Cervical Cytology Screening

[Beryl]

In the UK this was carried out by a female nurse at my local practice, and I am now due for another one. However, the surgery I use in France has just one male doctor. He is very nice etc but I am not comfortable with the idea of having him do this test ( I am not sure if he can without a female present anyway)  but I don't want to offend him either. Is there anywhere else I can get this test done?

[Kiera]

Have sent you a PM

[opas]

I presume that you have some female friends, why not ask them who they go to. I mentioned to a young mum that I would need a routine exam done and she gave me the address of her gynochologist(sp). I mentioned that in UK I used to go to my own surgery where we had a practice nurse who did such tests. She asked which Doctor I see here and pulled her face, said he was a good doctor but not for le frotti(smear)

[La Vette]

Doctors here rarely do their own testing.  Ours sends us to the Polyclinic in Bergerac and for breast examination and smears it is usually a woman but you cannot guarantee.  If you are really worried I agree with other poster, take a friend.  They always allow someone in with you.

[Beryl]

Thanks for the replies.

[Mistral]

Very few GP's actually do the test. Mine writes me a prescription and I go to the local labo where one of the people there does it. They happen to all be women. Most french women would never go to a GP (regardless of whether it was a woman) for anything gynecological including a prescription for the pill. Their automatic reaction is to go to a gynecologue.

 

[Lori]

Same where I live Mistral.  Here, they (GP's) don't even have the proper equipment (stirrups, etc.) ..  They send you to the GYN, which in my case is a man and I have no problem with him.  He is quite gentle and friendly, married with two children, young (well I'd say very early 40's) and he seems well up to date on discussing anything.  He is also a well known cancer specialist which I needed as I had a problem when I arrived.  For me, it was more important to have the best I could find, male or female, but I can certainly understand how someone else might really want a female.

 

[Jo53]

I know how you feel. I have put mine off for this reason. (Funny, in all my history of having 3 kids I have never had anything 'intimate' done by a male doc, always midwives and practice nurses, and I just don't like the idea of it. [blink]What I will do, when I get around to it, is to look up gynaecologists in the phone book and find a female one. You don't have to go via your 'medecin traitant' to see a gynae. And as your male doc won't really expect you to go to him for it anyway, there is no risk of offence.

Jo