Awkward exam experience

I went to my OB-GYN today and I have to ask: are these exams always this painful and unpleasant? I felt like the doctor was incredibly rough with me. Now everything down there hurts significantly, and I even experienced some bleeding.👎

Rebecca Williams3 said:I went to my OB-GYN today and I have to ask: are these exams always this painful and unpleasant? I felt like the doctor was incredibly rough with me. Now everything down there hurts significantly, and I even experienced some bleeding.👎

Was that your first time? Are you a virgin?
In theory, it shouldn't be that painful. If you're a virgin and she performed a vaginal exam, 😕she likely irritated your hymen, which would explain the bleeding.

So this actually happened to a close friend of mine when she was at her doctor's appointment getting a quick checkup while she was dealing with some inflammation and they had to take a Pap smear...

Look, I'm not a virgin and this isn't my first rodeo... I've been a few times before, but always at private clinics.

Rebecca Williams3 said:Look, I'm not a virgin and this isn't my first rodeo... I've been a few times before, but always at private clinics.

Honestly, I have no clue. I’ve cycled through three different gynecologists so far—two of them were at the hospital—and thank God, nobody has ever been rough with me.🙏
It’s possible you've got a yeast infection or something making you too dry down there, which could cause some skin irritation or micro-tears, and that's where the blood is coming from.

I don't have any, though she'd probably tell me I did if she could...

There’s an entire thread on the women's forum dedicated to gynecologists, where quite a few women have shared stories about doctors being unnecessarily rough
. However, there are plenty of practitioners known for their gentle approach, so it might be worth browsing through those recommendations.
While an exam can always be a bit uncomfortable, it shouldn't be painful—and in my opinion, bleeding isn't a normal reaction either.
You should probably look for someone else.

I once noticed a tiny bit of spotting in the exam room right after my checkup, and my doctor just brushed it off, telling me it was totally normal and nothing to worry about. Honestly, she probably just nicked something while she was sliding that speculum in, or maybe the Pap smear itself was just a bit too aggressive. On top of that, I’ve had some pretty intense pain during pelvic exams on my left side because I deal with PCOS, and let me tell you, that really stings.

By the way, does your OB-GYN actually bother checking your breasts during an exam? I’ve never had one do that, and if I remember correctly from my doctor visits, it’s supposed to be a standard part of the whole routine—unless I'm totally off base here.

A biopsy doesn't necessarily have to be painful; if you aren't already dealing with discomfort, there shouldn't be much lingering soreness after the procedure,
I understand what you mean regarding PCOS, but I’m assuming you didn't experience any abdominal cramping following the exam itself.
I suppose everyone has a different pain threshold, but personally, if I had gone through what Rebecca Williams3 went through during her exam, I would have looked for a new doctor immediately.

I haven't had to undergo a breast exam from a gynecologist yet, though they did send me for an ultrasound as a precaution before starting birth control.

Larry Hughes4 said:By the way, does your OB-GYN actually bother checking your breasts during an exam? I’ve never had one do that, and if I remember correctly from my doctor visits, it’s supposed to be a standard part of the whole routine—unless I'm totally off base here.

Mine doesn't. I actually had to push for a referral for a breast ultrasound. She gave me some attitude about it—basically implying I was too young and that my breasts were just full of "normal" lumps—but she eventually caved. Now I can finally stop worrying about it.

ironsurfer8 said:A biopsy doesn't necessarily have to be painful; if you aren't already dealing with discomfort, there shouldn't be much lingering soreness after the procedure,
I understand what you mean regarding PCOS, but I’m assuming you didn't experience any abdominal cramping following the exam itself.
I suppose everyone has a different pain threshold, but personally, if I had gone through what Rebecca Williams3 went through during her exam, I would have looked for a new doctor immediately.

I haven't had to undergo a breast exam from a gynecologist yet, though they did send me for an ultrasound as a precaution before starting birth control.

Nothing hurt me afterward; it was literally just micro-bleeding that showed up right when I wiped away that pink fluid they used to soak everything. And that moment she was palpating for the PCOS? It only hurt at the exact second she applied pressure, then nothing else. My mom used to always have her breasts checked during her appointments, until the second-to-last time when the doctor actually had the nerve to ask, "Ma'am, who else is checking your breasts for you?" Instead of actually doing the exam, she just suggested my mom pay out-of-pocket for a private ultrasound—what an absolute jerk! Since then, she doesn't even bother checking them anymore; it's basically become a "pay to play" situation where you either pay for the ultrasound or you're just left to wonder.

I still laugh thinking about this one time at my OB-GYN's office. I was sitting in the waiting room when this woman in her early 40s walked in right before me, and then... nothing. She just vanished! The nurse comes out, goes back in, comes out again, and finally says, "Oh, I am so sorry you had to wait, but there's a total flood in there!" Of course my brain immediately went straight to water, not blood, which is what actually happened—turns out she’d lost like a pint or two! My doctor just shrugged when I asked her about it and was like, "She's perfectly healthy; that's just what happens once you hit 30..." 😲Honestly, I felt so awkward sitting back down on that exam table (even though I'm not even 30 yet, ugh, how embarrassing 🙄), and let's just say that was the last time I ever dealt with that mess...
Look, if a woman has a yeast infection, there's no point in even doing the exam because using a speculum would just push the infection deeper. And if someone is just super dry from being nervous? Just use some lube and call it a day... 🙄
Seriously, nobody can sit there and tell me that bleeding after an exam is totally normal, especially if it feels like the doctor was being way too rough during the actual checkup...

Look, I’m over 40, and bleeding like that just isn't normal.
No matter how old you are, if this happens, something is definitely off.

And regarding breast exams—those aren't actually handled by gynecologists; they're done by radiologists. They're the same specialists who interpret mammogram images.

Most women find pelvic exams uncomfortable when they're younger, but once you've gone through pregnancy and childbirth, they can feel even more intense than anything else. Honestly, believe me, ladies, men have it much worse with prostate exams.

Rebecca Williams3 said:Look, I'm not a virgin and this isn't my first rodeo... I've been a few times before, but always at private clinics.

If that is the case, why don't you just suggest she pursues a career as an auto mechanic instead?

Some doctors are just straight-up rough! I’ve had my regular GP for 12 years now and it’s been smooth sailing from day one—never an issue. But then I went for a routine physical through my employer with some other doctor, and they included this specific exam on the list. It was absolutely brutal. They practically tore me apart; the pain was intense, and honestly, it was so bad that it took me two whole months of follow-up visits with my actual doctor just to recover from that one appointment!

I don't need some woman touching my chest!!!

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