Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Jul
11
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…I’m Going To Have To Palpate Your Uterus.”
“Well, since you didn’t come in sooner, I’m going to have to palpate your uterus.” – OB to 19 year old mother at 12 weeks gestation. The OB then proceeded to place an ungloved hand into the mother’s vagina and “palpated” the uterus externally with the other hand for several minutes.
There are 73 comments to this post.
This is horrible. Considering the number of OBs who won’t even see patients until 12 weeks or later (barring problems) I’m not sure why this doctor felt this necessary. Even if the the doctor did need to do this, it should not have taken so long and certainly should have been gloved. I hope a complaint was made and another care provider was found.
[Reply]
I’m surprised no one so far is as outraged as me. This is HORRIBLY wrong. This is sexual assault.
PLEASE, OP, tell me this was reported and this doctor lost his/her license? Please. And if it was never reported, report it now. This is about half a click away from rape.
[Reply]
When I was 22 and had been married for 6 months, I got pregnant. I was about to graduate from my undergrad and was still covered under the university health plan. The providers there were noticeably surprised that I decided to keep my baby (I think they were expected me to want an abortion — maybe that is what the majority of college girls do?). I ended up having a miscarriage at about 6 weeks, and the nurse practitioner insisted on doing a RECTAL exam to palpate my uterus (to make sure it was going back down to size). I was appalled. What was even more appalling was when my mother-in-law said, “Once you step into the realm of childbearing, they’ll do just about anything to you.”
I hadn’t thought about this in 11 years. Ugh.
[Reply]
Eden Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 6:30 pm (Quote)
When I was 16 and went to my first exam, the obgyn (female)did a rectal exam to feel my uterus. I thought it was normal. Until I went to a good one. I had never gone back to her as I did not like her manner, so I was never able to ask her…. But I THINK having a tipped uterus had something to do with it… For me. Not necessarily for you.
[Reply]
Melissa Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 7:18 pm (Quote)
If the uterus is retroverted or retroflexed (commonly referred to as “tipped” or “tilted”, it’s easier to feel with a rectal exam. It’s not usually necessary to really feel it that thoroughly though unless you suspect a problem, IMHO.
[Reply]
erica Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 8:47 pm (Quote)
I have a tilted uterus, and they didn’t do a rectal exam.
My husband’s grandmother told me that she was having her kids in the 50s and early 60s, they did rectal exams in labor to check … something … dilation? Not sure how. The purported reasoning was to prevent infection.
[Reply]
Melanie Midwife Reply:
August 3rd, 2011 at 8:55 pm (Quote)
Yes, in the olden days they did do rectal exams in labor to check dilation. The more vaginal exams the practitioners do in labor, the higher the risk of infection; so they figured doing rectal exams would decrease that risk. Today, the only reason a practitioner would do a rectal exam is postpartum to make sure the tear/epis healed correctly–in other words, we check for a fistula, or hole that connects the vagina to the rectum, which can happen if it heals incorrectly.
[Reply]
Grace Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 8:48 pm (Quote)
I do have a slightly tilted uterus but not so much that anyone has ever needed to do a rectal exam since. I’ve had tons of exams plus three more pregnancies (and their births). I’ve also had to change providers several times due to moving and insurance changes and NO ONE has ever even suggested it since. I also have seen a Mayan abdominal massage practitioner who confirmed that my uterus is very slightly tilted, but not very much. I think it was just violating on the part of the nurse practitioner all those years ago.
[Reply]
Eden Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 3:50 am (Quote)
My uterus isn’t tipped anymore. My first son apparently straightened it out. I think mine was pretty tipped, though. So much that a doctor in the ER (I went in for abdominal cramps, and after a few tests, they did a pelvic) asked “What’s this” and had to have another doctor tell the stupid doctor that my “cervix was in a weird place” (Wasn’t explained to me until much later by another doctor).
[Reply]
Jessica had this to say,
Jul 11, 2011 @ 4:05 pm (Quote)
That just disgusts me. The entire event is repulsive but what really grosses me out is the ungloved hand. That glove, other than protecting patients from infection, is the only barrier I think that keeps us in that doctor/patient relationship when such an intimate part of our bodies is being examined. What I’m wondering also is, why wasn’t a nurse in the room during the exam? Shouldn’t there be one during any exam like this to help prevent this very thing from happening?
[Reply]
Mama Wrench Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 6:12 pm (Quote)
Most of the civilian offices I’ve been to only mandate a female nurse present if the OB is male.
