"C-sections are fun. It's like surgery with a prize."
As a certified uterus-owning lady, I'll admit I've always felt more comfortable being examined by female OB/GYNs. To my surprise, a Reddit thread has completely changed my mind — last night, male doctors shared their inspiring reasons for specializing in gynecology and explained how their profession has affected their views of the opposite sex. Commenter MirrorMore says it best: "Came here for horny men stories, walked away with feels."
"A Profound and Humbling Experience"
"I never thought I'd end up doing OB/GYN, but I enjoyed my rotation in medical school. The variety of the work is entertaining. We get to do surgery and office visits, and the visits tend to be procedure heavy. L&D [labor and delivery] is a lot of fun. Also, it's nice to have 'healthier' patients, as lots of pregnancy visits are young women who aren't dying… It felt kinda weird to make the decision at first, but once I got used to it I couldn't really see myself doing much else."
"I'm on my third year rotation with OB/GYN now and I love it, much more than I could have predicted. Here's why. There is nothing like labor and delivery. Being a part of that moment for a family is a profound and humbling experience. The patients usually have good lives that get even better with your care."
"How has it affected my views towards women? I have a greater respect for them. The strain put on a woman dealing with an OB/GYN issue, both physically and emotionally, can be intense. What's more, it can be utterly private and isolating. Women will share things with their doctor that they can't even talk about with their spouse. To realize how many women deal with these problems without any support, and come into the clinic and walk out again acting as if nothing happened, has been an impressive realization. I wish communication about 'lady parts' were more straightforward and acceptable."
All in the Family
"My father was an OB/GYN. Whenever asked about why he chose his specialty over all the others he had open to him, he said that it made him the happiest. He told me OB/GYN dealt more with the life aspect of medicine, whereas nearly every other specialty dealt with death, or the prevention of death… He loved what he did and never regretted it one bit, despite the long hours, crazy shifts, insane malpractice insurance costs, and inevitable lawsuits. As far as the actual examination of ladyparts, he said that it became a job like everything else. The sexual aspect was completely removed."
"My grandfather had his own practice… He wanted a job with a lot of positivity, where sad stories are few. Supporting women through their pregnancy, answering questions from pregnant mothers was a very happy experience. Also, sexual education is important to him and he has such a great personality that young girls would come to him for advice about sex, the pill, etc. Even though he has been retired nearly a decade, people still come up to him and say, 'Hey, you helped my mother deliver me!'"
"[My dad, an OB-GYN] had a really busy weekend of deliveries a few months ago, and I was joking around about how something must have happened nine months prior when everyone was getting busy. He reminded me that nine months prior was the three feet of snow that trapped everyone in their houses for four to five days, hence all of the baby-making."
Why Men Need to Lean In[to Vaginas]
"One problem with choosing that path is access to exposure. I have an interest in OB/GYN due to the clinical/surgical balance along with being a part of making families. I'm in med school now, and while I will rotate in my third and fourth years, I cannot shadow like my female peers can in first and second year. So there is some feeling that you aren't entirely accepted."
"The need for a chaperone is prohibitive. While it's always important to make sure your patient feels safe and comfortable, the need to bring someone else in is labor intensive and constantly reminds you that you are not intrinsically trusted, despite your dedication to your patients. You can't personally relate."
"As a dude doing OB/GYN, I get it. I don't have those parts. I don't have periods. I don't get pregnant. It doesn't mean that I am not compassionate. I try to treat everyone the way that I would want to be treated if I were in their shoes. I talk to people like they are people — being a doctor is cool and all, but it doesn't make me better than them. I think that, while I lack true firsthand experience, I get where a lot of women are coming from when they have complaints. I know most people think I have a gross job, but I think I am pretty fortunate."
[Reddit]
Image via Flickr.
