test results, you only have to have a pap every 2 years...not every year like it used to be.

As for your experience...

Many doctors put patients feet in the stirrups as it makes it MUCH easier for them to see what they need to see.

As for the fingers in the vagina, this is often routine and good practice for doctors. It lets them make sure there are no deformities, etc in your cervix and region. It also lets them pinpoint if you have any areas of discomfort/pain.

Breast exams are often routine when getting a pap. Many women don't go to their doctor for regular check ups so this a chance for your doctor to make sure everything is okay.

As for the fingers up the butt...well depends on your exam. A rectal exam can be just as important as a pap test...colorectal cancer is a huge problem and can be deadly. I've never had this done and I'm not sure its routine when women go for their paptest so you may just want to clarify why he did it.

Now, I just want to talk about the male doctor issue. Having a male doctor is often a barrier to women for getting their paps done. Where I live, we had horrible pap screening rates but we also had a high ration of male doctors. Each year, I'm involved with running a Well Woman Day where we have all female doctors giving paps. Women feel so much more comfortable coming to see us and guess what...our rates for pap screening are some of the best in our Province!!

If you are truly uncomfortable with a male doctor, try switching to a female or see if there is a women's clinic in your area.

Anyway, it's very unfortunate about how horrible this procedure is but when 80%+ of cervical cancers can be treated and cured if they are caught early enough...do you really want your embarrasment to affect your health?? Any woman who has had a life saved because of a pap test will tell you that it's one of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself. So just be proud of your body and talk to someone if you need to!

While the mainstream belief is that 'all women must endure this for the rest of their lives', the truth is that there is NO medical reason for doing a bimanual exam on a woman who is having no pain or other issues. The rectovaginal exam (fingers in rear end) is also 'routine', but not truly necessary.
There are also tests other than the Pap test for the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer.

You might find interesting information in a book called
Male Practice: How Doctors Manipulate Women
by Robert S. Mendelsohn. Dr. Mendelsohn argues that outdated, unfounded methods taught in medical school cause physicians to subject their female patients to medical procedures that are degrading, unnecessary and often dangerous.

Planned Parenthood now offers birth control pills without those unpleasant, unnecessary exams. Check out their website under the topic "prescription birth control without a pelvic exam" if you don't believe me. Link included below. The practitioners will encourage the exam, but the will no longer force the issue, as they did as few as ten years ago.

There are ways to take control of your health without humiliation. Just because pelvic exams and pap tests have 'always' been forced upon women does not mean that they should continue to be forced upon women. You have a right to privacy, and that includes not having your private parts violated, even if the person doing the violating has "M.D." after their name.