Changing Attitudes To State Of Dress / Undress (UK and USA)

Is there a general trend, in recent years, I wonder with regard to patients having to strip ( or rather not!! ) for medical examinations. For example, every examination I had between 1960 and 1970 ( almost all at school, but some for Paediatric reasons and one pre - University entrance) I was required to immediately strip down to vest / underpants - then ( fairly quickly) just to pants. ..,and, finally.,totally naked. Every exam...without exception. As detailed elsewhere, my first ( succesful) mortgage application had an insurance element. Before the loan was approved I had to have a very thorough medical and I was obliged to strip naked. This was 1982.

I did not have to have another medical for well over 30 years. It was routine really. But the doctor seemed very reluctant to ask me to undress. I did not have to take my shoes, socks, trousers or pants off. Blood pressure, just had to roll up my shirt sleeve. Stethoscope (chest)..just had to undo 2 or 3 buttons on my shirt. Stethoscope ( back) untucked shirt & doctor put the stethoscope under the shirt. Abdominal exam (lying down)...upper shirt buttoned,untucked shirt from waistband and undid bottom 2 or 3 buttons & doctor put her hands beneath the shirt.

No genital exam ( nor anal ) on that occasion. I mentioned it to the doctor, but she just said that my general health was good. She asked me if I had any problems anally / genitalia. ..any pain / discomfort / bleeding / discharges etc., etc. I said not that I was aware of and so she said there was no need for an intimate exam. I had an exam (general 'well being ') 2 yrs ago & it was similar to the previous one. This time I asked the Dr. ( female ) to examine my genitals and prostate for 'peace of mind'.

She semed very reluctant. I just had to lower my trousers / pants to my knees for my first genital exam for nearly 33 years. She palpated my testicles and checked the glans / meatus of my penis as well as doing the usual hernia exam. It probably took no more than 5 mins. I did not even have to undress fully for the DER prostate exam. Just lay on the medical couch (pants/ trousers around my knees, shirt slightly pulled up) on my side, knees slightly drawn up. The lubed finger up the ass was OK.

I have a routine heart / aneurysm screening test next month. I had a letter about it. It stressed three times ( -the final time in bold capital letters ) that I was not to worry and that I would not need to undress. Has society become ultra coy and modest? Is being made to strip for an exam now viewed as being humiliating and a violation of our individual human rights? Are Doctors now more prudish or simply afraid of being sued for impropriety?? Everyone's views / thoughts are most welcome.

We have posted on this topic quite a bit in the past. It would likely help for posters to indicate locations, as specific as possible, and timeframe, since, in general, we have noted that the trend at least in the US went from exposure, to gowns, to fully dressed for males between, say, the 1960's to now, with the 1990's beginning the gown creep.

One explanation has been the switch from doctor to patient needs, or presumed needs: patients are said to resist having to undress. The world wars, the draft, doctors trained in the military, have been possible reasons for males being treated as they were.

We have posted on this topic quite a bit in the past. It would likely help for posters to indicate locations, as specific as possible, and timeframe, since, in general, we have noted that the trend at least in the US went from exposure, to gowns, to fully dressed for males between, say, the 1960's to now, with the 1990's beginning the gown creep.

One explanation has been the switch from doctor to patient needs, or presumed needs: patients are said to resist having to undress. The world wars, the draft, doctors trained in the military, have been possible reasons for males being treated as they were.

Your comment sums it up brilliantly. Allow me to be a little more blunt. My thoughts lean towards the Denis Leary way of thinking in the sense society has become a watered down, subdued, sanitized, sensitivity trained and sissified shadow of it's former self. Oh, boo hoo the doctor asked me to undress so I could be examined. If my bronchitis is acting up, I remove my shirt. If the problem is my ankle then my work boot and sock goes off. During my annual physical I strip to my underwear. No gown. I want my doctor to be able to do her job with ease. The gown (In my opinion) just gets in the way. For some people they feel the need to protect their modesty. I am in good shape and she is a little older than me...Perhaps she likes having me on her exam table in my underwear. :p

Schoolmedsboi I have read your posts. You say you may have been sexually assaulted by a doctor as a youngster. That's gotta be rough. Trusting a doctor must be a real problem. I also had two incidents as a boy that I had to deal with. I had no choice but to strip completely naked and submit to a physical/body cavity search as part of the intake process at juvenile detention. The other incident happened about two years later in the emergency room. I was depressed and fearful and I assaulted a doctor. I was placed in restraints, sedated and had my blood drawn.

