What embarrassing questions were you asked during a medical exam?

Not an embarrassing but a funny one. The year I turned 31, my doctor started with the biological clock talk and my reaction to that was priceless that my doctor couldn't stop laughing… It's more of an in-joke now.

@fantasy2022 Ok, so what was your reaction to that? Don’t leave us hanging…

@Srgfgahs: Well, I was kind of confused and blurted out: “I think my clock seems to be working fine, I just told your assistant when my clock went off last time.” That did it.

I was always embarrassed to be asked about my period and my sexual activity. I also had a doctor ask once if my feet smelled, that was embarrassing.

@Srgfgahs Were you ever caught?

@Pecan_nutjob are you referring to the masturbation post? If so, no I was never caught. I was pretty careful since I knew I was not supposed to ever touch it except to pee. But honestly, as a result of those directions, I didn’t start masturbating until I was 16. I missed out on a lot.

All through college I seemed to have a different doc every year for the necessary sports physical. And all of them would ask more than just “are you sexually active“ and wanted to know things like number and gender of partners And if there were problems with performance. I wasn’t ashamed to answer but I found the questions really awkward especially sitting there in my underwear.

We women endure much more invasive questions and more frequently, for sure. I think I've had more than my share.

The MOST embarrassing? Probably when the male pediatrician was “examining” my vulva and began to ask if certain areas being touched “felt good.” It occured more than once. First time maybe age 8 or 9? Creepy, but for play, would be a turn-on now.

Recently, I began a treatment that can harm a fetus, so every 2-4 weeks I have to take a pregnancy test and answer a manufacturer survey required by the government to mitigate the risks with these drugs. Really awkward having my sweet 70-something male doctor ask me my intentions on motherhood in the most wholesome way and then asking my feelings on abortion, because it would be a given if I were to get pregnant at any point now. The surveys are a lot more direct asking about PIV intercourse, menstrual cycle and use of birth control.

My pediatrician used to feel up my testes pretty hard in a grip and it’d make me squirm sometimes and ask if it hurt more than usual.

@david823 I had that happen with a Kaiser doctor. He said while I was there he wanted to check out the boys. I dropped trou and he gripped them from below pushing them tight against my scrotum. No doctor before or since has checked them that way.

I was there because I had returned from a trip to Panama and had some gastro intestinal distress. He also ordered bloodwork.

2 years ago I had gone to the doctor for the first time in 8 years and I had to get naked and got a gown and the doctor looked at every part of my body but the most embarrassing part to me was getting dressed after while he was watching and asking me questions about my diet. Definitely a weird feeling

2 years ago I had gone to the doctor for the first time in 8 years and I had to get naked and got a gown and the doctor looked at every part of my body but the most embarrassing part to me was getting dressed after while he was watching and asking me questions about my diet. Definitely a weird feeling

@Doctorzacho,

Did you ask him to leave while you were dressing, or to leave your gown on until he left so you could have your privacy?

What was your illness or complaint that brought you to see him after 8 years? Thank you,

Eric

I think the most embarrassing questions were in my early teens. Things like “Have you started having periods?” or, “Any problems with your breasts?” were pretty awkward.

@ericmacson i did not ask him to leave cause I was too nervous and like he had already seen all of me so I guess it wouldn't have made a difference. Buy I went to the doctors because I had felt like it was too long and wanted to make sure I was healthy

My doctor slaps me a lot because of my answers. She asked me if I was sexually active and I told her that things would be a lot better if I wasn't alone. she also told me that I was too sedentary. At that point I realized that I needed to go buy a dictionary.

It was my first complete exam with my present doctor. He had just concluded the genital exam and said, “Well, we should do a prostate exam. Let's have you turn around and lean onto the table,” as he snapped on a fresh glove and retrieved a packet of lube. Once in the position, he spread open my cheeks and asked, “Any itching or discomfort” as he traced the outer area. He commented, “There's a small hemi” and then pushed his finger fully into me.

I was in to see my Dr. last week because I thought the Lasix she had me on wasn't strong enough. I saw myself in my wife's full length mirror and I looked 44 weeks pregnant. When I got out of the hospital they had me a lot slimmer and breathing better. I was sitting in the chair talking to her and I told her at the weight I was this morning when I'm sitting like this I can usually see the boys when I look down but I can't now. I heard her chuckle when I mentioned “the boys” and saw a smile on her face. She doubled my dosage a week ago and now I CAN see the boys again. Maybe I'll send her a message to tell her that. She can't ask me anything that would embarrass me. When I showed her where the nurse at the hospital scraped my inner foreskin getting a “sterile” urine sample I told her I was sure I didn't do it masturbating and showed her how my fingers didn't come near that spot when rubbing it. We have a great relationship now but it took 9 years to get there. I do think she's still a bit embarrassed to see me naked.

