Comfort Level with Nudity at Examinations

I'm not sure what changed about me over time, but there was a while where I loathed the doctor and having to have them check me. Something about the last few years, though, has flipped it on its head and while I wouldn't say I've fetishized getting/being naked at an examination of some kind, I'm definitely not resisting opportunities to do so.

For example, when I first started seeing my derm, I was still regularly wearing thongs. I kept it on during my examination, but to have her check something on me it needed to be removed. It was a bit of a thrill for me at the time, but since then I don't think I've worn underwear to any of my derm appointments, now with two different dermatologists. Of course, being the professionals they are, no comments are made, and I don't rush to redress/cover myself and they carry on normally through the rest of the appointment.

I just recently switched my PCP and had my first appointment with her. Once again, into the gown, nothing on underneath. I had to grab my phone to show her my test results from previous blood tests (my old records hadn't cleared into their system yet) and since the gown kept slipping off me I (with consent) just tossed it on the medical bed, and spent a good couple minutes naked waiting for my phone back.

It's little things like this, but I don't mind this level of "baring it all" when it comes to my exams.

I was honesty gobsmacked at my last annual physical when they didn’t even ask me to remove ANY clothing. Like. None. I had a breast concern! I had skin concerns! Nope, just talked with me for about 15 minutes and then put in orders to see a bunch of specialists my insurance won’t cover the cost for me to see. I have no problem with nudity in the doctor’s office. It’s literally the one place outside of my bedroom/bathroom where I practically feel entitled to be naked.

A lot of it is due to the changes in diagnostic medicine. 20 years ago a doctor had observation, questioning and palpitation as their only real tools. Now scans and blood tests are more accurate so there’s little need for nudity.

I was honesty gobsmacked at my last annual physical when they didn’t even ask me to remove ANY clothing. Like. None. I had a breast concern! I had skin concerns! Nope, just talked with me for about 15 minutes and then put in orders to see a bunch of specialists my insurance won’t cover the cost for me to see. I have no problem with nudity in the doctor’s office. It’s literally the one place outside of my bedroom/bathroom where I practically feel entitled to be naked.

That's insanity. You had genuine concerns regarding specific things about your body that, you would think, necessitate baring at least part of, if not all of, you to the doctor. That's a red flag to go find someone else to handle your primary care. I think I got super lucky with my recent changes because my current PCP and derm seem a lot more thorough than my last ones, and are cognizant of my specific concerns.

I'm old school enough that I believe that doctors relying solely on imaging (which can be expensive) and blood work to diagnose, or even sending a patient out to a specialist without really examining them themselves is wrong.

I want a doctor who listens to me vs staring at a computer screen, who touches and exposes my body as needed to give me a thorough exam. I am comfortable enough with myself and the physicians I choose to see to allow whatever degree of nudity they require to ensure I'm in the best health I can be.

@demure - EXACTLY!! Like, I don't mind being referred out to a dermatologist if it's warranted. Of course they're going to be the expert. But to not even look at the skin concern to assess or determine "yes/no this is cause for concern" is such BS. And then I'm just stuck with no answer for how forever long until I can get in to the "expert"?! I go to the doctor for a reason. Most of it having nothing to do with my reasons for being here on this site. 😆

When I was younger, my exams started with me in my underpants, I was examined from top to toe, and at the end my underpants came down ordered taken off for the genital exam. The examinations are no longer as thorough, and the doctor seems much more concerned about your modesty and privacy way more than they were years ago - sadly!

I'm comfortable with whatever the doctor wants to do, frankly, I'm pretty open that way.

I am a nudist, so nudity at the doctors is just fine with me. My new PCP exams me with my clothes on. All she does is check BP and listen to heart and lungs.

Now my dermatologist does have to see my skin. I told her long ago I was a nudist. So when I have an exam, I skip the gown and remove the underpants when she walks in.

In my early years, nudity was common in examinations. I just accepted it as part of the norm, and got on with it.

Visual check of the body, and for males, the cough and drop.

As the years progressed, this type of examination decreased.

These days mainly blood tests and scans, with the occasional touch and feel.