Can you refuse a pelvic exam when you go to the doctor?

Question

I honestly don't think docs have the right to be up there...and it gets on my nerves that women love going to the gyn to have pelvic exams.

Answer 1

Yes, you absolutely have the right to refuse.
But having pelvic exams for women is a way of life.
They have to check for STD's, Cancers, and when you get pregnant, they are a fact of life.
Find a woman gyno. They understand women better.

Answer 2

Don't refuse the exam... if you are uncomfortable, maybe you need a new doctor? There are plenty of female Gyn's and nurse practitioners who can do a pelvic exam. No one "loves" them, even with a great doctor... sounds like your friends are just trying to talk you into getting your checkups.

Skipping your exams would be very foolish and self-destructive... many serious diseases including many forms of cancer can be caught early with pelvic exam procedures and related tests, and early diagnosis really can save your life. Here's the real question, and this is no exaggeration: would you rather have an annual pelvic exam and pap smear, or would you rather undergo radical surgery and chemotherapy that might be too late to save your life?

Answer 3

Yes, you can refuse any procedure. If it's during pregnancy, it's a good idea to refuse because there is nothing they can learn by doing an internal exam that predicts the future.

Pap smears can reveal early signs of cervical cancer, so you should try to manage at least that. If a different doctor or nurse would make a difference to your comfort level, or having them explain why they want to do things, ask them.

Answer 4

#1 - I don't know of any women that love going to the gyn for pelvic exam. #2 - If you plan on refusing a pelvic exam then why are you going to the gyn? That is their main function.

Answer 5

You can of course refuse BUT a pelvic exam is to make sure nothing abnormal-tumors,cysts and swelling and so on that shouldn't be there is not there nor any pain that is felt during a pelvic exam. I do not love going to the gyn just to have a pelvic exam-you must be ignorant if you think that as a sexual turn on and why does it aggravate you about all women=don't want one don't have one but is also a early form of detecting cancer-Dufus.

Answer 6

Of course you can refuse a pelvic exam, but an annual one is highly recommended--just to make sure all is healthy. I personally don't know women who love pelvic exams. They are not exactly pleasant procedures.

Answer 7

You have every right to refuse any treatment, and doctors shouldn't pressure you into anything that makes you uncomfortable. And those that want to judge you for not wanting it done can get off their high horse. If you don't sleep around then you have a very low chance of having any "diseases" and getting the exam doesn't prevent cancer it just tests for cancer. Would you get a lung biopsy every year just incase you happen to get lung cancer? It's stupid....I don't think people should be badgered to have these tests unless they ask for them. I am a rape victim, I was molested up until I was 10 years old and anyone going anywhere near that area terrifies me, the specculum hurts so much that it makes me feel like I'm being raped again and I have horrible flashbacks. So if you want to refuse, refuse, and don't think twice about any of the people that want to give you **** about it, it's your body and they can all go **** themselves. My aunt refused any interal exams throughout her pregnancy and when they wouldn't let up pressuring her for one she switched to a midwife, the midwife said that internals were pretty much useless in early pregnancy and that she didn't need to have them. My aunt is very religious and believes only her husband should have the right to be up in there lol..at least until the baby pops out I guess because then they'd all have to be.

Answer 8

umm.... i don't know why you would go the gynecologist and then refuse the pelvic exam. You might as well not even go if you are going to do that. What's the point?? And another thing I have NEVER met a woman that even likes much less loves getting this exam done. It is one of those things that you just have to do
if you want to get birth control and to make sure that you are 100% healthy. I mean do you really want to die of cervical or uteran cancer just because you hate the gyno. I know I don't!!!

Answer 9

Sure you can refuse any procedure...it's your body. But I gotta ask, are you crazy???

What do you mean you don't think docs have "the right to be up there?" Where does that come from in your thought process? What happened to you in your life to give you such bizarre ideas about the human body? And believe me women don't LOVE their gyn exams, but they do LOVE not getting cancer and they do LOVE being healthy and painfree and they do LOVE having healthy babies.

So don't have a pelvic exam if that is your belief, but I sincerely hope that some day you don't live to regret it. AND don't turn around and sue your doctor because he didn't force you to have the pelvic that might have saved your life OR the life of your baby.

Answer 10

In order to assess and maintain your health as a female it is imperative that you have a pelvic exam. Diseases of the female reproductive system can lead to early death. It is important as a women that you understand all of your anatomy so that you can tell if changes that indicate disease are present. If the fact that your gyn is a man is a problem, get a female gyn, they understand exactly what you are going through and can be excellent gyns in ways a man can't understand. But take good care of all of your body and live a long healthy life

Answer 11

Well, there is NO way for a woman to have her yearly exam done without a pelvic exam. We go into the doctor giving our full consent for them to be there. Sure, it may suck, but it is the only way to ensure that your reproductive system stays healthy.

Gynecologists have every right to be up there - that's what they went to medical school for, and that's why we pay them.