[Reply]
Grace Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 8:49 pm (Quote)
I totally agree with you, Jessica! That glove is so very important, from both a health and psychological standpoint.
[Reply]
Rachel Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 9:21 pm (Quote)
Ditto Mama Wrench. I’ve never had a nurse in the room at the same time as the doctor but my ob has always been a woman.
[Reply]
rae Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 9:54 pm (Quote)
The nurse isn’t there to protect the patient. The nurse is there to protect the doctor. You make a complaint and suddenly there are two medical professionals there instead of one, each insisting that the doctor did nothing wrong.
[Reply]
Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:32 am (Quote)
Whether the nurse is present for the doctor or the patient, one would think the doctor would think twice before using an ungloved hand on a vaginal exam, even if the exam itself was unwarranted or used as “punishment” toward the patient. Common sense in the medical community is that you use gloves when examining a patient.
I just can’t help but think the reason the exam took so long was because it was ungloved and because the doctor was using that as a means to assault and humiliate the patient being seen. It also makes me wonder if this doctor ever bothers washing his hands between patients and how many now have an STD or ended up with a pelvic infection due to this mistreatment?
[Reply]
Heather Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 11:18 am (Quote)
Not using a glove actually legally makes it assault rather than a medical examination.
[Reply]
Due to the fact that 1 in 4 women in the U.S. is a victim of sexual assault and many of the posts on this site as of late have been quite disturbing as this one is, I would appreciate it if there were some type of warning in the title of the post saying that the post could be potentially triggering.
[Reply]
jenni Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 4:30 pm (Quote)
maybe we should put a warning on the main page that the whole site is potential triggering. Except thursdays.
[Reply]
Trisha Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 5:36 pm (Quote)
Nobody says you have to visit this site.
[Reply]
Melissa Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 7:20 pm (Quote)
Okay, that’s really insensitive. Not all of the posts on this site are triggering. Some may be healing. Asking for a trigger warning is perfectly reasonable and facilitates the creation of safe spaces for survivors, which is EXACTLY what this site should be.
[Reply]
Melissa Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 7:23 pm (Quote)
Not to mention this is exactly the kind of attitude that facilitates the kind of victim blaming this site and many other organizations work against…
Honestly, just the words “trigger warning” in the subject line would be sufficient…although really any comment on this site could trigger in the right circumstances, but maybe for the ones that clearly depict assault…
[Reply]
Mama Wrench Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 6:11 pm (Quote)
Would it really make much of a difference if one is viewing the main site, with all of the posts in view? If you had to click on each one individually to see what it says that would work, but not with the current layout. Not unless there was a warning on the main page that any comment may be triggering — which, given that the site deals exclusively with feminine health mistakes, blunders, mis-speaking and outright assault, would seem kind of a given in the first place.
[Reply]
Debra Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 7:34 pm (Quote)
I agree. I’m a sexual assault survivor myself. There was a time in my life when posts like this would’ve been a trigger for me – and the solution was to stay away from sites like this. Even posts about normal, happy sex lives could be a trigger for me.
I think it’s a little unrealistic to try to predict what would trigger someone. Even if the subject of the post isn’t assault, stories of assault might come up in the comments.
[Reply]
Tee Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 4:02 pm (Quote)
I appreciate this suggestion. As someone that was molested by a female GYN and her nurse, I am one of those people you talk about. Enough time has passed that I was okay reading this. However, there would have been a time when I wasn’t. So I understand your suggestion.
[Reply]
Ugh. Where to start on this one?
Blaming the mother and punishing her.
No chaperone (I bet the OP wasn’t even aware she could request one and probably didn’t presume the needed to)
The completely unecessary intimate examination putting her pregnancy at risk (the uterus should be palpable per abdomen by 12 weeks and an internal using Hegars sign can cause miscarriage).
Sexual assault.
Exposure to infection.
OP I am sorry you had to go through this.
I am both disgusted and saddened.
[Reply]
I think the lack of using a gloved hand defines this as a form of assault rather than punishment. It sounds like the OB is/was a sicko. I hope the OP filed a complaint with the office, state, and medical licensing board against this monster. If this OB did that to this patient, there’s no telling what all he/she’s done to other patients…
[Reply]
This sounds like either assault, or attempting to cause a miscarriage (another form of assault, for that matter). I’m working on my 3rd baby, and I’ve NEVER gone in before 12 weeks! What’s the point of going in before the heartbeat is audible? Nor have any of my providers felt the need to “PALPATE MY UTERUS” from INSIDE!!! And that’s even though I’m a plus-sized Mama. (And ungloved? NO ONE sticks an ungloved hand inside anyone’s lady bits in this day and age!) Please, OP, tell us you reported this sicko. Or that you still can.
