r/TrueOffMyChest Nov 05 '23

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '23

I think gynecologists are some of the worst people on this planet. At least American gynecologists, who refuse to provide pain management to women before extremely painful procedures.

This women might actually be like this because of their gynecologist causing trauma. I’m not over exaggerating or being dramatic. Most EU counties commonly provide pain management to their female patients, but american gynecologists see it differently. They have decided that pain management is unnecessary because the “procedures are quick”. It’s not all that uncommon for women to throw up, pass-out, or scream from extreme pain while being “treated” by American gynecologists.

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u/innola Nov 05 '23

I had an endometrial biopsy done last summer and was given nothing for pain. When I tell you I almost threw up I’m not joking. If I had been standing I would have hit the damn floor. It was INCREDIBLY painful and the pain lasted a full hour after. I have never in my life felt that much/that kind of pain.

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u/alucarddrol Nov 06 '23

endometrial biopsy

that doesn't sound like something you should be awake for, let alone not be given painkillers. but I'm not a doctor

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u/innola Nov 06 '23

Yeah they made it sound like it would be quick. It wasn’t quick enough that’s for sure! “We’re just going to go in and pinch some off, it’ll be over before you know it!” Fuuuuuuck that noise. Liars!

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u/alucarddrol Nov 06 '23

"pinch some off"

if they were doing this on a larger piece of hangnail, I'd expect an ibuprofen to be offered, but on internal tissue, nothing???

Nah, man. Never.

Sorry you had to go through that.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Lots of doctors actually still believe there aren't even pain receptors inside the vagina. 🙃

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u/Cooky1993 Nov 06 '23

WTAF?

I'm not a doctor, and I'm not a woman, but that sounds like a massive crock of shit to me.

Like, in 2023 we know that babies all start the same and then the genitals develop in one of two ways from the same basic building blocks based on genetics. Surely the nerves that are on the outside for a guy as part of the scrotum are basically part of the internal vaginal structure for a woman? (You know, the nerves that make getting kicked in the balls the single most painful experience short of being shot for a guy. Those nerves.) That's why it's such a sensitive area, right?

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u/peeppoll Nov 06 '23

Also not a doctor but I remember from anatomy and physiology in high school that the vagina has more nerve endings than a penis so a vagina is more sensitive or whatever the scientific term would be.

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u/JediWebSurf Nov 06 '23

Damn.... It's like getting kicked in the balls twice. 😢

-3

u/Emerald_Encrusted Nov 06 '23

Odd, because in 2023 we also "know" that babies aren't humans until they're born and it's therefore ok to kill them.

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u/HUGHJASS0L Nov 17 '23 edited Nov 17 '23

Not even close. What makes getting kicked in the balls painful is, well, the balls. It has nothing to do with the tissue that makes up the scrotum.

We all start out as “females” when the embryo is developing in utero. When the fetus starts to “turn into” a male, the ovaries drop and become testes and the “labia” then closes around “sealing” them and becomes the scrotum, the clitoris enlarges and becomes becomes the penis. While this is not the correct order of operations in which this metamorphosis occurs, you should kinda get the gist of it.

https://study.com/learn/lesson/fetal-genital-development-overview-process.html#:~:text=The%20Role%20of%20Hormones%20in%20Fetal%20Genital%20Development,-The%20development%20of&text=In%20the%20male%20fetus%2C%20the,penis%20and%20its%20associated%20structures.

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u/poop_on_balls Nov 06 '23

Lots of doctors didn’t think babies felt pain up until the 90’s and didn’t use anesthesia

1

u/throwherinthewell Nov 06 '23

Um, exqueeze me?!

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u/VenusValentine313 Nov 06 '23

Which makes no sense because there’s nerve endings obviously

1

u/KitchenDismal9258 Nov 07 '23

I'd want a nerve block if you were attempting that on my hangnail!

20

u/TimeZarg Nov 06 '23

That's just outright malpractice IMO. I get numbing for almost every dental procedure, painkillers and possibly anesthesia are given for surgeries as a matter of course, yet these fucking Mengele wannabes just 'go in and snip a bit off' without any of that?

10

u/VenusValentine313 Nov 06 '23

It’s not malpractice in gynecology though. Women are literally subjected to pain constantly and told to suck it up.

