Clitoris Examination by your REAL doctor

I’ve never had my clitoral hood or my bare clit touched by a doctor, ever. If I did, I’d probably fall off the exam table. It’s sexual for a woman. Unless she has a specific complaint about it, it should be assumed it works and not stimulated in a professional exam.

It’s also weird to me to read about doctors pulling back the hood (the ones that do must be play doctors). The clitoral hood isn’t long. My hood doesn’t even completely cover my clitoris.

the clitoral hood isn’t long. My hood doesn’t even completely cover my clitoris.

There is a lot if variation in the same way labia minora differ person to person.

There is a lot if variation in the same way labia minora differ person to person.

No, there actually isn’t.

Crystal80

There is a lot if variation in the same way labia minora differ person to person.

No, there actually isn’t

Yes there absolutely is. Also do you know what happens to a clit when someone takes testosterone? Look it up

No, there actually isn’t.

My goodness, what a confident statement. But perhaps you haven't seen many vulvas and are assuming everyone looks exactly like you. Personally every girlfriend I've had has looked markedly different in this area. My own hood looked quite different before and after pregnancy.

Less anecdotally, here's a scientific article about the appearance of the hood:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339755915_Normal_Female_Prepuce

...which includes the notable quote: "There is considerable variation in how much of the glans protrudes from the hood and how much is covered by it, ranging from completely covered to fully exposed."

As to the exam, the Merck manual article on pelvic examination specifically mentions retracting the clitoral hood.

https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/professional/gynecology-and-obstetrics/approach-to-the-gynecologic-patient/pelvic-examination#Pelvic-Examination-Procedure_v88701264

Definitely not just a play doctor thing.

My goodness, what a confident statement. But perhaps you haven't seen many vulvas and are assuming everyone looks exactly like you. Personally every girlfriend I've had has looked markedly different in this area. My own hood looked quite different before and after pregnancy.

Actually, I have worked full time in this field for 20 years. I refuse to fight about this. Enjoy whatever it is you think you’re proving 😉

Also do you know what happens to a clit when someone takes testosterone? Look it up

@TransmasculineBottom

There’s no comparison between natural anatomy and anatomy after taking hormones. That’s a completely different topic.

My pediatrician retracted my clitoral hood during exams. It was humiliating and I dreaded it. I think that's what caused my fetish.

I have a long clitoral hood but a tiny clitoris. Over the years, gyns and pcp's sometimes pull it up, but sometimes they do no external exam at all.

My clitoris doesn't even peek out of the hood when I'm aroused, so it felt really invasive to have a doctor see it.

@icedtea Has there been any explanation why that pediatrician (and the gyn and PCPs) did this? Maybe checking if the hood was "stuck", in the same way that in males the foreskin can be "stuck"?

@icedtea Has there been any explanation why that pediatrician (and the gyn and PCPs) did this? Maybe checking if the hood was "stuck", in the same way that in males the foreskin can be "stuck"?

Yup. Of course, no one told me at the time.

Eventually I learned that it had been tight or irritated just once at the ped. When that's added to your medical records, the doctors will pull it back in future exams to make sure it's healthy. mortifying.

That said, I felt like that peds practice was in general, too liberal with breast/genital exposure and genital exams. Thankfully, I think pediatricians stopped doing that in the 2000s

I've seen conflicting opinions on this. When I was learning about this topic some 40 years ago, I read in the book "It's Your Body: A Woman's Guide to Gynecology" https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Niels-Lauersen/dp/0425063046 that the clitoral hood should be retracted the the clitoris examined during a pelvic exam. But that book was written by two male doctors, and I wondered back then if that was really necessary or just a way for male physicians to exert power over naked females who are in front of them with their legs spread. I have since read material that indicates an examination of the clitoris is unethical unless the patient expresses an issue with her clitoris.

I've never had my penis examined, but I have to imagine having your clitoris contacted by a male doctor's finger tip would produce the same sensation as a female doctor running the tip of her finger along the underside of my erect penis. I might actually shoot a load if that were to happen.

When the doctor does the external, they sort of pull up and outwards at the upper part of your vulva to open you up. That’s going to cause the clitoral hood to move and would show if there was an adhesion or something similar. There’s no need to touch it during an exam absent an actual issue.

I've had a couple of exams where my clitoris has been directly examined recently, but they've both been linked to problems with it directly. Firstly due to friction burns, then because of something like clitorial priapism rhat was a side effect from a new medication.

The first time they asked me to lie down with my underwear lowered and then opened my labia and kind of manipulated ths skin in that area that made the hood slide up without being touched. I've been on testosterone a decade, so it's large and mostly uncovered. They didn't touch directly and I was relatively soft at the time.