[Reply]
I wonder if the OB wasn’t trying to cause a miscarriage. Palpating a uterus internally and externally for several minutes, especially at such an early point in the pregnancy, sounds suspicious to me and the age of the mom might have made the OB think that he/she had some right to do this?!?
[Reply]
If this story is true…which I have a feeling it is NOT (somone just wants to see their writing online)charges should have been brought up against this person. Don’t believe everything you read online people.
[Reply]
Gemma Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:25 am (Quote)
Why would you say that?
What reason do you have to think that this is not real?
[Reply]
Dreamy Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:49 am (Quote)
Yes, what makes you think it’s not real? Nearly anything you read online could be true, or could not be true. If it’s merely the appalling nature of the story, then I’d suggest it is you who wants it not to be true (and you’re not alone). If there’s some other “clue” unrelated to the content (writing style, what have you), that’s another issue worth discussing. But if it’s just “It couldn’t be true, because doctors never do anything inappropriate to their patients (even possibly while believing it’s best)” or “If it were true, she would have filed charges,” well… I guess you have never, ever heard of anyone being assaulted or stolen from or sexually harassed or otherwise been the victim of a crime and not reporting it to authorities.
And furthermore… how do you know she didn’t file charges?
[Reply]
it happened to me Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 8:44 am (Quote)
Just because you have never run into such an abusive physician doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
This post is not unbeleivable. There are predatory doctors out there.
Teen girls are their #1 target. Often scared, not confident, easily manipulated, unlikely to report the abust….
In the space of 18 months when I was a teen I had a GP attempt to get me in the stirrups for his own jollies and a gyn who assaulted me during a pelvic exam. It happens.
[Reply]
Kat Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 9:35 am (Quote)
I have experienced an inappropriate internal exam by an obstetrician. At the time it happened, I was happily married, had just had our first child, and due to my height/build I looked about 16/17.
The doctor had a reputation at that time as being one of the “top doctors” in his field, according to the information I had.
I did not realize at the time what was going on, and that it was not a typical postpartum examination. I was offended by his insulting arrogant manner in the way he spoke to me about birth control, and by his lies that the form of birth control he *demanded* I start taking (no, he didn’t ASK ME what I wanted, he TOLD ME what I was going to take) was safe for breastfeeding when it was not.
Years later, his license was suspended for sexual misconduct with patients/employees at his clinic. At that point, having had more life experiences to compare that incident with, I realized that when he stuck his fingers in me and told me to tighten up, it wasn’t for my health, and when he cornered me in the hallway and got right in my face to ask if was absolutely SURE everything was good between me and my husband, he did not have my safety on his mind.
It’s obviously *possible* that this incident didn’t happen, but it’s equally plausible that it did.
[Reply]
Allison Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:11 am (Quote)
Ok everyone calm down….I didn’t say it was 100% not true!! I just said I don’t believe it. And if it did happen…I believe I did state that the doctor needed to be reported did I not??? I know this stuff happens and happens daily. But the fact that this site is not monitored and just anyone can post anything they want on here….it is just fueling their fire.
[Reply]
Dreamy Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 2:17 pm (Quote)
Yeah, telling people to “calm down” is always a great strategy.
No one thought you were saying it was “100% not true!!” They were just asking why you “had a feeling” it was not, and/or telling you of similar experiences.
I’m glad you’re aware of “this stuff” happening. But so far, all you’ve said is that you “have a feeling” this story was not true, and why? Because “anyone can post anything they want on here.” That’s the only reasoning you’ve provided so far. By that reasoning, I have a feeling almost nothing on the Internet is true. I’m talking less than 1%. After all, on most sites, anyone can say whatever they want.
But two things…
1) There may not be an FBI fact-checker, but it’s not “unmonitored” and
2) What is just fueling whose fire?
[Reply]
Dreamy Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 2:23 pm (Quote)
Correction– Obviously some people inferred that you did not think it could possibly be true.
Clarification– So far, your argument reads as follows: “Anyone could post anything here, THEREFORE I get the ‘feeling’ it’s not true.” I.e., “The fact that something COULD be a lie means it’s most likely not true” or “The mere fact that anyone can say anything means that anything that is said is likely to be untrue.”
Uh– no.
