Medical Nostalgia - What were exams like in the 1980s and 90s?

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Partially, yes.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

I was never entirely naked. The doctor would only remove (or ask me to remove) whatever clothing was in the way of a given procedure: like asking me to open my shirt and open and lower (but not take off) my pants so that s/he could palpate my belly and lower abdomen.

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

I once had an esthetician bring her young female assistant in to look closely at the dry skin on either side of my scrotum, as I lay on her exam table naked from the waist down. The esthetician held my penis "out of the way" and moved it, as supposedly needed for her assistant to get a better view. I doubt any esthetician or doctor would do this, today.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

Usually boxers.

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

When I was referred to a male physician, he would have me bend over his exam table and strip down my boxers for a digital rectal exam. My regular GP (female) did not do this.

On one occasion, when what turned out to be a bladder infection had me experiencing burning on urination, the (male) doctor said, "I'm going to need to do an examination of your penis. I'll be be squeezing it to see if there is any discharge." He asked me to pull down my pants and underwear, and to lie back on his table.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks?

Socks. Not always white.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

In the hallway, fully clothed except for shoes.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

No, only when I was a kid.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

The nurses never asked me to undress before the doctor came in. When my GP needed to do her palpating and the exam for hernia, she would say, "OK, I need you to open and lower your pants for me. You can keep your underwear on." She pulled my underwear farther down when she needed to. It sometimes happened, with her fingers in the creases between my pubic mound and upper thighs, and my pubic hair both visible and in her fingers, I would start to get an erection. But she didn't seem to mind.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

She used bare fingertips when she was palpating me and when she was probing my inguinal canals. The male doctor who did DREs always used jellied gloves. When a male MD did an exam of my penis, he was wearing (dry) gloves.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Some of both. Only the male doctors ever asked to perform rectal or genital exams.

Did you receive shots in the butt?

Those happened all the time when I was a kid, but rarely in the '80s or '90s: with the exception of flu shots I received in a Middle Eastern country where I was living in the late '80s.

How thorough were genital exams back then?

My GP (a lovely lady in her early 50s) never examined my penis. But with me on my back, she ask me to open my pants and then she would pull down my briefs to just above my penis: so that she could probe my inguinal canal with her fingertips.

Most genital exams that (male) doctors performed on me gave much more attention to my nutsack than my penis.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

No. And only male PAs or doctors performed these on me; never my female GP.

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

Not from that period, but I had seen photos from the movie "Myra Breckenridge," in which "Dr." Raquel Welch had a guy strapped face down on an examination table, then pulled down his pants (clearly enjoying his embarrassment) and grinned and laughed both at the view of his naked assets, and his helplessness. As a kid, I thought these were amazing and I got some of my first erections from seeing them.

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

Much more so. I especially miss the palpating of my belly and lower abdomen, which was standard, then.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yes. At my primary care doctor I took off everything except my panties.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

I was in a gown.

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

Cloth.

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

About the same.

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

I had to lower my panties when I began having rectal exams at my physicals.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

My socks usually came off if I was there for a physical.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Jeans or shirt and a t-shirt. If I was coming before or after work I'd be in my work clothes; pants, a skirt and blouse or sometimes a dress.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

The scale as in the exam room. I was weighed in my clothes with my shoes off.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

Never.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

They would tell me to take off everything but my panties and change into the gown. They always left the room and would knock on the door before entering.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Bare hands but they would use gloves if they had to do a genital or rectal exam.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

My primary was male. Gyno is a woman.

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

I prefer a woman but can deal with a male if have to. Early on it was more men and now more women.

Did you receive shots in the butt?

Not since I was a child.

How thorough were genital exams back then?

My primary usually didn't do a genital exam. When he did it was almost always external and only if I had a complaint at the time. Gyno was the works. Pap smear, bimanual and often but not always a rectovaginal.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

I would get a visual exam where I had to spread my cheeks to check for hemorrhoids. Rectals began in my early 40's.

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

I'm older now so my exams are more thorough in that there's more lab work and follow ups.

