Personal speculum brought to an exam.

New (?) product advertised on TV. A “more gentle” speculum you can purchase and bring to a gyn exam for your doc to use. Curious what any women think about this. Would you consider it? Do you think your doctor would use it if asked (I kinda doubt it).

Might be a good option for play exams, too!

https://www.nellaspec.com/pages/about-us

I too have noticed these ads and am intrigued. I would have taken a bit of time to take a look at one before agreeing to use it on a patient, as any injury or problems would have been my responsibility. I await feedback from both patients and doctors who use this device.

My primary care was the one who recommended it to me, we'll see how it goes in a few months.

That's interesting. I could see that making its way into doctors offices in the near future

Men please do not post on this topic if you do not have anything to write about this speculum. And it is not ok to just talk about things you use for enemas on this topic instead, there are lots of other topics where you can do that. Just leave this one alone please.

When I started this thread, I intended to solicit responses from both women and doctors, real or play. How women felt about suggesting it to a doctor, and how a doctor would feel about using a new insrtrument a patient brought to an exam. I wasn’t clear in my initial post, but I think the male responses are relevant, and despite my poor wording in my OP , they shouldn’t be excluded. If I were a doctor, would I be receptive to using advice a patient brought in that I was unfamiliar with, or would I adapt? Liability issues? As a female, would I be comfortable suggesting it and want my doctor to use it?

I won’t “dirty edit” my initial post, just clarifying the intent I meant but obviously wasn’t clear.

I suspect this thread is dead anyway due to the confusion I left out in my original post and how it’s diverted

In France, healthcare is a field that is part of social progress, and gynecological follow-up consultations are reimbursed by the social security system.

Consequently, practitioners are regulated and must respect an obligation of means. It is therefore their responsibility to provide the instruments used during the examination (speculum, forceps, compresses, staining reagents). The only thing the patient must purchase herself (on prescription, and reimbursed) is subcutaneous contraceptive implants or intrauterine devices.

Therefore, it is not conceivable for the patient to arrive with her favorite speculum.

Personally, I would also question the proper sterilization of the instrument.

I looked at the website of the distributor of the equipment in question. Honestly, their equipment may be more pleasant than a basic plastic speculum, but probably nothing more.

It is also worth looking at the prices offered; the price seems exorbitant to me. Gynecological consultations should be routine for all patients, regardless of their income. Therefore, it's important not to raise fees.

For your information, the current rate is around forty euros, which can increase slightly in private sector 2 practices with flexible fees.

There are some pros to this product, but there's a lot of marketing gimmicks going on here as well. I'll reply to a couple comments and then go into detail.

On the question of sterilizing - assuming we are talking about autoclaving then yes some of the products qualify, others are single use

As far as price tag - in bulk (box of 96) a little over 4 dollars each for single use. Reusable $175 each, 165 each if buying a case of 10. The whole "kit" product they are peddling to patients - so for $125 you get a throw away spec, some cheap socks, a little tube with a drop of essential oil, a squishy ball, and a restaurant wet wipe (you can get a case of 24 of the speculums no socks or crap included for the same price.)

I'm slightly confused on the comment of injuring a patient - it's a speculum with narrow bills much like a Pederson or pediatric size model...nothing more...I'll get to the vaginal wall retractors in the "kind" model, but that's not a new invention either.

The "kind" model reusable ( I have one) - It's a polymer construction, better than cheap plastic. They claim no lubricant needed, it's easier to insert than cheap plastic but lubricant is still a plus, just my opinion. The bills are very narrow and fairly long. Fully inserted and fully opened you do get good access to the cervix, the side retractors open simultaneously and push the vaginal walls open. You can take vaginal samples and get a pap smear with no problem.

That said - for play purposes a good grade graves or pederson speculum, metal, medium (or small if needed) is much better suited. You can open the vagina wide, extend the handle if needed for an even wider view, etc. You also have a much more solid device once you lock the thumbscrew in place.

