Undressing at the pediatrician

@Tamara25 after you turned 12 did you have to take your bra off for a breast exam during your exams or could you keep your bra on as well? At what age did your pediatrician start looking at your breaststroke? Did the Dr just look at them or did the Dr do an actual exam on your breasts?

During my childhood in the Netherlands there were regular (school) physicals up to the age of 16/17. These were all run by the public health services to monitor health and development of minors.

Until I was aged 11/12, the exams took place in a small local public health service centre in my hometown. I can still remember that there was always some level of ‘awkwardness’ among the children that where waiting there with a parent for their exam. Once it was my turn, the doctor would call my family name, and me and my mom would enter the exam room. The doctor then chatted a little with my mom over my file, while I had to undress immediately down to my underwear. My socks could stay on, at least during the first part of the exam, yet they had to come off a bit later anyway. It was a lasting impression for me, to be paraded around by the doctor in his office with only my undies on and the cold vinyl floor below my bare feet 😃

My last physical in the social services building was at the age of 11/12. This was also the last time that my mom was present, and the first time I remember that the doctor removed my undies. I was taken by surprise back then, when he suddenly lowered my undies down to my knees while I was standing in front of him. Although I still had little awareness of my own body, I did feel embarrassed of my mom now seeing my naked bum from the back of the room. Next, while standing like this, the doctor instructed me to 'blow hard on the back of my hand', and to my own wonder I saw that I quickly got a stiffy while he was watching up close. As a result I thought during my early teens that 'blowing on the back of your hand' was intended to summon the natural response of an erection in all healthy boys. Only a few years later when starting to masturbate, I became aware of the embarrassment of having an erection in public.

After elementary school, the school physicals where still performed by the public health services up to the age of 16/17. However, now a doctor would visit each school and the physicals took place in an temporary exam room inside the school building. Most students would not participate since it was no longer mandatory, yet I still did go every time. The exams where similar as before: undressing to only underwear right from the start, but this time socks had to come off immediately as well. And then at some point the familiar scene where you had to stand before the doctor and blow on the back of your hand' followed by the removal of underwear. In some cases my underwear had to stay off after this, while in other cases the doctor would pull them up again, but would still remove them completely during the later part when lying supine on the exam table. In all cases it ended completely naked. I have never seen or used a gown for any physical here.

I was undressed to panties up to age 8. And then from 8-10 it was a paper gown and panties. Then from 11-12 it was bra, panties and paper gown.

Everything off, cloth gown.

As others have said, in UK I didn’t have a paediatrician. I had examinations from a school doctor, clinic doctor and saw my GP when needed. For medical examinations, it was always stripped to underpants from the start and then these were lowered or came off when required. For GP, I sometimes undressed. I had a rash on my body at around 11 and I stripped completely from the start to be examined for that.

”Since you are here for your physical I need you to take everything off but your underwear. That includes your bra and socks. you can cover up with this….” And she would hand me like a paper drape. Not a gown. Not a vest. Just a paper blanket. It didn’t provide much modesty.

I always had to undress down to my underwear at the very beginning. Sometimes this was done after the nurse did my vitals and sometimes before. Undies would come off at the end for the genital exam. Sometimes I could leave my socks on and sometimes not. I tried leaving them on one time and they said to take them off but I tried it again a few years later and they didn’t say anything.

When I was 16, I wanted to get working papers for a summer job on a farm in the country. That required a physical exam and, at that time, the state did those for kids' working papers for a really nominal fee, so my parents took me to a state health department office. There were maybe 10 or 12 other kids my age there for the same thing, so they must have done it on specific dads. I was given a hospital type robe that was made of the same material as a standard gown but it tied in the front. I had to take off everything including underpants and just wear the gown. They let me wear socks for walking down the hall for things in other rooms.

My mother took me every year in August just before school started. I always had to undress and only had on my tighty whities. The doctor and his nurse and my mother would be in the room. It was a complete physical. I hated them and was shy so I didn't like being exposed in my underwear.

At the pediatrician - who also happened to be a family member - I was always expected to strip down to panties and don't recall having a gown. I seem to recall expressing my displeasure about this somewhere down the road, as it was still the expectation even when I was around 11 or 12 (but thankfully at another doctor's office by then), and was told that pediatricians wanted to see as much of your body as possible to look for signs of physical abuse. I guess that shut me up because I don't recall discussing it again.

I remember I only had to take off my shirt and shoes at pediatricians. This was in the US in late 80s or early 90s.

70’ 80’s I don’t ever remember totally undressing . Most time just Down to underwear and T-shirt. Nurse would let us know it was temperature time. As we got older the nurses would just use oral thermometer. Unless we were sick coughing, nauseated, or if mom told her we was running a fever. Then temperature taking was let’s get you on your tummy. Nurse would shake the thermometer down then pull your underwear down and take it in your butt...When the Doctor came in unless you was get a physical he never pulled your underwear down. He would lift your shirt to press on your stomach or listen to your heart and lungs.

was told that pediatricians wanted to see as much of your body as possible to look for signs of physical abuse.

