Gyno vs. GP Exam

For women who go to for physical exams from their GP as well as Annual Gyno visits how do the exams differ? Does your GP still examine your breasts, vagina? Do they just check the external vagina? Does your GP still perform a Bimanual exam? Do they use a speculum? Do they perform a rectal exam?

My wife used to get her exams from our hometown GP. She started seeing a gyno in a nearby big city when he retired. She got the full deal from the GP including rectal when she turned 40. The gyno does not do a rectal at all. The gyno is female around 50, the GP was in his 60's and a retired military doctor if that makes a difference.

My SO tells me she has a breast exam, an internal exam and sometimes a pap from her family doctor. She actually sees an advance practice nurse, not a doctor.

I do both. I go to my gyn (male) yearly for my well woman appointments. He does everything there and I love visiting him. I go to my GP (female) yearly as well fornjust a general checkup. She does not do any pelvic exams (unless I tell her I haven't had one...). She does insist on a breast exam though which I don't mind.

My GP does a breast exam but no bimanual or rectal (not even my gyno does a rectal). She does check the lymph nodes in my groin but not my entire vulva.

My gf sees an internist for check ups and a gyn for her yearly pelvic exam. Her internist (a male) will give her a breast exam, rectal exam, and spread her labia in order to just visually inspect her meatus and her introitus. Her gyn (a woman) will give her a breast exam, rectal exam, and complete pelvic exam.

Both of my doctors so far have been GP's but they also do OB/GYN. I grew up in a small town so the doctor there did it all. She was our pediatrician doctor also. I remember telling my sister when I lost my virginity and wanted to get on the pill she made the appointment. I remember my heart jumping when I entered the exam room and seeing the stirrups out and ready. I guess I had never paid attention because I had been examined before in that very room. But the stirrups were not out. I was used to her doing the breast exam and a fast look between my legs. But she did the works that day. Pap, bimanual and rectal. Then I found one down here when I started college. She does the same thing.

I've just been getting pap smears done at my GP for the last few years. Never received a rectal or bimanual exam. I just made an appointment with an actual gynecologist in February so it will be interesting to see if there are any differences!

If one is relying on her GP and does not see a GYN then the doctor in my view must do a complete exam. I don't see the benefit of excluding a pelvic or simply relying on a rectal exam. My doctor has not left out anything even when I have also seen a GYN. Might as well get your copay's worth!

I see a both a Gp and a gynecologist. They both examine my breasts and in fact my Gp might even be more thorough when he does my breast exam. As far as the exam of my genitalia my Gp will just do a brief external exam with some light touching and a quick spread of my labia the more in depth “girl exam” is performed by my gynecologist

My GP doesn’t do anything that my OB does because I see an OB. I had a horrible experience with a GP doing the genital and breast exam about 15 years ago and refuse to let another GP do my GYN exam.

My GP tends to just pull my dress up and open the front of my pants to take a quick visual look. He does do a thorough breast exam though which is good.

My gynaecologist however gets me to undress completely and wear a paper gown. There I lie down and he pulls the gown up to just below my breasts, so that he can palmate my tummy and perform a thorough vaginal exam.

For me, the GP and the Gyno both do breast exams, but the gynecologist is the only one who does a pelvic exam.

My wife has had annual physicals at both. When she has our GP do her exam she just tells them she wants a pelvic and breast exam, a couple of times they were not prepared to do that and they thought they were done. She asked them to perform a pelvic and breast exam and they did.

My family doctor starts giving full pelvic and breast exams to women over the age of 20. She does a pap smear and a bimanual and sometimes a lengthy external exam.

Hi Hos

My wife has had a similar experience to your good lady.

I hope all was well in the end.

Microscope.

My wife used to go to both the GP and the Gyn until our second (and last) child was about five years old. Then my wife stopped going to the Gyn and relied entirely on the GP. The GP was quite thorough with my wife, with pelvics, paps, and rectals.

Then my wife developed a condition with prolapse that meant she needed to start going to a urogynecologist. To our surprise, the urogynecologist does NOT do basic things like Pap smears (at least hers doesn't). So she continued to rely on our GP for basic Gyn check ups.

During the time that my wife was going to both, the Gyn did the pelvics and paps, not the GP. This is not unlike my own experience with GP and urologist. My GP always did the genital and rectal exams on me during my annual physicals. Then when I started going to the urologist around age 50, the GP stopped the genital and rectal exams. But, I stopped going to the urologist after about 10 years, and so the basic urological work was once again done by the GP.

I have an annual medical and annual gyno. The gyno exam is done with me bottomless and includes a vulva exam, since I got fingered and my hymen got stretched she included a virgin speculum exam and bimanual.

My medical includes a breast exam, thorough vulva exam, and since turning 30 even though I'm a virgin (lesbian that's only been fingered inside) and haven't carried a child I get a kegel test which is 2 fingers pushed up my vagina and wiggled around then she asks me to squeeze and hold her fingers with my vagina.

I see our internist for an annual physical and my GYN for a well woman exam. The internist does a breast exam, external genital exam and a rectal exam. The GYN does all of the above, plus a pelvic exam, PAP/HPV test and a rectovaginal exam. The internist would be happy to do my GYN care if I wanted, but I have persistent high risk HPV, so I feel more comfortable seeing my GYN at least once a year.

In fact, the objective of consulting a general practitioner has in theory nothing to do with gynecology.

The only interest could be if you live too far from a specialist office.

A general practitioner is in charge of daily medicine but he is not specialized.

In the same way, we go to see a dermatologist for skin conditions, an ophthalmologist for the eyes, or a dentist for the teeth.

We can however consider that a small annual follow-up visit does not justify a qualified gynecologist.

In this case, we can consider that the palpation of the breasts or the taking of smears can be done during a visit to the general practitioner.

In this case, there is no need to combine the same year with a visit to the gynecologist.

Currently in France there are many regions where there are few specialists and some are very poorly reimbursed by insurance and mutuals.

For this, we see the development of midwifery offices whose role is to participate in gynecological follow-up

When the simple screening raises questions, they refer to a specialist (for a colposcopy or a hysteroscopy for example)

They also rely on a gynecologist for more complicated ultrasounds

I therefore think that the simple consultation with a general practitioner is an alternative but in no case should it be combined with an appointment with the specialist.

My gp monitors my asthma, does all the blood work stuff. She also tells me which vaccines she wants me to get. I have not once taken off pants or more than a sweater.

My gynecologist goes all the other things.

I do breast, detailed pelvic exam for my female patients.. I always offer it during their annual exam..

DRE is only if indicated like rectal bleed/pain.

I do have some who go to their GYN..

I go to the GP for my physical and, at the beginning of the visit, am asked “will we be doing a Pap today?” If I'm due, I'll get it done there. Though, I do have to say that the last couple of GP visits have been considerably less detailed than the PCP I went to before moving back down and back up from down south (i.e. no bimanual, no DRE, etc.). Prior to moving, at that office, even the NPs performing exams were verrrrrrry thorough - to the point of fueling my medfet imagination for a lonnnnng time. But the Doc has moved to a different location and is not currently accepting new (former?) patients.

No my GP does nothing below the waist. The most undressing I do is for an EKG and I usually leave my bra on for that. My GYN does all the rest