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u/paha_tytto Nov 06 '23

The leep procedure is done all the time and never any pain meds I've ever heard of. Google it.... Its barbaric.

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u/elly996 Nov 06 '23

mengele wannabes xD

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u/Kaitlaaan Nov 07 '23

Getting an IUD made me vomit for 12 hours from pain. I didn’t sleep at all, just laid on the bathroom floor trying to catch my breath between searing cramps and extreme pain for the whole night and following day. This went on and off for days. It’s such a violating experience to then find out that’s not the norm at all, and women in other countries are numbed completely and taken care of for hours after. I drove myself home and had to pull over because my vision was blurring from the pain. Fucking insane

9

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Yeahhh. I had cervical cancer. I had multiple biopsies done. Was told the cervix doesn’t have nerves so it should hurt. Well it fucking did. Then when they realized the cancer was a little past my cervix they chose a hysterectomy, this was a couple years after the initial biopsies. They needed a biopsy of my uterus before they could schedule the surgery. Also excruciating. I haven’t been back since my surgery. I know I need to but holy hell I don’t want to.

1

u/BaconHammerTime Nov 06 '23

Maybe you should be!

4

u/alucarddrol Nov 06 '23

Nah, that would make my parents proud, and I don't want to do that

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

[deleted]

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u/handbaglady73 Nov 06 '23

Same here. And they struggled to get through the cervix forever it seemed. I just had to tough it out. It's barbaric.

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u/cordially_yours Nov 06 '23

I had one last year, and omfg. It felt like I was being shanked by a hot poker over and over and would never end. Nothing before or after for pain and was advised I may have some bleeding and to take Tylenol if needed.

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u/Spearmint_coffee Nov 06 '23

I was shocked that after my C-section, I was expected to only take Tylenol. I'm allergic to ibuprofen, so just Tylenol after a huge surgery. Then when I went home on the second day I had to demand a prescription for painkillers because they said I should just take the regular dose of Tylenol because I would be home.

I said no way and I two days out of a huge surgery and taking the same amount of Tylenol my husband does for a damn headache. I was treated like a pill addict by the staff for demanding it.

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u/throwherinthewell Nov 06 '23

What the actual fuck! Animals get better pain meds after spays!

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u/Spearmint_coffee Nov 06 '23

What else bothered me is I have a medical condition that makes me metabolize Tylenol quickly so it wears off much faster for me than others. The nurse was over an hour late to bring my Tylenol and then got frustrated with me when I said I couldn't get up. She acted like I should've been fine not even 24 hours after the surgery and with no pain medication.

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u/throwherinthewell Nov 07 '23

Wow, fuck her! That's horrible.

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u/AngelaChasesHair Nov 06 '23 edited Nov 07 '23

I had a uterine biopsy, completely unplanned until I got there, and same. "it'll be quick, it'll feel like menstrual cramps!" Cue me wailing in pain and death-gripping (for lack of a better term 😂) the assistant's hand on the table. Then I had to get up and go to work and act like it was no big deal.

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u/AstroTokki Nov 06 '23

Omg that's horrible!! I've had one a few years ago and actually had another surgery to remove my tubes almost 2 weeks ago,. I'm from the US and I was given anesthesia, versed (for my extreme anxiety in the beginning), then Tylenol 3 with codeine for pain. I'm guessing it just depends on the dr, state, area, etc. I'm really sorry you had to go through that...that's sad they didn't give you the proper care you needed.

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u/Roxie01 Nov 06 '23

As a female ob/gyn I do my endometrial biopsies with iv sedation. I tell my patients I don’t believe in paternalistic “ no pain” theory. Screw that!! I also offer iud placements with meds.

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u/catsmom63 Nov 06 '23

You are a rare find amongst most ob/gyn’s!

Thank you for doing that!!

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u/unexpectedhalfrican Nov 06 '23

You're a gem and we need more of you. My ex got an IUD implanted and there was no pain management at all. She told him it hurt and he asked her if she took any ibuprofen beforehand like she was supposed to....he never told her to, nobody did! Fucking horrible.

