Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
Jan
7
Posted by My OB said WHAT?!?.
“…Your Vagina Doesn’t Look Pregnant To Me.”
“Because you’re obese, there’s no way to confirm this pregnancy. I can’t feel anything in your stomach except fat, and your vagina doesn’t look pregnant to me.” – OB at the first prenatal.
There are 66 comments to this post.
Funny. I’ve never once confirmed a pregnancy by checking a woman’s vagina. I didn’t learn that in midwifery school. Urine pregnancy test, quantitative hCG blood test, yes. Sheesh!
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Kristy Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 6:05 pm (Quote)
Well, surely all the really fat women are too high risk for a midwife. This poor OB is left to try and use much more complicated ‘look at the vagina’ methods to deal with such difficult patients as those that could stand to lose a few pounds. 
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Angelica Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 6:33 pm (Quote)
A doctor told me I was pregnant because my cervix was blue during a vaginal exam. The thought of my vagina being blue brings to mind much more horrifying imagery. 
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Bonita Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 8:22 pm (Quote)
I remember I got my very first yeast infection right after I found out that I was pregnant for the first time. I didn’t know what was going on so I took a mirror to see what was “down there” and saw a blue “something” (I know it was my cervix now). I freaked out so bad. lol
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Jessica had this to say,
Jan 7, 2012 @ 6:08 pm (Quote)
Um, what exactly would make a vagina look pregnant?
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Knitted in the Womb Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 6:34 pm (Quote)
Apparently the cervix changes color…which, um…wouldn’t be the vagina either…but still, I’ve never had a care provider look at my cervix to confirm pregnancy. In fact, in my first pregnancy I didn’t know I was pregnant yet and went in for my annual check up and my Dr. didn’t say anything about a possible pregnancy, so I assume even he didn’t know about the cervical color issue. I think I read it in “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” several years later.
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Toni Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 6:44 am (Quote)
Chadwick’s sign – the cervix, vagina, and labia may darken or turn blusish/purplish when pregnant. This develops after about the sixth week. So, yes, you can, theoretically, tell a woman is pregnant by looking at her vagina, tho it is not nearly as reliable as, say, a blood or urine test And I’ve never heard of a doc or mw relying *solely* on that. Heck, most won’t be bothered with that, they want the urine/blood test first and foremost. So this guy was a total jacka$$ regardless… why limit yourself to Chadwick’s sign with obese women, but offer actual tests to slender women? Kinda dumb…
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cjae Reply:
April 26th, 2012 at 8:54 am (Quote)
okay, well i am pregnant 39 weeks, but my ceervix is pink and firm, whats up with that if you go by the cervix?!!!!!
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cjae Reply:
April 26th, 2012 at 8:56 am (Quote)
okay, well i am pregnant 39 weeks, but my cervix is pink and firm, whats up with that if you go by the cervix?!!!!!
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Toni Reply:
April 27th, 2012 at 8:16 am (Quote)
Chadwick’s sign is one possible indicator of early pregnancy. Will every woman experience it to the same degree? Doubtful. How long does it last? Not sure. If you are 39 weeks, you undoubtedly know you are pregnant no matter what your cervix happens to look like
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OBVIOUSLY this doctor over-looked the much more logical method widely known as “Quackdoc” – you clap three times, jump in a circle and holler BULABULABULAOOO! loudly, before pulling three hairs from the woman’s head, walking three steps backwards, and examining her shoulder very closely. Because obviously, it is so much more efficient and logical than eyeballing someone’s vajayjay.
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Seriously…did the doc think s/he’d see a baby waving at him through the peep hole??
What an idiot.
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Dreamy Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 8:35 pm (Quote)
My husband thought that women could tell they were pregnant by peeing in a cup because they’d, you know, pee the baby out into the cup. In his defense, he was 6.
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Safiyah Ribis had this to say,
Jan 7, 2012 @ 6:22 pm (Quote)
How far along is she? If she’s in the first few weeks, of course she would not be able to feel anything in her stomach!!
How or why would her vagina look pregnant?
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Jespren Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 9:52 pm (Quote)
I’m not that obese, but I have several inches of belly fat and loose skin…and I can feel the change in my uterus that signals preganancy several days before my missed period. So, if she’s far enough alone to see a doc, she’s far enough along to feel a change.
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Mama Wrench Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 1:03 am (Quote)
Not necessarily; I’m not the least bit obese (18.9 BMI) and I don’t normally feel my uterus externally till 8 weeks pregnant or so.
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Safiyah Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 9:08 pm (Quote)
What I meant was, regardless of her weight, there is no way a doctor can tell the woman is pregnant by feeling the stomach.
Of course the woman knows she is pregnant, otherwise she wouldn’t have made the prenatal appointment 
The doctor just wants to slight her for being obese, as they often do 
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kelly had this to say,
Jan 7, 2012 @ 6:36 pm (Quote)
these cant all be true. What kind of dr. would say that?
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My doc did a blood test to this fattie. Worked just fine… I’m 19 weeks and still haven’t had anyone look at my vagina or cervix. I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant (and definitely still fat – LOL!).
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Kate, Ren's Mama Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 7:33 pm (Quote)
Ditto here. I’m almost 30 weeks, and unless I request one my midwife will never do an internal exam. My home pregnancy test could tell I was pregnant just fine on the day my period was supposed to start, though. My 20w ultrasound and my midwife’s fetoscope both worked perfectly through my copious amounts of blubber, too! I think this doc is just being a jerk…
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In addition to all of the other awesome comments, did this idiot doctor really say stomach? LOL What the hell sort of anatomy class did s/he take in which the baby develops in the stomach?? Hey doc, it’s called an ABDOMEN and the baby develops in the UTERUS!
