Rectal temperature at the pediatrician's office because you looked younger than your age

As the title says, anyone experienced this, and ever theorize why your temp was taken rectally during your teenage years? Likely scenario, you were in the waiting room with a bunch of much younger kids, for example you were 10 years old or older, and the other kids were 3-4 years old. And most of the time pediatricians followed the rule which says "Anyone's temperature below age 6 or 7, (so before school, or second grade) must taken rectally!".

But you probably were late maturing type, so you looked much younger, that's why the nurse didn't even bother to chose the oral thermometer just for you (especially if others were only little kids beside you in the waiting room).

Thanks for any replies!

Nice idea for a thread. That didn't actually happen to me, but I did fantasize about it all throughout my teen years, hoping the nurses would find a pretext to use the rectal thermometer. The thought of it remains a strong trigger for me today.

Kind of intriguing to think about as a late bloomer...

As far as I remember the age limit where RT was mandatory depended on the subject clinic or hospital internal policies.

My doctor only took rt to age 13 then his nurse asked you how you wanted it done. So no.

I looked two to three years older than my age as a boy, and I was never spared the mercury rod until age six, and even after that it was hit and miss a couple more times.

Always rectal for me because one I looked younger then my age and two I still wore Huggies and Pampers baby diapers due to ongoing accidents I had. If you were found wearing a diaper you would get a rectal temperature check or if you looked younger then your actual age.

Honestly that was my impression when I was in hospital. I definitely looked younger, as a 14yo I didn't have any pubic hair, my voice was still childish, and I was about 1.45m tall and slim. So sometimes doctors and nurses talked to me if I was still a child, and my roommates were younger than me most times. So like the others RT was standard procedure for us all.

At my pediatrician all children were temp measured rectally, so there wasn't any difference. But most teens switched to a general practitioner when they were 10-14.

Never had rectal over 3 years of age. switched to oral.

From 13 years and younger. Had rectal temps

From my perspective, yes. I was a classic late-bloomer, add to that my mom would always accompany me in the exam room. She had gotten to know both nurses at my pediatrician, so as a teen they would ask her preference for my temperature, not me, and it always culminated with the nurse telling me to “turn onto my tummy for her”.

I had a rectal temperature at 15 in the emergency room . In front of my mother and 2 nurses in the cubicle. The nurse ask if I was running a fever and when it started . Mom replied she hadn’t taking it because I was vomiting and dry heaving. I got a thermometer in my butt . shot in the butt and a prescription for phenergan suppositories . Mom gave me one later that night early next day. Up to that point in life mom stopped taking temperatures in my butt around 8 or so . The pediatrician office around same time unless you was sick.

I was blessed with looking youger than the younger siblings. Was mistaken for the you get one when we were taken in. Sometimes we would have our appointments on the same day to save a trip. We would also be put in the same room. Talk about embarrassing. After that I demanded I get separate room or a separate appointment all together.

My friend’s family doctor circa mid-late 60s when making housecalls ( still done then) as I saw first hand with my female friend; who wasn’t necessarily looking younger. She definitely physically looked her age of 16 and her older sister 17 too. Both when seen at home by the family doctor, had their temperatures taken rectally. I did see my 16 year old friend have it taken, never her sister. No, regardless of how “ young” or looking like their ages as how they might have looked, were well acquainted at least as my friend told me a few years later with getting a rectal thermometer up their bottoms until they turned 18 when they left for university.

And yes they were also seen at their family doctors office, ( G.P.) where his nurse took the girls’ rectal temperatures.

My family doctor as a kid took rectal temperatures to age 13 at which point he asked the parents how they wanted it done and my parents just said however, he wants it done and since I never minded, I had rectal temperatures at the doctor until I left home for the Navy at age 18. 🌡️

Lol this would never happen because the patient's age would be right there on their chart. That information would be collected before they even saw a doctor or nurse. Also, a rule like that would never exist in the real world, at least not today, in 2024.

Also, remember that meme that's a screenshot of LA Noire that says "press X to doubt"? Probably no one has any idea what I'm talking about, but basically several years ago there was this detective game set in Los Angeles in the 40s and you get to interview potential suspects and collect information to solve whatever crime, you can either believe them, accuse them of lying, or doubt them and picking the right answers uncovers more info to solve the crime. Anyway, I said all that to say this: this thread would have me button-mashing X. Rectal temps until 18? Lol come on. It's an insult to my intelligence, I don't care about a lie here and there, but hit me with one that isn't so insulting.

