Nov 28

Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.

“Not Nearly As Many Women Can Touch Their Cervix As Think They Can.”

“Not nearly as many women can touch their cervix as think they can.” – Reproductive Endocrinologist to woman concerned that her cervix was not reachable on self-exam throughout her entire cycle.

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There are 15 comments to this post.

Details had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 5:36 am (Quote)

I don’t think anybody is imagining anything. Either you can reach it or you can’t. The thing this douchewaffle is missing is the “throughout her entire cycle” part. He(she) might have been better off saying yes, it tends to move whichever direction at whichever point in your cycle. Dr. Douchewaffle probably is not aware that it moves. I wasn’t. Mine seems to always be right where I left it, but I learn things on this site all the time. And I have to believe what I read since I know there is a lot of variation out there.

LG Reply:
November 29th, 2011 at 5:52 pm LG(Quote)

“Mine seems to always be right where I left it”

OMG this made me laugh so hard!!!

jaed had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 6:21 am (Quote)

Well, half a point to Doctor Whatsit for (apparently) trying to reassure the OP that not being able to reach it isn’t abnormal.

Renai Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 6:55 am Renai(Quote)

Yeah, I’ve never felt mine- maybe short fingers? (I use nfp). But I read something else in this statement, too: it sounded like s/he was insulting women who only “think” they feel their cervix (but really don’t is being implied).

Heather P Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 7:04 am Heather P(Quote)

I agree. I have long fingers, so I can reach it most of the time, but at certain points in my cycle I just can’t. I can see how a person who may have shorter fingers may have difficulty.

Maybe if he had just said that it’s perfectly normal to be unable to reach it, it might not have sounded like it was insulting her intellegence. I’ve had midwives and nurses that couldn’t reach mine. They usually have a lot better leverage than the person the cervix belongs to also.

genniemom had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 6:23 am (Quote)

I use NFP and am used to monitoring my cervical change, but I had trouble finding it during my latter pregnancy. My midwife was able to give me advice on how to find it, and I checked my dilation once during labor. I really appreciated the fact that she helped and never once tried to insist on checking it herself.

Maddy had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 7:13 am (Quote)

I’m not even sure what this is. Is the doctor trying to be helpful? Reassuring? Informative? This doesn’t sound factual, it sounds pious and opinionated. And sexist, if the doctor is male.

Jenny Islander had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 8:48 am (Quote)

So I’m just imagining the thing that feels like the end of a nose up in there?

Tee hee, us silly women, trusting silly womanish things like “senses” and “logic” when everybody knows that we must submit to the nice doctor no matter what our silly womanish vapid “common sense” and “research” and “desire for personal dignity and safety” tell us.

Rebecca had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 9:18 am (Quote)

What gets me here is that the doctor seems to be implying that women who think they are touching their cervix really aren’t (since really, most women who would say they could touch their cervix probably tried it, the ones who haven’t probably wouldn’t even think to mention it) What does he think they’re touching and mistaking for a cervix?

Michelle of The Crunchy Infertile had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 11:18 am (Quote)

This is mine. He definitely said it in a “silly women who think they know their bodies” kind of way. At first I just blew it off, eh oh ok. Later my mind went – what? So if no woman can reach her cervix, how are diaphrams used? Or menstrual cups (which, like I mentioned in a previous comment, was my first clue – I put the stupid Diva Cup in, wore it for a day and then couldn’t reach it to get it out. Had to have my husband help and it took him a bit to reach it – humiliating)?

I was asking about it in relation to my battle with infertility not in the sense that oh gee can the sperm get that far in there but as in hey if my cervix is not where it should be and I have frequent unexplained minor abdominal pains, is it possible things aren’t sitting where they should be and maybe something is pinched or blocked or something? I never did get a very good answer on that one. We haven’t been back to him since we decided to take a little break from trying. This RE also told me at a previous appointment not to bother temping because it isn’t giving us any useful information and all it’s doing is starting my day off badly and adding stress. Mmmk. It’s so frustrating.

Michelle of The Crunchy Infertile Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 11:26 am Michelle of The Crunchy Infertile(Quote)

Oh another of his gems was when I was asking him about PCOS even though my bloodwork has been normal, as I was trying to tell him the symptoms that I have that seem to indicate PCOS and was trying to find out if it’s possible to have PCOS with normal bloodwork, he interrupted me to say that is I had PCOS I would have teenager type acne and a full beard (which I was trying to tell him that I DO battle skin problems and I DO have a LOT of chin hair. Full beard? No but I do still shave daily). He did give me a prescription for Metformin – which according to him “Couldn’t hurt anybody to take” – basically I felt not because he thought it would help anything but to mollify me.

Mama Wrench Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 12:43 pm Mama Wrench(Quote)

I’ve never been able to reach mine, but I can use a menstrual cup just fine. You don’t need to be able to reach that far back to use one, just behind your pelvic ridge.

Michelle of The Crunchy Infertile Reply:
November 28th, 2011 at 4:42 pm Michelle of The Crunchy Infertile(Quote)

Yes, agreed, I didn’t word that very well. I can see how due to the length of the cup and the stem that a woman wouldn’t necessarily need to be able to reach her cervix in order to use the cup. However my conformation is such that it sits too far in for me to be able to reach it. I can touch the tip of the stem but can’t get a hold of it. That’s what I meant, was that if that was normal how could they be used? All he would have had to say was that it varies from woman to woman and if I can’t reach it’s nothing to worry about.

Jessica had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 11:31 am (Quote)

I have long fingers and have never reached my cervix. Even squatting, at the end of a pregnancy, to check for dilation. If I had reached it, or if I ever manage to in the future, I’m certain I’ll know it.

Kat had this to say, Nov 28, 2011 @ 12:00 pm (Quote)

Because when you stick your fingers into your vaginal opening, there are so many other things in there that you could possibly mistake for a cervix?

Please.

Yes, it’s not abnormal to be unable to reach your cervix, but generally if you’ve found it, you’ll know.

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