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Well I guess that’s good since if I had a baby growing in my stomach or vagina we’d have bigger problems here than me just being fat.
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Both the cervix and the vagina can turn blue in the first trimester of pregnancy. First the cervix, then the vagina.
And a bimanual exam can indicate a pregnancy as early as 6 weeks in, due to swelling of the uterus.
These are considered signs of pregnancy, so the OB WAS trying to validate the pregnancy.
But he didn’t need to be rude. And what’s wrong with assuming that the 99% accurate home pregnancy test (which is more accurate than Chadwick’s sign for sure) is correct until proven otherwise?
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What the heck?! I didn’t even take my pants off, not once, until I was being (nececarily) induced for labour. And no one touched my stomach until the baby was old enough to hear a heartbeat. Ok I get the blue cervix, but what did he hope to feel in the stomach/abdomen before the second trimester anyway?? All he could have done is risked causing a miscarriage.
There’s blood and urine, and if 99% isn’t accurite enough for him, there’s an ultrasound, which I’m pretty sure works on large people, though the image can be grainy.
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Jespren Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 10:02 pm (Quote)
Feeling the uterus doesn’t cause miscarriages.
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I’m not a trained doctor or anything, no white coat, but my hands are prefectly capable of feeling a change in my uterus less than 2 weeks into pregnancy (just before I miss my period). It’s not difficult, and }kve some inches of loose skin and fat overlaying. Skin and fat, soft, swollen uterus, firm. See how easy that is?
Boy OP, I hope you got to run away from. This inconsiderate, incompetetent jerk.
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Jen @Plus Size Birth had this to say,
Jan 7, 2012 @ 10:14 pm (Quote)
What a horrific way to treat a woman. I sure hope she found a new healthcare provider ASAP!!
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If mom is too early for palpation, it doesn’t matter if she’s obese or not…it won’t be the most accurate determination of pregnancy. There’s this thing called a urine test that costs a penny or so when bought in bulk. If mom is further along and Dr. honestly believes that palpation isn’t possible because of obesity, they need to find a new profession.
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THAT’S BECAUSE VAGINAS DON’T GET PREGNANT, YOU DUNTZ!
“Well, your common sense is all messed up, and you’re kind of an a$$hole, so I’m guessing you don’t have a brain in your head. Is that an accurate observation? More accurate than your observation of my vagina?
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There are a few expletives I am genuinely fighting back. Just because some of these “professionals” don’t seem to know their own butt from their head…grr. My CNM could feel my uterus (and tell I was pregnant) just fine at my 8 week prenatal and I am indeed a bigger girl. And, pray tell, what exactly is a pregnant vagina supposed to look like so early on? I know the cervix changes, but vagina? I’m lost…
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The Well-Rounded Mama had this to say,
Jan 8, 2012 @ 8:54 pm (Quote)
Certainly adipose tissue makes it harder for a care provider to feel an early pregnancy manually, but as others have pointed out, there’s blood and urine tests easily available to confirm the pregnancy. Not to mention vaginal ultrasounds if she so desires. Duh.
And btw, many of us fatfolk HAVE had our pregnancies diagnosed early with manual palpation. Doctors just need better training on full-figured gals. It definitely is harder to palpate larger women, but with training and experience, it most certainly is possible.
Too many doctors aren’t trained adequately in it and so give up on it far too easily and tell the mother it’s impossible. It’s not. My last midwife was extremely skilled in palpating my pregnancy and my baby’s position, despite me being “morbidly obese.” It’s all in the training and the skill level and experience of the provider.
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Emily D. Reply:
January 9th, 2012 at 9:26 am (Quote)
I’m “morbidly obese” and I could palpate my own non-pregnant, non-ovulating ovaries the first time my midwifery class started learning internal exams. So if a doctor can’t tell in an obese woman the many obvious changes that occur with pregnancy, then I’m thinking as a second-year midwifery student I’ve already had more training in bimanual exam than he has.
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Didn’t think of this last night. This joker was probably not ever taught the proper way to examine a woman of size. The “trick” (for lack of a better word) is to push the extra tissue up toward the navel, not to start at there and palpate down, as you do with smaller/thinner women. With larger women all that does is put much more tissue between the two examining hands, which does make it harder to properly examine pelvic organs.
I taught medical students to do pelvic exams for many years, during which time I ranged from less than 100 pounds to close to over 200, so I got to learn and teach a wide range of examining techniques!
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The info about palpation and cervical color change is interesting, but what I think a lot of the posters are going right past is the first sentence of this one:
“Because you’re obese, there’s no way to confirm this pregnancy.”
This is truly a bizarre statement. There is a urine test and a blood test that are both accurate before palpation of the uterus shows the pregnancy (regardless of someone’s subcutaneous fat layer), and before “the vagina looks pregnant” (giving the doctor the benefit of several doubts here and assuming he referred to the color change). There is no way this sentence can be made to make sense, even if the doctor is unskilled or inexperienced.
“Because you’re obese, there’s no way to confirm this pregnancy.”
Why would a doctor say something so obviously false? Is it simple fattie-hatred? (Hardly unlikely in an MD, unfortunately.) Is this a way of discouraging the mother from seeking prenatal care? What the heck could be the motivation?
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lilmrsmchenry had this to say,
Jan 10, 2012 @ 6:45 pm (Quote)
This one is truly ridiculous.
I personally did not see a change in the appearance of my labia/vagina until the end of my 2nd trimester with all 5 of my babies. By the end of my pregnancies my husband affectionately called my lady bits the purple twinkies, lol.
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I suppose my urine and blood are too fat to figure out too?
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