I had a physical by a female general practitioner. everything was pretty simple I was still dressed she just listen to my heart and lungs look at my nose ears throat she had sit down she asked me about my bathroom habits if I was having any issues with diarrhea or constipation. If I was having any issues with urination. and the last time I had a prostate exam if it was by blood test or rectal exam. Then She asked if I had A bowel movement today and if it was all right for her to do a rectal exam and check my prostate as well and if possible get a poop smear sample.

My first visit to a former PCP resulted in a complete physical.

When it came time for the rectal exam, I bent over the table. He spread my ass cheeks a, saw my hemorrhoid, and yells “AHA"!

Talk about embarrassing!

Then She asked if I had A bowel movement today and if it was all right for her to do a rectal exam and check my prostate as well and if possible get a poop smear sample.

What's with this asking crap? Until very recently Doctors just did it! Now I have to ask them or it doesn't get done. When I was in the hospital the nurse didn't ask me if she could take the sterile urine sample. She told me she was going to do it and I wasn't to touch anything, she was going to do it all. They say sergeants run the army, maybe nurses are more like them.

@roscoe There's a balance between the two, it's not a choice between simply dishing out instructions or leaving patients to proactively request elements of an exam. It's seems perfectly appropriate to me to ask before delving into an area generally considered sensitive or intimate. I'd happily have the doctor pull down my underwear and boss me around in the nude myself, but that's a different story…

I think the most embarrassing questions like “How many time you masturbate?” or, “When you last sex activity?”.

I think the most embarrassing questions like “How many time you masturbate?” or, “When you last sex activity?”.

@Shyboy_Patient why's does a doctor need to know how many times you masturbate?

I was asked if I was “sexually active”, so embarrassing.

For me the most embarrassing question I’ve ever been asked was about a year ago. I went to see a urologist for a small issue and one of the first questions he asked wasn’t “Are you sexually active“, like I might’ve expected, it was “Haven‘t you started having sex yet?” Which really threw me off. The almost condescending phrasing was what made it so embarrassing for me. I‘m kind of glad I only ever had to see him once.

My initial exam three years ago with my naturopath, we talked for nearly 2 hours about my health — never had such a thorough discussion with any doctor. I didn’t feel the embarrassment that I thought I would. We talked about my enema history dealing with intestinal issues, stomach upsets and headaches. I wasn’t afraid to share, even when I‘d sometimes get a sexual rush. Normal reaction, she said, but it’s natural not to talk about it.

She asked an unexpected question: “Does an enema ever affect you emotionally?” I told her the truth — yes it does. Sometimes I’ll take an enema to relieve stress. I couldn’t believe I admitted that. She found it interesting that I would know many of our emotions are rooted in our digestive tract. Also normal, she said, yet that’s rarely discussed among G.I. specialists. I had never talked with any doctor before about the brain-gut connection.

Sounds like your naturopath may be asking your advice on enemas!

…. She asked an unexpected question: “Does an enema ever affect you emotionally?” I told her the truth — yes it does. Sometimes I’ll take an enema to relieve stress. I couldn’t believe I admitted that. She found it interesting that I would know many of our emotions are rooted in our digestive tract. Also normal, she said, yet that’s rarely discussed among G.I. specialists. I had never talked with any doctor before about the brain-gut connection.

@Vicki_V The brain-gut connection is not just a topic amongst naturopaths. An article (worth while reading) from Johns Hopkins describes the enteric nervous system (ENS) - two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum. The ENS may trigger big emotional shifts experienced by people coping IBS or other functional bowel problems. Researchers are finding evidence that irritation in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system (CNS) that trigger mood changes. “For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to these problems. But our studies and others show that it may also be the other way around,”

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection

In my age it is hard to embarrass me. But in my teens I remember I was embarrassed when a doctor asked me when I started growing pubic hair. I got pink faced and hesitated for a moment thinking whether he suspects or not something wrong about my development. Eventually I told him as it was - 13 y o. He just smiled at me and continued examining me.

@roscoe as carer I would always approach a resident with “ is it OK to give you a wash” I deem it appropriate to give them a choice. Once they move into a residential setting or lose mobility or even cognitive ability it is important to let them know they do have a choice.

My father's retired Army doctor, at my first physical exam with him, while giving me my first prostate exam, asked me when was the last time I masturbated. I guess my prostate was kind of empty lol.