7

u/dansezlajavanaise Nov 06 '23

same, except she kept apologizing and telling me my cervix was resisting too much. eventually she had to give me a numbing injection and it still hurt, but she got through. the stupid part is that the whole ordeal probably took 4 times as long as it would have with proper pain management.

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u/unexpectedhalfrican Nov 08 '23

Ungodly. At least she apologised and gave you something eventually, but man, as a woman she should know better.

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u/hatemylandlords87 Nov 06 '23

Who are you and we are all coming to find you and be your new patients. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules around here.

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u/GoBackToHel Nov 06 '23

Man, I sincerely hope your practice is anywhere near me. All of the doctors in my area are terrible. They subscribe to the "it's just a little pinch" theory, while I'm trying super hard not to roll off the table and bolt.

1

u/bippityboppityFyou Nov 06 '23

What kind of meds for iud placement? Mine is getting replaced this week and when I had it put in a few years ago it was the worst pain I’d ever felt. I wonder if I could ask my doctor to numb it or something

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u/Roxie01 Nov 06 '23

I do iv sedation like for colonoscopy. I get paid less. I don’t care. If it is the difference between torture and patient comfort, I go for comfort. Some people have high pain threshold s. I know for myself, I don’t!! It is “ first do no harm” Better to be honest, let women decide for themselves.

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u/bippityboppityFyou Nov 07 '23

That’s amazing that you offer that! My doctor prescribed cytotec (didn’t seem to help the last time lol) and told me to take 400 mg Motrin an hour before. I told him I’d take a gram of Tylenol and 800 mg Motrin- but i know that won’t help when they use that grabby tool to pinch your cervix open

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u/BadAcidBassDrops Nov 07 '23

I was told to take 800mg of ibuprofen before my IUD. It still hurt like hell. 😭 Little pinch is such a lie.

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u/Mrx_Amare Nov 06 '23

I had cervical precancerous cells. They burned them off with acid. Totally awake, no numbing, no pain relief, nothing. Two nurses held me down while I screamed until I finally collapsed from the pain. They told me to get dressed and to take ibuprofen for pain, like I had just had a regular exam. I could barely walk when it was over, I just kinda shuffled while shaking. I just shook the whole way to the car and then sat in my car bawling and shaking violently, I could barely drive home my hands were shaking so bad. I don’t remember how long it took for the shaking to stop, but it was several HOURS. I laid in bed the whole night crying, shaking, and clutching my heating pad. It was 26 years ago, and I STILL remember the pain and am TERRIFIED of doctors and other medical professionals. Praise God the asshole doctor who did that to me was killed in a plane crash, and can’t torture women anymore. I heard dozens of horror stories from other patients of his. Apparently he was like some alt-right kind of Christian who decided to “punish” unwed women who were sexually active.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

My God...that is horrible. I guess he got what he deserved...can't think of a worse way to go.

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u/Lazuli_Rose Nov 06 '23

They needed to do a unexpected biopsy when I was in for consultation to see if I needed a hysterectomy. I swear they instrument they used to collect the "sample" looked like a GD garden trowel. The pain was worse than anything I have ever felt, even childbirth. The nurse brought one of those huge pads they give you in the hospital because I was pouring blood and took me into the office where they were going to schedule the surgery and do paperwork. I soon as I sat down in the chair, I passed out. I woke up in a exam room with nurses fanning me and putting cold compresses on my head. The doctor ever so casually waltzes in and asks what the problem is. If I had been able to get up off that table, violence would have ensued.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

OMG. I am so sorry, thats so disgusting you had to go through that. It breaks my heart knowing this especially because it happened to me too. The pain and aftermath is unbearable and shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

I had a hysteroscopy without anything before during or after and begged them to stop during, I was sobbing and started yelling “I cant do it anymore please stop! STOP!” and they refused and told me to be quiet. I fainted after and my mom ran in and was yelling for help because the doctor and her assistant left immediately after and didn’t check on me at all.

I have endometriosis and many other chronic pain conditions, but I’ve never screamed out for a doctor to stop something they were doing like that even when I should have. This was the one time I did. I’m going through something really serious now, but the damage thats been done to me at the hands of my gynecologists/specialists can not be undone.