If you have a postmenopausal patient with some level of vaginal atrophy, then the "kind" model is helpful. If you have a patient without major vaginal problems then the metal graves is much better especially if you need to angle to find a cervix that sits to the side or using with a retroverted uterus. The problem with the nella spec is that you can't simply twist to the position or angle you want as you insert, reinsert, etc easily due to the vaginal wall retractors that open up. That said you don't have to twist side to side to see the walls with the nella spec in place. The "kind single use" model is simply the same but you can't autoclave it. The "next" model has a built in upper blade light, material is better than cheap plastic, but it's essentially a basic plastic speculum with wider bills than the "kind" style.

My opinion - it's an interesting product for a serious play doc if you want another very expensive speculum to use in play situations to give the patient different sensations, same as using various models that have long been available. For professional medical use...seems more of an emperor's new clothes kind of thing. The whole idea of a patient buying the "kit" and bringing it to their doctor for comfort - just find a doctor who knows how to gently perform a non rushed exam. If you see a doctor who gives rough exams this isn't likely to change things and may make the exam more uncomfortable in the hands of a doctor who is rough to begin with. Go somewhere else. Buy a really nice bottle of wine and chocolates for the $125 price tag. For play - find a play doctor who actually knows what they are doing and has a collection of various speculums to begin with to make things as gentle or as uncomfortably erotic as you want. Problem solved.

I wonder if a patient would have a legal or regulatory case against a provider if the patient brought one of these kits in, the provider didn’t feel the speculum was appropriate, and did not use it as the patient requested.

Or if the provider used the speculum, there was a complication, and it led to a complaint.

Perhaps a long shot, but if a provider was worried about a risk of harm, maybe they’d discourage or outright refuse its use.

I have a Nella box that I intend to bring to my next appointment, I know it will be used as it's with my PCP and she ordered the box for me. The speculum's individually wrapped in a sealed bag, exact same packaging as the clinic speculum. If you laid both out in front of me, the only way I'd be able to tell the difference in packing is the maker's mark on the package. Once it's inserted, there's a difference, it's very slim profile, and most importantly it's not painful!

As it stands now, if the provider refuses to use the Nella for me, the exam is not happening. I've developed CPTSD at the hands of 2 gyns, it's taken close to 2 years of very hard work in pelvic floor PT and in therapy to get to the point where I have a chance of being able to stand and say "This is my body, what you are doing is not ok and you need to stop right now", and there's still a lot more work to be done. I am sure as heck risking a retraumatization with someone who is showing me they will not listen to and respect my wishes. If they're able to come up with an alternate solution (something that's as slim and keeps the pressure off the bottom edge of the vagina), great. But having handled and practiced self inserting the speculum, you're not going to find one.

It's really to everyone's benefit to use it in my case. I need to have some positive experiences if I'm going to heal and I get to avoid another psych crisis, the practitioner doesn't have to deal with a patient going into an acute psych crisis and dealing with my very pissed off therapist afterward, the practitioner remains in good standing with the referral source, and thus the exam's easier on everyone.

Hearmyheart: I apologize about my remarks causing offense. I did not appreciate fully the importance of a different speculum for patients who've dealt with traumatic situations at the gynecologist.

Thank you for the excellent points you raised about why you need the Nella box. It sounds like your provider cares for your needs and respects your wishes. I hope other providers offer similar care.

I hope your next appointment goes well.

Not sure if this would be an acceptable practice here in the UK.

@Dr Jones, no offense taken. We've found that the lateral retractors get some of the pressure off of a giant muscle knot that a regular speculum hits hard. Just feeling like there's something there vs stabbing pain, no brainer. You add trauma history from gyns not understanding stop and no and the physical and mental outworkings of that, and it's a lot easier all around if we stick to what works for me at this time. Anytime I walk into a gyn office, I'm being asked to confront my biggest triggers all at once, and that's a lot. The fact I'm there, the pink gown or drape (0 issue with any other color, but pink, there's an issue), and a speculum. If I'm bringing one I know I can handle, and I self insert, it effectively reduces the intensity and it restores some of the control. That's why we're trying it at my primary care's office first. I trust her, she doesn't have a pink gown or drape in the place, and she's agreed to use a speculum I can handle.