I just recently realized that this must have been the case with some of the check ups I have had as a kid - at most of my pediatric visits I only had to lift up my shirt for auscultation, but on some occasions I had to undress to panties. Most probably those were annual exams where the doctor had to be more thorough and, besides all other things, to also check for signs of physical abuse. Either way, I remember I would get so nervous that I thought my heart was going to explode.

At my exams i’d go to a room then have a brief chat with the pediatrician then he’d ask me to strip to my underwear and leave the room. I’d wait on the table till he came back then layed down and he’d do everything while i was laying supine and would always stretch my underwear band down just to expose my genitals then snap it back up just to bring it down to my ankles and ask me to stand up so he could feel my testicles. Admittedly, sometimes i got hard at this point and he’d ignore it but i was humiliated. He’d always finish the exam off like this then ask me to do excercise like jumping jacks and push ups with a tent in my underwear

I had to take everything off except my panties until I was 11. And then I was given a gown and told to take everything but my panties off. My doctor would always slide my gown down to uncover my chest when he listened to my heart and do the breast exam. And then he would cover my chest and lift the bottom of the gown up to expose my abdomen. I always felt nervousness and some excitement as his hands moved lower. He would always take a little peek at my pubic hair by lifting my panties up, and then he would cover me with the gown and have me lift my hips so he could take down my panties. After that it was the frog leg position. He usually tried to keep my private area covered since my siblings were in the room, but it was still embarrassing since they were watching him look between my legs.

@Avala96 were your breasts exposed during auscultation? Did your siblings see your breast exam? Did they wear gowns too and did you watch their exams? Were they able to see what he was doing when he examined your vagina?

I was always stripped under my gown on the nurses orders. I was always scared.

I didn't have a pediatrician as a child, but at every exam I had at my GP (very regular due to early puberty), I had to completely strip on entering his room. I didn't have a gown. Was always embarrassing; as until I was 15 mum was always present sat a couple of feet away with perfect view of everything.

Stripping us kids was the norm back in the 50s-90s. I dont think they do it as much today.

That was a main resson I hated the doctor's appt. when I was little. I hated hearing the nurse or the doc telling my mom to "please strip him down"

@Jamesdr Yes, my breasts were exposed. The doctor would slip the top of my gown down to my waist so her could listen to my heart. Then he would press on my breasts gently while I was sitting up, and then do the full exam once I was laying down. My siblings were in the room.

When he looked at my privates, I was laying down with my knees open, but I had the gown on so only the doctor could see. The only thing they saw was him looking at me and then reaching a hand between my legs to part my labia.

My brother was always in his briefs, and my sister was just in her panties at the time. I was the only one old enough for a gown. Yes, I watched their exams.

When I went to the pediatrician for my sports and school physical exams I would have to strip to my underwear. The nurse would call me back and show me the exam room (small hall with probably 5 exam rooms and a bathroom). While standing in the hall, she would tell me to go to the bathroom and provide a urine sample then go back to the room she just showed me and take all my clothes off except my underwear.

I would do as instructed and she would come in and do the pre-exam procedures with me just in my underwear (height, weight, temperature, blood pressure). Then she would tell me to sit on the table and wait for the doctor which was usually a 15/20 minute wait.

The doctor would perform my physical with me just in my underwear. They never came completely off but his hands would usually reach in for the genital exam or to pull my underwear down…

This whole experience is what triggered my met fet interest…..

At my pediatrician’s office boys would undress down to their underwear. Girls as well. When girls became teenagers they were in bra and panties. Right after your temperature being taken rectally boys and girls were instructed to remove their undershirts/bras and wait for the doctor. I know this about the girls because, as I have said many times in the past, doors were left open most of the time. Sometimes partially, and other times completely. If I passed a room on the way out and a girl was being examined, her breasts were in full view. I also saw many boys and girls getting their temperature taken. Unfortunately those tables were turned on me on numerous occasions.

When I went to the pediatrician (up to age 6), my brother and I were told to undress. I didn't want to be totally nude, so I asked the doctor if I could keep my underwear on, and she said I could. But when it came time for the genital exam, the doctor pulled my underwear down to my ankles. We were allowed to keep on our underwear for the majority of the exam, though.

@amarin Did you see what was done to your brother?

It varied a bit. Until I was 11 or 12 I only had my panties on. Then I started getting a gown, but I also think it was an office policy change because so did my younger sister and my older cousin was examined in her bra and panties until that year.

Sadly all my exams were short off and a quick feel. It was not until I was 12, when I got to stand up and drop them. For a quick feel. Friends used to undressed to underwater that were removed. But I never experienced it.