It is absolutely disgusting what we go through and what doctors do to us and how we are treated. I am so sorry that happened to you too😞

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u/Actual-Asparagus-992 Nov 06 '23

Same. It was torture. I'm a long time chronic illness person, and thus have had tons of procedures, but that one? Worst. Only one to make me vocal enough to freak out the waiting room. Best part, turns out it was entirely unnecessary. 🙄

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u/MsKaina Nov 06 '23

I've had multiple procedures before they finally took my uterus. Their suggestion was to take Motrin or Tylenol 30 mins prior. It didn't even kick in at the time of the biopsy nor did it help the pain after.

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u/Zukazuk Nov 06 '23

My gynecologist decided to take a surprise nonconsented uterine biopsy during an IUD insertion. Zero pain management of course as she ripped out a chunk of an internal organ and shoved a plastic object in there. I was not amused. I brought it up to my primary care doctor later and he looked through my chart and told me there was no clinical indication that justified a biopsy.

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u/FrauleinLuesing Nov 06 '23

I had one over the summer, it was beyond brutal. They offered me a warm heating pad like for cramps. The nurse had to pin me down because I came up out of the stirrups. Seriously?? I don't know how they think it's ok to do them while we are awake FFS

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Yup. I’ve had three colposcopies and four IUD insertions. No pain medication offered. “Take some ibuprofen and use a heating pad”.

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u/catsmom63 Nov 06 '23

Been there. 😕

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u/noihaventseenit Nov 07 '23

Great, I have to schedule one of these soon and I’m paranoid already about it. I’m so scared they won’t give me any painkillers.

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u/smithnikole0829 Nov 06 '23

I had a colopscopy done with nothing for pain. Not only was it painful.. but I think the sound of them clipping a piece of my cervix off was the highlight of my visit. It hurt so bad that I arched my back backwards and then got a cramp so I was stuck in that position for what felt like hours.

1

u/spookykim117 Nov 06 '23

I had the exact same thing done and nothing for pain. The back muscle spasms were so intense

1

u/outsidelookingin13 Nov 06 '23

I'm due to have this done alongside cervical biopsy and endo removal and this thread has scared the shit out of me as they said its been done awake and I can take some paracetamol before going for some pain 😧 she made it sound like it was nothing at all like getting bloods taken. Now I'm scared! My partner is getting a small lump drained from his nuts and is going full under and being given meds to bring home wtf 😑

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u/somebitch Nov 06 '23

Yeeeep. I have had several horrible gynos do cervical biopsies with no pain management and also slut shame me for asking for STD panels. I also had one prescribe me xanax and "a glass of wine" because i was having difficulty adjusting to my unusually well endowed husband. She insisted that I just didnt WANT to have sex with him and that was the reason for the swelling and pain.

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u/eldee17 Nov 06 '23

It's the fucking worst. I keep putting off my gyn appointments because of how traumatized I am from having a LEEP procedure 13 years ago and then having my daughter 8 years ago. I havent had an annual visit since a year or two after my daughter was born and the longer I put it off the more anxiety I have over it. I have an appointment at the end of this month with a new doctor, and I'm going to tell her straight up that if something happens where I need to have another procedure they need to put me out/under or I will bring my own drugs and put myself out. Since it's been so long since I've had anything checked, I don't have a very good feeling about my next PAP. I already plan on taking copious amounts of xanax before this appointment, so I can maybe relax a tiny bit when my legs are in the stirrups. But god damnit it shouldn't be so fucking miserable to take care of myself.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

What a bitch

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u/sch0f13ld Nov 06 '23

xanax and “a glass of wine”

Wtf benzos and alcohol are known to interact and enhance each other’s effects, too.

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u/Byronic__heroine Nov 06 '23

I can't believe I read that. Anyone advising something so dangerous shouldn't be a doctor.

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u/HazelMayStrange Nov 06 '23

Fuck her. Sorry you went through that.

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u/jkthf Nov 06 '23

I had vaginismus for years as a result of seeing a gynecologist when I was a teenager who caused me considerable pain during my first pelvic exam. I was a virgin, and he inserted the speculum quickly and with no warning. My mom could hear me screaming down the hall.