[Reply]
Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 2:03 pm (Quote)
That’s just the kind of comment that women who have been sexually abused or assaulted don’t need to hear. Having someone say, “well, you’re not acting like someone who…” or, “it just doesn’t make sense that a doctor would do that to a patient,” etc. is why a lot of women don’t report their assaults or why it takes them so long to come forward and say so. Predators master the art of deception; they show themselves as one person to the public and someone completely different to their victims, making it that much more difficult to prove anything happened to them in the first place.
[Reply]
becky Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pm (Quote)
as someone who was sexually assaulted at about 7 years of age by a doctor, i find your comment insulting and insensitive. if it is or isn’t true, what business is it of yours? what do you care? why make a hurtful comment? just to cast doubt on a person who’s sharing a painful memory in hopes of finding solace and community with other women? how about you try some compassion and, baring that, keep your yap shut.
[Reply]
Adora Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 4:57 pm (Quote)
Interestingly enough, I share my thoughts frequently via my blog and for the small magazine that I write for, so I do see my thoughts in print fairly frequently. What I *don’t* often share are intensely personal details of my private life that STILL make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. This site offers enough anonymity that I feel comfortable doing so. I’m sorry that you suspected deceit here, I too wish that it was a bad dream.
[Reply]
another Amy Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 6:41 pm (Quote)
FYI – I think Dr. Amy has posted comments as “Allison” before at The Unnecesarean. This kind of sounds like her.
[Reply]
For fuck’s sake, DENTISTS have been sued and fired for LESS than this!! That is SO sick. So very, very sick!
I have had 5 pregnancies and never had anyone stick their hand inside my body in the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy, with the exception of once during my 4th pregnancy when I was 19 weeks to determine if I was dilating and about to lose my baby. And believe me, she used a freaking glove.
This makes me so angry.
[Reply]
This is my story, and yes it’s true. 
He is a male OB in Erie, PA, there was no nurse present and I had no idea what to expect. As I said it was my first appointment and up until then I’d never had a pelvic exam or a pap or anything. I didn’t know that what he was doing wasn’t standard protocol. After the pelvic exam he pulled my gown up around my neck and did a “breast exam”, I felt dirty but figured I was just being stupid and babyish. I always scheduled my appointments thereafter with other OBs in the practice but it took my 5 years and another pregnancy to realize that what he did wasn’t the norm, so no, I never did report him.
[Reply]
Lisa Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 12:29 pm (Quote)
OMG…I’m so sorry you went through this! *hugs*
[Reply]
Jane Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 3:58 pm (Quote)
I’m sorry. That’s just awful. He knew you didn’t know what to expect and took advantage of you.
[Reply]
Tee Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 4:09 pm (Quote)
Ach, you and I have a lot in common. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
[Reply]
Mama Mirage Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 7:18 pm (Quote)
I am so sorry! What an awful thing for him to do… what a sicko!
[Reply]
Jena Reply:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:54 pm (Quote)
I am so, so sorry you were assaulted this way. It’s disgusting and I pray you will or have found peace and healing.
[Reply]
Becky Reply:
July 14th, 2011 at 11:07 pm (Quote)
This story makes my skin crawl, and I’m so sorry it happened to you, Adora. I second others in hoping you have found peace with this.
[Reply]
Um, sweetie, that was sexual assault and depending on the state the statute of limitations could be 7-10 years. There is likely no statute of limitations if you make a complaint to the medical board. I am so so sorry this happened to you. Please consider filing a complaint-medical board, the hospital he works at, the police, even ratemds.com or yelp. I’m so sorry this happened. What a pervy perv.
[Reply]
Add Your Comment.
Previous Post
« “I Might Have To Cut You.” Next Post
“…Can’t You Get The Job Done Yourself?” »
« “I Might Have To Cut You.” Next Post
“…Can’t You Get The Job Done Yourself?” »
I know my midwife has done this to feel for the size of the uterus (though certainly not ungloved).
[Reply]
Bonita Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 3:27 pm Bonita(Quote)
He did this with an ungloved hand, for several minutes and made it sound like a punishment. All three of these facts make me think that he was “punsihing” a young mom, or sexual assualt. It shouldn’t take several minutes, especially with a 12 week pregnancy. The uterus isn’t that hard to find or feel.
[Reply]
Angela Reply:
July 11th, 2011 at 3:28 pm Angela(Quote)
Yeah, but she didn’t do it for several MINUTES. It takes, like, 30 seconds.
[Reply]