When I had the priapism issue I was seen when I was quite hard, and I was fully erect by the time the doctor examined me. Naked from the waist down and feet in stirrups. He touched my clitoris directly and examined it like it was a mini penis. There's an obvious shaft and he worked up that then retracted the hood before pushing quite a bit at the base. He then put a couple of fingers in me to feel it internally.

I'm not used to having things in my vagina, so this was a weird experience.

I hope they sorted out the praipism issue. Did they have to change the meds @stripandsteth ?

Yes, about two years ago. Even by two different doctors. Here's what happened. A good friend of mine suddenly suffered from severe itching of the vulva. She also noticed distinct skin changes on one of her labia majora. She suspected an infection that had led to a rash. But her gynecologist had a nasty surprise for her. My friend, three years older than me, had vulvar cancer (squamous cell carcinoma). Fortunately, she survived the disease with surgery (partial vulvar resection) and chemotherapy.

Less than six months later, I suddenly noticed similar symptoms on my vulva. Terrified, I went to my gynecologist. Based on my description, he examined my vulva very carefully. He looked at the labia minora and majora, and of course, in this case, also my clitoris. This included him pulling back the hood over the glans of the clitoris and examining this most sensitive area of ​​all. Fortunately, after this thorough examination, he was able to at least partially reassure me. In his opinion, I was suffering from a bothersome but harmless eczema. Nevertheless, he insisted I get a dermatological check-up as soon as possible. Because of my anxiety, the gynecologist's receptionist immediately arranged an appointment with a dermatologist, so I was able to see her just two days later. She started with a complete skin cancer screening. For this, I had to undress completely, except for my underwear. After she had examined everything very carefully, I was allowed to put my bra and blouse back on. Then she got to the real problem. I took off my underwear. Of course, she didn't have an examination chair like the one at the gynecologist's office. She performed the vulvar examination by asking me to lie on a couch in the "frog's leg" position. She also thoroughly examined every fold of skin on my vulva, as well as my labia and clitoris. She also removed the cap and exposed the glans of the clitoris to check for any changes. She also explained that it was most likely eczema. She prescribed a cortisone ointment. Nevertheless, just to be safe, she took two tissue samples which she had examined in a laboratory. Having the samples taken from my labia pinched quite a bit. After a week, I received the news that there was no risk of cancer.

@sabinchen I'm glad all turned out well!

@sabinchen I'm glad it turned out well too. I bet you probably have a very clever way of applying that ointment

My doctors examined my penis every year as part of my routine physical. It was expected. The clitoris is an analogous to the penis, but it's far more sensitive. I would expect a physician do only a visual unless an abnormality is detected.

@sabinchen That's horrible… Glad it turned out to be something benign for you! I hope your friend did not lose too much sensitivity down there, with the surgery..

@LordJim2 Thanks. Yeah, I had to stop the medication despite it starting to work and only just started on a new one.

That specific issue has gone, but I'm still having issues in the area. Not sure if that's as a direct result, or maybe just the number of times I had fingers or speculums in somewhere that really isn't used to it. I'm on a waiting list for pelvic physio - so that'll be another interesting experince

Hope things improve for you @stripandsteth .

Every genital exam I've ever had has involved spreading my labia and exposing my clitoris.. Never directly touching it but definitely having a look.

@Laura L Good thing I’m not a doctor. I’d probably stay in trouble concerning the clitoris.

When the doctor does the external, they sort of pull up and outwards at the upper part of your vulva to open you up. That’s going to cause the clitoral hood to move and would show if there was an adhesion or something similar. There’s no need to touch it during an exam absent an actual issue.

I think this is dependent on anatomy. I have a long hood so you have to retract it directly, but I think most women can probably be examined as you described

I've noticed that the external part of the gynecological exam is, like a lot of other things, rarely happening these days. I can't recall when things started to change, but at every visit back around the 80 's or so I watched multiple doctors who would start my wife's pelvic exam by separating her labia wide apart, check her glands, and run his or her fingers upward to fully expose her clit. It wasn't all that rare for them to give a bit of a squeeze as well. It was quick and firm, nothing remotely close to rubbing the clit, but nevertheless quite deliberate. They used to spend as much time externally as it takes for an entire exam with a lot of doctors these days

but at every visit back around the 80 's or so I watched multiple doctors who would start my wife's pelvic exam by separating her labia wide apart, check her glands, and run his or her fingers upward to fully expose her clit. It wasn't all that rare for them to give a bit of a squeeze as well. It was quick and firm, nothing remotely close to rubbing the clit, but nevertheless quite deliberate.

My dick got hard just picturing this. For more than 40 years my dick has gotten hard reading material like this. I’d be embarrassed to admit that to anyone, but glad to see I’m not the only one.