I was a boy during the 70s-80s and that is when my medical fetish began, no gloves then for very thorough examinations, mercury thermometers, mercury sphygmomanometers, and authoritarian doctors that you did as instructed for, bliss

We always had to undress for physical exams and in the 70s and 80s boys and adolescent males were expected to take everything off except our underwear. That always came off at the end. I think the first time I was given a gown was at college in mid to late 80s. Cloth back then. Paper later.

Doctors offices were definitely more modest back then. I wore briefs and jeans and a sweatshirt or shorts and t shirt in warm weather.

The nurse at the pediatricians would take a height and weight in our underwear in the room. Later when older just shoes off in hallway. Up until around 11 I think they took our temp rectally then it was orally.

In the pediatricians the nurse would bring us into the room and tell me to remove everything except my underpants while she and my stepmother talked about my recent health. Later I was alone after similar instructions.

The pediatricians I saw never wore gloves male or female until I said I was sexually active then it was always gloves.

My first pediatrician was male then at 10 or 11 I switched to female and at university most doctors and nurse practitioners were female. There were no PAs then.

The pediatricians always did thorough genital exams. Later not as thorough unless I was sexually active and not recently tested. They usually checked us for a hernia. I never had a rectal exam until I had a hemorrhoid in late 20s. Now they do a rectal exam yearly. Genital exams are more thorough again too.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Q: Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

A: Male. Where I lived, women doctors didn't start to emerge until the late 90s

Q: Did you receive shots in the butt?

A: Depended on the type of shot.

Q: How thorough were genital exams back then?

A: 80s, very thorough for me - just like the 70s when I was a child. The 90s started to be more hurried, especially the mid and late 90s.

Q: Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

A: I was a pre-teen and a teen in the 80s and a young adult in the 90s. I was 17 when I had my first rectal exam so yes.

Q: What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

A: Honestly, I can't recall.

Q: If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like?

A: Was rejected due to a bout with scoliosis.

Q: How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

A: Exams today are a joke.

Did you have to undress for the exam? Always had to undress for a physical exam in those years.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude? Underpants only most of the time. Had a gown maybe a couple of times.

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown? Cloth gown when I got one.

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities? Probably less modest with males especially boys and young guys. Back then the nurse was more likely to come back into the exam room after I undressed and check my temperature and weigh me. Now all that happens before I undress.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties? I wore white briefs most of the time. Boys and young guys wore white briefs a lot during the 80s/90s. I had some colored briefs by the 80s but had more white briefs than anything else because that is what almost everyone wore. In locker rooms in the 80s, I guess that it was probably 90% white briefs. I was still in high school and then college in the early 80s. By the 90s probably a mix of briefs and boxers.

Did you have to remove them during the exam? Sometimes but mostly just had to drop them to my ankles for the balls and hernia exam. I had a couple of doctors that made me take off my underwear for the balls and hernia exam.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks? Barefoot. When the nurse said to undress to my underpants only that meant socks off too.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam? T-shirt or regular shirt, jeans, briefs, socks, and tennis shoes.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed? About half and half maybe. If in the exam room, weighed in underpants only. If in the halfway, then stayed dressed when in my teens and 20s. When very young then weighed in underpants in the hallway if that was where the scales were.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult? No. As a kid, yes.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain? Usually the nurse told me to strip to my underpants after I was taken back to the exam room. If I was to be weighed in the exam room, I was told to strip down and the nurse weighed me. But a few times I was stripped down and the doctor weighed me when he came in. Nurses usually didn't leave the exam room while I undressed when younger. The last time that I can remember a nurse staying while I undress was when I was in my 20s.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now? Don't know.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands? Bare hands when I was younger as far as I can remember. Doctors wore gloves later but not sure when that happened.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female? Male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

Did you receive shots in the butt? As a kid, shots were almost always in the butt. Only a few times in the butt as an adult.

How thorough were genital exams back then? Doctors would check my testicles and then have me cough for the hernia exam every time.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age? I had my first rectal exam in my 20s so yes for me but can't say that it was traditional for family doctors to do that in a physical exam. My first rectal exam was for a physical but the doctor was an internist.