I will admit I have often felt anxious and stressed having to see the doctor. Several years ago I "owned up to it" with my current doctor and she really has worked with me in dealing with "My Little Problem" (which is also a great song by The Replacements). How do you deal with it?

I don't undress at all when I go for my annual physical. As with everyone else, back in the 70s and 80s I was always asked to undress to my undershorts for my exams and then I dropped them for the genital exam. That changed in the 90s when I undressed to my undershorts and had to put on a gown. Now, I don't undress at all and haven't for several years. The doctor doesn't even do a genital exam or rectal exam--it's simply a heart/lung check, reflexes, ears, weight, blood pressure, and blood work. That's pretty much it. Its pretty pathetic to be honest and at times I wonder why I even bother. It's a good thing that I see my urologist once a year for the genital/rectal exam.

I don't undress at all when I go for my annual physical. As with everyone else, back in the 70s and 80s I was always asked to undress to my undershorts for my exams and then I dropped them for the genital exam. That changed in the 90s when I undressed to my undershorts and had to put on a gown. Now, I don't undress at all and haven't for several years. The doctor doesn't even do a genital exam or rectal exam--it's simply a heart/lung check, reflexes, ears, weight, blood pressure, and blood work. That's pretty much it. Its pretty pathetic to be honest and at times I wonder why I even bother. It's a good thing that I see my urologist once a year for the genital/rectal exam.

You are receiving inadequate and substandard care. I would consider finding a new doctor if possible. Having a genital and prostate check is absolutely necessary during an annual physical. Maybe have a conversation first. Be honest and tell your doctor what is on your mind.

As with everyone else, back in the 70s and 80s I was always asked to undress to my undershorts for my exams and then I dropped them for the genital exam. That changed in the 90s when I undressed to my undershorts and had to put on a gown

Yes, the gowns 1st came out in the 90's. I thought it was very easy to waive using them, as it was still the same doc I had seen for several years prior, as the doc was same gender, as I'm topless at the beach, the pool, the yard, around the house, etc. I saw no point in putting it on, so i didn't. Wasn't like i suspected the doctor was gay & felt uncomfortable. Why would I suddenly have to cover up, especially when i would think the doc still needs to access the covered areas. So i never bothered & nothing was ever said.

Fast forward 20 years to last year, when I finally decided I should have my own primary care physician & be checked out via a physical that I should start doing annually, as the company stopped doing them annually automatically, and many things had changed. And now I found myself over 50, with polyps and skin carcinoma, and things of that nature.

I chose a lady doc out of personal preference, and as a new patient especially with an opposite gender doc, wanted to follow protocol. Though at the same time mentioned "I'm old school", hinting that I'd just as soon not wear the gown that I had left wide open in the front. She would try to cover me up after auscultating various areas of my chest, as if to minimize my exposure & preserve my modesty. Although I thought I was conveying that I didn't give a damn about modesty at all, though remaining respectful.

But we were new to each other, so my tendency was to just go along. I found it odd that she did not want to check me for hernia. She did suggest the DRE, and of course I went with that. When she claimed she could only reach to the bottom third of my prostate, i suggested other positions than the Sims she had me in, but she said something like "there is no better position" and i left it at that.

Fast forward to this year, I did the same gig with the open gown. She was the same way, that if she moved the gown slightly to auscultate or palpate a certain part of me, she would mildly try to cover it back up. Only this time, she asked if I noticed any changes or had any pain in my testicles, and offered to check them. A change from last year.