And another thing, while I'm at it--I've seen it all on here. I remember someone saying that, as an adult, their nurse friend was aware of their fetish for rectal temps and when she visited the clinic her friend worked at, she got a rectal temp because her friend had noted it in her chart. Cooooome on. No one is going to do that. If someone were stupid enough to put that in a patient's chart, no doctor or nurse either one would abide by that. They'd say, "I don't care what her preference is, I'm not doing that." Doing it would be a huge liability. If one were to do it, it would be the kind of doctor you're eventually gonna end up seeing in the news, because they're probably molesting other patients.

I’ve never experienced that. The pediatricians that I went to didn’t take rectal temperatures if you had your temperature taken orally at home. I had one nurse threaten me with a rectal temperature at 6 or 7, because I was talking with the thermometer in my mouth. I didn’t push my luck. I was a quick learner.

I have never been to a pediatrician, only to a family doctor along with the rest of my family. I have almost no recollection of any doctor visits as a child and I also have no memory of ever having my rectal temperature taken at the doctor's office. But decades later after this doctor either retired or passed away, my chart was mailed to my household. I looked through the file and saw a page with a chart that had my temperature written down and the word "rectal" next to it.

I only had my rectal temperature taken once in a healthcare setting. I was 10 and had to go to the emergency because of a suspected sepsis (wich turned out to be the case). My temperature was the measured rectally. I don't think it had anything to do with how young or old I looked, rather it was just the way they took kids temperatures at that point of time.

I was a very late bloomer and always had my temp taken rectally at the Dr. If the nurse picked up the oral thermometer mother always told her that it needed to be taken in my bottom

Looking young or not was not the factor at my pediatrician’s. They took temperatures rectally until 18 years old. Nobody escaped this. Nobody realized it then, but even though I hated it and was totally embarrassed, it stoked the fetish. In my late teens, I actually wanted it, although not at my regular doctor’s. I was close to making an appointment with another doctor, as they would not have known me, and it would have fulfilled a fantasy, but I just didn’t do it. I regret this now.

As they ask for ones date of birth as confirmation of being the right person at the doctor's appointment...it won't be happening. One can fantasize about it, but that is all it will be. Unless it is a play doctor...than anything can happen. 😉

In France at home my temperature was taken rectally by mother or private doctor if house call until the end of elementry school at about 11 age and after orally.

at school , no temperature at compulsory schol physical examinations each year but if you went at the nurse office during school year to obtain an exemption of Pe lessons, the permanent school nurse began always by a rectal temperature, she did it even at high school from about 15 to 17 or 18 age, we learned that it was a requirement of the Pe teacher to prevent boys students from lying about fever to avoid Pe lessons, It happened to me at 16 or 17 age and it was rather embarrassing, a school secretary could enter in the room while we were lying with our naked butt pointed out with a thermoteter inserted in it, it happened to one of my friend.

at private doctors office , after 11 age it was depending on doctors, some would take the temperature always in the old way that meaned rectally because it was supposed more accurate , others did it orally.

at hospitals I have herad that at my time of chilhood and teenage hood , it was always rectally at least for children and teenagers

Here in uk on childrens ward all got rectal temps so all excepted it all on ward under 15

This wouldn’t have happened at my pediatrician’s office. All of the thermometers were kept in a small room with a sink where they were washed and sterilized, then brought to the exam rooms one at a time prior to a patient’s arrival. In other words, if a patient under 13 was scheduled for a particular exam room the nurse would have already placed a rectal thermometer in the glass jar in that room. Once I turned 13 there was always an oral thermometer in the jar. I remember always looking into that small room on the way to my exam room and looking at all the thermometers sitting in the sterilizing rack. I actually once darted in there and swiped a rectal thermometer to bring home with me. It was scary and my heart was racing but I didn’t get caught.

I had it only a few times at the pediatrician. Never oral. The nurse undressed me completely for the genital examination and when on the table I got also the thermometer in my anus.

How I looked never had any relevance to being subjected to receiving a rectal temp. The only thing displayed was me lying on my belly or side naked and accepting the thermometer!

@MissStress Even 50 years ago?

@MissStress Even 50 years ago?

True. @Jacana But in the last 15 to 20 years it was.

My experience with children's wards in French hospitals 40 years ago (and I believe the same applied to adult wards) was that the thermometer was going one way only - up the butt. The only thing about age was that if you seemed old/experienced enough the nurse would pass you the thermometer and you could insert it yourself, within the privacy of bed linen, whereas if you were not, the nurse would do it.