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest? Don't recall any.

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like? Didn't have that experience.

How thorough was it compared to what they do now? My physicals today are similar to physicals that I had in the 80s/90s, except I'm more likely to get a rectal exam now and it not back then. I'm still in my underwear/no gown for most exams in the last 20 years. Only been in a gown a few times for physicals and not in a long time. The biggest difference is not between when I was in my 20s and 30s but when I was much younger than in the 80s/90s and now. When I was a kid in the 60s/70s, rectal temperatures were still taken almost every time and I got weighed in the hallway in my underpants sometimes. But still undressed about the same now as I was then and likely to get a rectal exam now.

For some background this refers to Rhode Island in the United States, which is still where I live.

Did you have to undress for the exam? Yes

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude? Hospital Gown

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown? Cloth

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities? Now they almost never ask me to undress when I go to the doctors.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties? White briefs at first then I changed to colored boxers. But when boxers started to become popular some people still wore briefs. Still a lot of people where briefs

Did you have to remove them during the exam? I had to pull them down for the inner groin hernia exam that they always did every year. One thing they stopped doing.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks? I think I kept my sicks on. They were and are white.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam? T-Shirt pants socks underwear sneakers

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed? Mostly weighed before they had me change

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult? No. Orally. But now they do it temporarily which I don't really trust that much. I think they should have stuck to oral.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain? "Take off all your clothes except your underwear and put on the johnny." The nurse would say that after doing my vitals and weight and leave for me to get changed. I would then change and then lay on the exam table while I waited for the doctor.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now? ER back then I would be instructed to change into a johnny (hospital gown) and I would stay on the gurney the whole time accept for when I had to get up to use the bathroom. The stay was many hours. Last time I went to the ER they didn't even have me undress, they had me in a lounge chair instead of a guerney. I was there for severe abdominal pain.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands? They used gloves I believe.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female? Almost all male back then.

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways? Don't know

Did you receive shots in the butt? No. Arm

How thorough were genital exams back then? Mostly it was just the inner groin hernia exam. But when I was much yunger I think they did pay attention to the pubic hair and testicles. I was told to feel them for lumps.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age? I've had one DRE in my life but I think it was because of a medical concern and not something he would have done otherwise.

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest? Don't know.

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like? N/A

How thorough was it compared to what they do now? Well the physical part is not thorough anymore at all. And where I go doesn't even check ears or throat now for the annual physicals. I have asked others and they say they get the ear checks during there physicals now still. I think the questionnaire and medical history is more thorough though and I guess that plus the blood tests they take now has kind of replaced physical examination sadly.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yes

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

Underwear

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

N/A

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Less modest than today but not sure if that is due to the change of times or moving from pediatrician to adult doctors.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

White briefs

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Never completely removed them but sometimes had them pulled out our down

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

Barefoot

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Jean shorts and tee shirt

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

As a child I was weighed in the exam room after stripping to my underwear. The nurse did it as part of the pre exam procedures (height, weight, temp and blood pressure)

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

Never

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

They would show me to the exam room and tell me to be a good lad and take off all my clothes except my underwear.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

N/A

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

In the 80s and early 90s at the pediatrician, he would use his bare hands for the genital exam.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

Male

Did you receive shots in the butt?

Not as a kid but as an adult.

How thorough were genital exams back then?

Fairly complete compared to today. The doctor would palpate my penis and scrotum and as I got older also checked for hernias.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

Not as a child. My first one was in my late 20s for a corporate exam

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

Great movie with a physical exam scene is Hospital Massacre. The patient is a playboy model.