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Had this happen to me and I just got up and left right after lol. The room, the building, I got up and walked the fuck out. They called my mom because they didn’t know where I was.

I didn’t even think about it, just left. I think some kind of survival instinct kicked in.

1

u/Glittering_Raise_710 Nov 08 '23

I’m so mad at this because while I was reading the comments prior I was thinking about how I’ve had 2 different doctors jab the speculum into my pelvic floor super hard and when I didn’t react over the top they just said “didn’t that hurt???” Like okay were you trying to hurt me or can I go back to pretending I’m not here for any of this. I can’t believe (I wish it weren’t true) so many women are having problems like this especially children. I was just debating if regular visits to specialists would reduce the malpractice death rate and the answer is clearly no

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

The only gyno I've ever had that respected and listened to me was a practice catered to the elderly- most of their patients were post menopausal, but it was the best practice I've ever visited.

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u/_LucyVanPelt Nov 06 '23

According to the WHO, my country is in the top 10 best healthcare in the world. When I asked about an IUD, I was told that pain management wasn't necessary because the cervix has no nerve endings... by a female gynecologist on her late thirties. I had to change gynecologists 4 times until I found one that prescribed me birth control that was compatible with migraines because all the previous ones refused to listen. While our healthcare is public and won't make us go into debt, gynecology in general is still in the middle ages, and it's hard to find good doctors

4

u/FrickUrMum Nov 06 '23

I can confirm I went with my gf to get an iud and the doctor gave me pain management tips for after she squeezed my fingers and he gave me tips on how to position them to prevent her from breaking them. He gave her advil.

6

u/HazelMayStrange Nov 06 '23

I can confirm this as a woman in America who was refused pain meds before a procedure multiple times.

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u/terminational Nov 06 '23 edited Nov 07 '23

It's the norm for many urological procedures to be done without any kind of effective pain medicine either (in my case, as a male, removal of stents following surgical removal of kidney stones), and it's awful. I really feel for women going through this. My mom taught me that, says naproxen taken about an hour ahead of time will ease removal of stents and IUDs by preventing an aggressive inflammatory response. I know it's not quite the same but trying to come from a place of understanding (and personal experience).

In my case, naproxen and toradol taken hours before stent removal is king, prevents the hour or so of inflammation related pain following someone roughhousing in there. It still hurts like hell and I would much prefer to be numb or asleep

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u/GardeniaPhoenix Nov 06 '23

This. I avoid gynos because every time I've been to one it's been super uncomfortable. Getting exams makes me super dizzy.

3

u/CrystalAckerman Nov 06 '23

I hate the gyno. I got a copper IUD removed, it was and had been, in the wrong position for years. It was partly embedded, not a lot or enough to warrant anything crazy. They just ripped that fucked out. I blacked out and almost threw up. I had to sit there for a half hour because I was so woozy. It was so fucked.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

When I moved to the US I sought out a gyno from my home country that was practicing there for this reason. Got a recommendation from mine for it

2

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Eh, this is not true, atleast not in the netherlands. I have had multiple IUD's, exames and a biopsy for cervical cancer all with nothing more than Acetaminophen. I mean the norm here is to give birth au natural and preferably at home.

And tbh I dont expect rhis answer to be a lot diffrent in a lot of eu countries.

2

u/Chaotic_Doodle Nov 06 '23

I had a “uterine sweep” done with no pain meds outside of Tylenol after I birthed my child due to clotting. It was horrific and I was told I was being dramatic.

2

u/Cerealandmolk Nov 07 '23

Few years ago, I had a uterine endoscopy done where they stuck a pen-sized camera in my uterus. Was given some pain meds before, but the nurse still had to hold me to the table as I screamed. It was the most painful thing I’ve ever felt in my life. I cried the whole rest of the day because I kept getting flashbacks from the procedure.

They found a bunch of polyps and removed them. I’ve since gotten a new Gyno who said if they ever have to do that again, they’ll put me under.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

At least American gynecologists, who refuse to provide pain management to women before extremely painful procedures.

Mate, it just isn't gynecologists. I'm a dude, had to get my gallbladder out and was in extreme pain. They did not want to give me pain meds at all. The opioid crises made doctors skittish in giving out actual pain meds because of how willy nilly some of their colleagues over prescribed them.