So I kind of think the more you get acquainted with your doc, and your doc with you, the more comfortable your doc becomes with you, and things can start to change, so your physical won't be or feel so limited.

I reflect on issues that both turkent and schoolmed have shared, and I have to think there are others who no doubt have experienced similar situations, and were traumatized as a result. And I think that contributes to doctors trying to be more sensitive to having patients exposed, as some patients may be traumatized by past experiences. Still others yet may just be totally uncomfortable getting naked for the doctor because they are just that way. Which comes to thew dismay of the rest of the patients who want to be nude or mostly nude to ensure a proper exam, or because they're somewhat pervy, or because they may fall anywhere in between.

The best solution for anyone who find the state of dress/undress important to them & are not satisfied is actually 1 of 2 things: Either have a doctor that you can build a (doctor-patient) relationship with that over time, will customize to your needs, or just keep searching until you find a doctor that meets your needs.

Great replies guys. All relevant in their own ways. Have I been traumatised as a result of having (for various reasons) 23 nude exams as a boy / teen (1960 - 1970, UK)? Well, I certainly have an interest in Medfet!!

Yes, I do believe that one doctor behaved inappropriately when I was 15 (but it was subtle). I was OK (although nervy ) with the 3 or 4 exams that came after that. But the point is that as an adult..,I am actually fine with visiting the doctor. We have the NHS here in the UK. I belong to a regular surgery / practice. But...it is actually virtually impossible nowadays to see a regular doctor. My last 3 visits (spread over 4 years)...it has been a different doctor each time.

Yeah, maybe having had so many physicals involving having to strip off totally and be treated quite brusquely as a youngster has affected me. But...it has never made me avoid doctors as an adult. Nor has it made me wary of them, nor worried me about undressing. Indeed, I find I now become frustrated by the ultra 'PC' approach to patient modesty.LOL. But, everyone's comments and observations are interesting and stimulating. Many thanks to you all.

I saw a pediatrician throughout the 90s and 2000s and he had me stay fully dressed throughout - only lifting and lowering clothes as needed.

In 2013 I had a new doctor for the first time ever and he kept me fully dressed.

In 2015 I saw a new doctor and he had me undress completely and put on disposable exam shorts. This would be the equivalent to undressing to boxers. In 2016 and 2017 with the same doctor I was in a gown with underwear.

My summary is going to be unoriginal, but I think, even today, it all has to do with the doctor. I don't see any doctor requiring full undressing, but I don't doubt there are still plenty of doctors out there who have patients undress to underwear right away.

But the new doctor, superm, (same practice?) has you in the same exam shorts that my new doctor had on offer. The difference is that I didn't use them, undressed to briefs, and he was absolutely fine: his need was to be able to access a patient's skin. Were the gowns and shorts piled together, and did the request come from him or a staff member? I've seen staff get lost between what Dr. X and Dr. Y prefer. And if a gown is offered to put on over underwear, you can always decline it, bringing the exam back to earlier years.

There definitely has been a paradigm shift toward patient "modesty" which I've never liked. The last time I was in my underwear at a doctor's office was for a dermatology exam. Since I've been in Arizona, I've never had a regular doctor ask me to take off more than my shirt and the only time I've ever had genital exams was because I had a hernia.

But the new doctor, superm, (same practice?) has you in the same exam shorts that my new doctor had on offer. The difference is that I didn't use them, undressed to briefs, and he was absolutely fine: his need was to be able to access a patient's skin. Were the gowns and shorts piled together, and did the request come from him or a staff member? I've seen staff get lost between what Dr. X and Dr. Y prefer. And if a gown is offered to put on over underwear, you can always decline it, bringing the exam back to earlier years.

The direction came from the nurse who assessed my vitals before the doctor came in. If I'm provided something to change into and asked to change into it, I'm going to follow the instructions. I just feel it's common curtesy to respect the request of the staff. I receive a complete exam with or without the gown, so I'm happy to oblige even if I'm not the biggest fan of gowns.