I had to have a fairly thorough examination back in 1998. I was 21 at the time and the examination was NHS and done by a consultant neurologist because, out of the blue, I started having seizures. A friend I had at the time, who was epileptic, had warned me I would be examined in my underwear as part of diagnosis. I wore fairly baggy blue silk french knickers and a matching cami top with flowers on (no bra because I didn't have one that matched) in the mistaken belief they would cover me the best. I truly believe that doctor was a massive perv. I'm sure I didn't really need to do that many squats, leg lifts and toe touching. I'm still not sure what the doctor was even looking for! I was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy. In addition to the crotch reveal exam, I also had a CT scan and an MRI. Eventually I 'grew out of' the epilepsy. It stopped as mysteriously as it started and has never returned.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yes

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

Underwear and then nude

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

N/A

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Definitely no concern for modesty

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

Yes, until my teenage years

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Yes

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

Barefoot

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Jeans and a tshirt, or sweatpants, sweatshorts, and hoodies

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

In the hallway in my underwear

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

No

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

Everything off except your underwear or strip down to your underwear

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

N/A

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Bare hands

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Female

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

N/A

Did you receive shots in the butt?

Sometimes

How thorough were genital exams back then?

Very thorough

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

No

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like?

N/A

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

Much more thorough

Experiences age 18-30? OK, I'll play. I was 18 in 1985. My exams were:

Age 19 and one month: Physical for summer job as a camp counselor.

Age 23: Physical for grad school.

Age 26: Physical just because.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Age 19: I met the doctor fully dressed. He made me undress gradually. By the end, I was just in my white briefs.

Age 23 and 26: Nurse instructed me to undress to my briefs and wait for the doctor.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

No gowns. See above.

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

Not applicable.

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

More modest now.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

White briefs for all three of my exams in that time period.

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

No, but in all three exams they came down.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

Socks came off. They were white.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

I don't recall from the exams in my 20s. When I was 19, I distinctly wearing a pair of loose-fitting whitewash jeans.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Hallway, clothed.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

No.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

See above. The first doctor had me undress bit by bit. I think he was a very new doctor. He was Asian, as I recall, and seemed as nervous as I was. The other two exams, the medical assistants curtly told me to undress.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

Don't know.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

I don't clearly recall. Pretty sure they used gloves for the genital exam. Growing up, my doctor did not use gloves when I was a teen.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

All three were male at that time.

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

Don't know.

Did you receive shots in the butt?

No.

How thorough were genital exams back then?

All three doctors checked me for a hernia and rolled my testicles. They did not thoroughly examine my penis. That did happen to me in my 30s.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

My first one was at 33 because of a family history of prostate cancer.

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

There's a funny rectal examination scene from Fletch.

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like?

Not applicable.

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

My most thorough exams occurred when I was in my 30s. Much more thorough then.

I grew up in the 90s and 2000s. I saw a regular pediatrician growing up until 21 and saw an adult doc in the same practice twice until I was 25.

I also had two sport physicals by a school doctor in high school.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yup. Always had to strip to my underwear for the exams.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

No

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Definitely now.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

Briefs until I was in early high school then switched to boxer briefs. I switch between both now a days.

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Remove them completely? Only once. With a doc who wasn’t my regular pediatrician. He had me take them off half ways through the exam and do the rest nude.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

Yes socks always came off. I remember once, not taking my socks off. The doctor came scolded me, came over, lifted my feet in the air causing me to fall back onto the table. He took my socks off himself and started exam there.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Ummm usually pants and a shirt. Maybe a jacket too?!

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Usually weighed before I went into the exam room with my shoes off. That random doc exam, he weighed me as well nude later on.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

Nope

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

The nurse was always the one to tell me to undress down to my underwear and the doctor would walk in as I wait for him on the table.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

No clue

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Bare hands

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Always male. Even when I went because I was sick or wasn’t feeling well, I always saw a male doctor.

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

No clue

Did you receive shots in the butt?

Nope

How thorough were genital exams back then?

I’d say pretty standard. Especially once it reached my teenage years and checking my development.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

Nope

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

None really…..

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

So much less thorough now. I wish I continued with the adult doc. I often wonder if I had…would the exams have been the same as when I first saw him those first few times.