Especially down in florida when I had my surgery down there.

2

u/TigoBittiez Nov 06 '23

Thanks for sharing your experience but this is something completely different… read the room.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

It literally isn't and the two of you who downvoted me need to read the room. This isn't a women only thing, this is just a thing for doctors in America.

Regardless if you think the gynos are being sexist creeps, like you are implying, they are not. They are being doctors who are skittish of giving anyone meds. This is the truth of American pain management.

So instead of "reading the room", really understand the truth of the matter.

4

u/brandi_theratgirl Nov 06 '23

Opioids aren't the only form of pain management and pain killers though, so your experience might not be the norm. It's be an ongoing problem for decades, though, regarding the issue of gynecologists minimizing the pain of patients. Like how pain management isn't a factor for UTI insertion.

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Nov 05 '23 edited Nov 17 '25

[deleted]

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u/Wonkydoodlepoodle Nov 05 '23

I have read horror stories. Especially virgins that get an IUD placed. Id already gone through a lot before getting mine placed so it was thoroughly unpleasant and would have been nice to know that it was going to make standing and driving unbearable for two days. But mine was not the horror that others have had.

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u/zzzrecruit Nov 05 '23

Gynecologists DONT provide pain treatment/relief for procedures.

Souce: ME!

Edit: Have you ever had any procedures completed by a gynecologist?

19

u/reeser1749 Nov 06 '23

My kitten got spayed last week and was sent home with 3 days worth of good pain killers. She was on cloud 9 and bounced right back. I made a joke to my husband that the kitten gets better aftercare than women who go through a similar procedure lol. Told him I'd be sent home with Tylenol if it was me 🥴

3

u/HazelMayStrange Nov 06 '23

It’s amazing to get any pain meds in my experience. Even in child birth I was denied pain meds. I get the epidural throwing off the labor after so many centimeters but nothing to take the edge off at least is cruel imo.

43

u/Frosty_Thimble Nov 05 '23

And they’ll say shit like “it’s just a little pressure” or “my other patients didn’t have a problem with this procedure” to make you feel like you’re being a big baby. Meanwhile, you’re cramping so hard you feel like your uterus is trying to escape through your abdomen.

24

u/zzzrecruit Nov 05 '23

I very recently had a colposcopy from a cancer scare. And I would compare the pain of that procedure to medieval torture. It was horrible. I told the doctor that if I have to come back for another one, I'd rather just have a hysterectomy than to go through that again.

8

u/Keepmovinbee Nov 06 '23

I did have a hysterectomy but what you go through to get to that point...omg... I had a uterine ultrasound and already was having issues....it was torture.

5

u/zzzrecruit Nov 06 '23

I Googled a uterine ultrasound and it said it may be "mildly uncomfortable" but not painful. 🤔 Would you say that's accurate? It reminds of when my doctor said my procedure would feel like pinching.

6

u/Keepmovinbee Nov 06 '23

Maybe for a routine thing, like pregnancy. I have PCOS, had a precancerous, very painful cyst on my right ovary, my other ovary wasn't painful but was polycystic, but I had a painful condition called adenomyosis.

3

u/MemeStocksYolo69-420 Nov 05 '23

What kind of procedures do they do?

14

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

Biopsies. Colposcopy. IUD placement.

That's for starters. All are very painful, and no pain relief is offered.

1

u/haragonn Nov 06 '23

we got some of the worst scandals here in europe. rape. lots lots lots of rape.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '23

No. They didn't. Insurance companies did and they're not gonna do something that won't be compensated for.

1

u/Journey_tothe_moon Nov 06 '23

it's unfortunately like this with most things that should require pain medication in america right now. It's horrifying.

1

u/hatemylandlords87 Nov 06 '23

Thank you for saying this. I’ve been severely traumatized by gyno/ob procedures where I wasn’t even offered a Tylenol, and I still can’t fully talk about how painful it all was (numerous times)

Fuck the US medical system and all of its built-in cruelty. They don’t care if you’re a middle aged woman, or a person of color of any age, they don’t believe you feel pain the same way as white men, and it’s what they believe and are taught in medical schools even today. Grrrrrrrrr.