Is it routine or normal for your gyno to do this during your pap visit???!
Question: I went to a gyno (male dr. in his late 50's) to get a pap smear. He did the normal pap smear check however, he had to check for something else ( I forget what he says he was checking for) but he stuck his finger/thumb (?) in my anus. Every other pap smear I've ever had thus far, hasn't involved the dr. sticking a finger or thumb in my anus. Is this normal??? Oh yeah, and there wasn't a nurse or woman present in the room during the pap, etc.
Answers: I went to a gyno (male dr. in his late 50's) to get a pap smear. He did the normal pap smear check however, he had to check for something else ( I forget what he says he was checking for) but he stuck his finger/thumb (?) in my anus. Every other pap smear I've ever had thus far, hasn't involved the dr. sticking a finger or thumb in my anus. Is this normal??? Oh yeah, and there wasn't a nurse or woman present in the room during the pap, etc.
Firstly, it is NOT mandatory (contrary to popular myth) that a stand-by be present for your exam. The other person would be there to protect the doctor should you make allegations that he was in any way unprofessional (not to make YOU feel more comfortable).
Secondly, the vaginal-rectal digital exam he did was most likely because he thought he might have felt a mass on your uterus or ovary or perhaps even your bowel.
The only way to manipulate the organs and feel the posterior (back side) is to do so rectally. I'm sure that while he was performing this exam he was also pressing down on your stomach, right?
And he DID tell you what he was checking for...you just didn't listen and/or ask questions.
Next time, ask to have a stand-by present if it would make you feel better. But I assure you, he did nothing that would be considered improper.
Firstly, there should have been a woman present - nurse or otherwise....(if you are in the UK or US)
I think there are rare occasions when checking for something specific that a gynaecologist may do the additional test you described, but NOT for a routine pap smear....something is wrong!!
It's up to you now but I would contact the gynaecologist office and speak to them for an explanation....fast!
There should be a nurse in the room, and, yes it is part of a GYN exam to feel in your rectum, remember it is called an internal exam, he was just being thorough. They don't always do this but they do it sometimes.
It's not part of the pap smear, but it is a normal part of the pelvic exam.
It's the only way to feel the back of the uterus. If you have a growth on your uterus or ovaries, they may not be able to feel it by pressing on the abdomen, and the spine prevents them from feeling it through your back.
I've been to a lot of gynecologists, male and female, and I can't remember ever not getting that done during an exam. But then I have a long history of cysts. So it may not always be necessary, but I think the girls who aren't getting the rectal exam are only being half-examined.
A finger in your anus? Not normal. He might put his hand in your vagina to check for the size and shape of your ovaries, but not your anus.
By law in most places, he needs a female in the room at the time.
Find a new doctor, and make a complaint about him to your state/province's medical authority.