Male born in 1984, so these answers are more for my physicals in my teenage years - mid/late 90s

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yes, initially undressed to underwear

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

I was in my underwear for some preliminary items at the beginning, largely with the nurse. For the actual exam with the doctor, I was nude.

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

NA

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Doctors are a lot more modest now than they were then. Back then it seems like there was very little, if any, modesty afforded to male patients.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

I’m guessing I probably wore white briefs

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Yes, for the entire exam with the doctor.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

Barefoot

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

I’m guessing t shirt, jeans, sneakers, etc.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Weighed fully clothed in the hallway

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

No, not as an adult

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

I don’t remember the exact words that were said, but I would strip to my underwear once in the exam room for the nurse and the nurse did vitals, other pre-exam items etc. I don’t recall when exactly I was asked to take my underwear off. I think it was once the doctor came in.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

NA

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Largely bare hands

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

NA

Did you receive shots in the butt?

No

How thorough were genital exams back then?

Quite thorough, I was also Tanner staged at these exams.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

wasn’t middle aged during this time period

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

My interest was from my own experiences

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like?

NA

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

it’s hard to gauge that because for me I was in my teens during this period, where I’m 40 now, so obviously my current doctor has a different focus than my pediatrician did in the 90s.

Your album and topic reminded me of 3 exams I had at the pediatrician's at ages 11, 13, and 14. I'll try to answer your questions. These exams were the ones that have given me so much anxiety about having a physical. If I'm sick I have no qualms about beginning appointment, but a physical fills me with dread.

The exams were probably in '78, '80, and '82. The pediatricians had offices in ranch-style house that had been converted into their offices. So I assume the living room was the reception area and there was a long hall back to 3 or 4 exam rooms, with the scale at the end of the hall next to the bathroom.

Exam 1: at 10 or 11 with the female doc, about 50 at the time and former military. I remember it was winter, so I was wearing jeans and a shirt with a sweater or something like it. I don't remember being weighed. The nurse ushered me and my mom to an exam room and said to take off my top, shoes, and socks. When the nurse came back she said "shirt too!" But my mom complained it was chilly. When the doc came in it was "shirt off!" Most of the exam was done with my shirt off and jeans on. Even then I felt weird being shirtless with pants, but the doc softened her tone. The one surprise was at the end, when I was laying down and she was feeling my abdomen. She said "we're almost done and then quickly moved to my jeans, undid the button and zipper, and pulled down my tighty-whities to expose my genitals. I remember being surprised but not really embarrassed because it happened so fast. The doc's bod blocked my mother's view - at least she never mentioned it.

Exam 2: probably 13 and my dad was with me. Ushered to the room and told to take everything off except briefs (again tighty-whities). This time it was summer and I remember taking off my t-shirt and tossing it to my dad, followed by the shorts. Then I was marched by the nurse out of the exam room and down the hall to be weighed and measured. I was weighed first and then had to turn around for my height. At that point I could see half of the waiting room down the hall. I went back to the room and the male doc did the exam - in his 30s and was originally from Latin America. He did not care about modesty. The exam proceeded as normal until I was laying of the table. After my abdomen he jumped down to me feet and worked his way up. For the genital exam he began to gut and pulled my undies clear down to my ankles. He did a very thorough exam including the mieatus, which he thought was too small. At this point I was hard. He pulled the briefs off, handed them to my dad, and had me stand in front of him where he sat to examine me further. He had me put the briefs back on, but when I asked my dad for the shirt the doc said "not yet." He marched me back into the hall and down to the bathroom where I had to pee in front of him to see that the mieatus was okay. My dad never spoke about this exam to me.

Exam 3: 14, junior high school went home mandatory physical exam forms in the fall, to be completed by December. School provided doc but students could go to their own doc. I begged my parents to let me go to my doc because I feared a group exam at school. They could not take me because they were both working at the time but I convinced them I could walk to the doc after school - this was common at the time and I was somewhat happy that they would not see me undressed but had nervous anticipation all day at school.

When I got to the office it was the usual "everything off except briefs." I was in an exam room at the back of the place, and they added the scale to that room. However, the exam table was right under a window. It had blinds but they were open. When the nurse left I turned them down because I feared the neighbors could see in. This time it was the male doc again. After the HEENT he had me hop of the table, do the eye chart, and then had me remove my tighty-whities for the rest of the exam. I had to walk around, close my eyes and touch my nose, bend, etc. He touched me a lot to position me for these tests. Then back up on the table for abdomen and genitals. As I lay on the table he opened the blinds to get more light. I was back off the table for hernia checks, and I think that was it.

As you can see, no one cares about modesty for boys. It never bothered me to change in gym or play shirts vs skins, but there was something about being nearly naked in a cold exam room with the paper on the exam table that made me anxious. I knew what was coming but the routine was always a bit different.

Temp was always oral with a glass thermometer. Always bare feet.

I don't like going to the doc now because I get worked up thinking about an exam like the last two, where a male doc with rough hands is examining me. Yet, with the healthcare system now I never remove a stitch of clothing, and I walk away from exams (when I have the nerve to go) disappointed.

In the late 70’s I started a job in a small town and needed to have a physical as part of the employment process. I was directed to a local 60 year old doctor whose office was in his house and his nurse was his wife. I do remember that the exam room was his office and there was a screen to undress behind. I undressed to boxers only and the exam proceeded with his wife in the room the entire time. She was either assisting him or doing busy work. As a late 20’s male, I was surprised that she remained in the office the whole time, including when I was asked to remove by boxers and stand naked in front of the doctor for the obligatory exam of my penis and balls. He did a rectal “inspection” as I recall - looked but didn’t go in, which I found strange because my regular doctor usually did one.

the exam proceeded with his wife in the room the entire time. She was either assisting him or doing busy work. As a late 20’s male, I was surprised that she remained in the office the whole time, including when I was asked to remove by boxers and stand naked in front of the doctor for the obligatory exam of my penis and balls.

Perhaps it didn't bother the wife at all if patients were naked or perhaps she especially did like to look at naked patients. She might very well have been in cahoots with the doc.

After all, nobody suspects (older) ladies of having voyeuristic tendencies.

I went to the doctor in the 80's & 90's as a child/teen

Did you have to undress for the exam?

Yes!

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude?

Depending on the place. I was either in my underwear or nude.

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

Mine was not modest at all. There were no doors on the exam rooms & you could see anything that was going on if you wanted too.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

I wore white briefs.

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Yes, if I wasn't already nude, I had to take them down.

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

I usually had white socks on.

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Normally jeans & a t-shirt or shorts & a t-shirt.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Weighed in the hallway in my underwear.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult?

I have had it taken rectally as an adult. Mostly as a child until I was around 15.

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

The nurse would instruct me to take my clothes off before the doctor arrived. She'd tell me to take my clothes off, weigh me, take my vitals & then if I still had my underwear on, would instruct me to lay down & pull my underwear down so she could take my rectal temperature.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

I wasn't at the ER much as a child. I'm not too sure.

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

When I was a kid. Bare hands.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

I wouldn't know.

Did you receive shots in the butt?

No

How thorough were genital exams back then?

Very thorough.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

I didn't get my first rectal exam until my 20's.

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

I feel like it was more thorough back then.

Did you have to undress for the exam?

I almost always had to undress

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude? Gown

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown?

Both. Twice I was given only a paper sheet

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities?

I think they were less concerned with modesty

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties?

Always white

Did you have to remove them during the exam?

Sometimes they said strip to underwear

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks?

I always thought ‘take off your clothes’ meant socks

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam?

Usual clothes: shirt, tee shirt, jeans, munsingwear briefs, socks shoes

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed?

Varied. Both in the room and hallway, clothed or gown

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult? NO

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain?

Nurse always told me to ‘change’ and left

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now?

I had hernia surgery, went in night before, and had an extensive prep: bath and shave from bellybutton to back of scrotum. Last one was outpatient, and only half pubic hair shaved in the OR

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands?

Bare hands but gloves for the genitals

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female?

Pediatrician female; surgeon male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

N/A

Did you receive shots in the butt? YESSS! OOOWIE

How thorough were genital exams back then?

Pediatrician checked my foreskin, found a varicocele, later hernia. So she was very thorough

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age?

No, but I had hemorrhoids and had rectals for that

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like? N/A

How thorough was it compared to what they do now?

@Mas1978 So the genital exam was meatus plus hernia check?

@Jacana I do not remember hernia checks at the first two. I probably had a hernia check at 14. The hernia check was never as traumatic / embarrassing as having my testicles and penis examined at length in front of my parents.

In the 80s, a teenage boy’s medical examination was a mix of formality and simplicity. The clinic had that distinct antiseptic smell, and the doctor, often in a white coat, greeted him with a warm smile. The checkup began with routine height and weight measurements, followed by a blood pressure cuff that felt oddly fascinating. The stethoscope was cold against his chest as the doctor listened intently. Vision was tested with a wall chart, and sometimes there was a shot in the butt . It felt oddly comforting, marking a moment of growing up.

Grew up in the 70s and 80s

Did you have to undress for the exam? YES - to underwear

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude? No gown. underwear

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown? N/A

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities? No concern for modesty then

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties? Mostly tighty whities. Some colored briefs

Did you have to remove them during the exam? YES , at least down, sometimes off

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks? yes

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam? jeans/ shirt or shorts / tshirt

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed? hallways, shoes off usually.once in room in underwear

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult? No

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain? Please take everything off except your underwear

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now? NA

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands? bare hands

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female? male

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways? NA

Did you receive shots in the butt? YES

How thorough were genital exams back then? visual inspection and also felt penis and testicles, hernia

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age? yes. i had one for college physical

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest?

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like?NA

How thorough was it compared to what they do now? NA

Thank you for bringing this to everyone’s attention.

Did you have to undress for the exam? Yes, stripped to underpants.

Were you given a gown or did you receive the exam in your underwear or nude? Remained in underwear, no gown. Underwear was lowered or sometimes removed when required.

If gown, was it a cloth gown or paper gown? N/A

Were doctor’s offices more modest with their patients back then or do you think they have become more so now given our modern social sensitivities? Not sure.

Did you (or the general majority of people) wear white underwear - briefs, bra and panties? I wore white underpants, I think a majority of us did.

Did you have to remove them during the exam? Yes

Were you barefoot for your exams or did you wear socks? Were you wearing white socks? Barefoot

What clothes, particularly from the style of those decades, did you wear to the doctors office before your exam? For this exam, it was at school so was wearing school uniform.

How were you weighed, in the hallway or in the exam room? Were you weighed in your underwear or fully clothed? In the hallway, in my underpants.

Was your temperature taken rectally as an adult? No

How would the doctor or nurse instruct you to undress? What did they say? Would the nurse give you instructions ahead of time or wait until the doctor arrived? Did they step out of the exam room while you changed or did they remain? A group of us were shown to a changing room by a nurse and instructed to undress to our underpants. We then sat outside the room where the examinations were taking place. Before going in, we were weighed in the corridor.

What was a visit to the ER or Hospital for a routine surgery like in the 80s and 90s compared to now? N/A

Did more doctors do examinations with gloves on or bare hands? Didn’t wear gloves further ones I had in the early 80s, but do now.

Were the majority of doctors you saw male or female? Back then around 50/50. Possibly slightly more male:

Were the majority of gynecologists back then male or female? Were you comfortable seeing them anyways?

Did you receive shots in the butt? No

How thorough were genital exams back then? Through. My foreskin was retracted 2 or 3 times, testicles palpitated and a hernia check.

Did doctors traditionally do a rectal exam before middle age? No, but my anus was visually inspected.

What are some films or tv shows from the 80s and 90s that have good medical scenes in them, that may have attracted your interest? Arachnophobia had a football team having a hernia check.

If you had enlisted in the army during the 80s, what was getting the MEP like? N/A

How thorough was it compared to what they do now? N/A