Do you feel this way too?

I was about five, and I was undressed to just my underwear. I was already very uncomfortable with this, as I was at the age of becoming very aware of my body and nudity in general. It was a normal “checkup”, but at the end, the doctor reached towards my underwear and pulled the crotch of them to the side. I was very scared and immediately started crying and kicking. Instead of stopping, he pulled away the other side and looked from that angle. I was finally able to kick him and then got off the table and ran to my mom.

This event has stumped me as I can think of no reason why he would examine me that way, or examine me there at all, especially when I was visibly in distress. I was nowhere near puberty, so he shouldn’t have been looking for development, and I’m sure my genitals had already been checked by him when I was a baby, so he was aware there were no physical deformities.

My parents never took me back to him. A few years went by until I agreed to try going to a doctor again, a female physician. The nurse asked me to change into a gown, but my mother told her no. I was still terrified during the entire exam. I was nine years old and made my mother stand right next to me so that I could hold onto her, so she could be within arms reach. I started crying once I was laying down, and didn’t allow the doctor anywhere near my pants. I saw her one more time when I turned ten and then I refused to go to a doctor again until I was an adult. Even now, I’ve never undressed for a doctor since that exam at five, and have never allowed any intimate exams.

This event has obviously caused me emotional turmoil and after reading many posts here, it seems other’s have experienced inappropriate behavior as well. I am an adult now and in the process of reporting that pediatrician and filing a lawsuit. I suppose I want to know if anyone else thinks their doctor’s behavior was inappropriate and has thought about getting the law involved, or has already done so.

I’m sorry that happened to you. The doctor’s behavior sounds inappropriate and he should not be around children. You are right that many of us had terrible and traumatic experiences as children surrounding doctors and physical exams. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Good luck. I hope the lawsuit works out for you and the doctor gets fined or goes to prison. Thank you for speaking up about what happened. Hopefully more of us will follow your lead.

I am also sorry to hear you were traumatized but I cannot see any wrongful conduct on the part of the doctor. Your genitals get inspected during a physical. Perhaps I am missing something but judging by what you have posted the doctor was doing his job.

Look up the procedure for checking femoral pulse, and see if that resembles what happened to you. It's not a genital check, but it is in the groin area, and something that is done prior to puberty.

I'm sorry you felt as you did and have carried this with you for so long.

Have you ever talked to a licensed therapist about this? Your response could mean many things, among them, prior sexual abuse that you may have sublimated that was triggered by an exam. Since you carry the experience to this day, it seems worthy of more consideration with someone who specializes in sexual trauma.

It's possible the doctor may have been checking for sexual abuse, that can be part of an exam, and the standard is to look at the genitals last. It is impossible for anyone in a forum like this to judge whether the doctors behavior was appropriate or inappropriate since none of us was there and it's all subjective. One thing the doctor could have done is discussed what they were going to do with you and your mom prior to doing it, that's part of NIH guidelines, but a genital exam is not outside the norm at that age.

Here's a link to NIH guidelines. i hope you find resolution for your self.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828229/

I’m sorry that happened to you. It sucks. I definitely felt violated during my exams and wish I could forget it all. Your doctor’s conduct was out of line and I’m sorry you’re hurting. Feel free to message me if you need to talk.

I think the biggest problem for children and probably more so years ago was the lack of communication about what a doctor or nurse practitioner was doing and why. I have even felt that way as an adult and asked questions but I remember going to a new female doctor for the first time at age 10 or 11 and while lying on the table she just removed my underwear. All she said was “I’m not going to hurt you” when I tried to sit up and went about the genital exam. I think if she explained what she was going to do and why it might have been less surprising and although my step mother was present she didn’t say anything.

I can totally empathize with you and the situation you endured. I can totally understand your reaction and I share the same feelings when it comes to doctors and physicians who have tried to examine me and go beyond the bar. When me and my twin sister were about 3-4 not sure of the age, my mother took my brother who was three years older to the local health clinic. While we waited, two clinic workers dragged me and my sister off, took us to an exam room where we were forcibly bent us both over a sink, and they tore down our outer garments and underwear. Me and my sister screamed the place down until my Mother walked in, in a fit of anger she screamed at them, and snatched us both away from them. There was a commotion that went on to the point where my mother slapped one of them. The male of the two. Since then, I avoid any physicals, medical examinations and any unnecessary exposure of any kind. As a child I never let a Dr. Nurse or otherwise ever touch me again. At the school physicals I just flatly refused, and my mother would not give them permission either to examine me either. I only ever saw my family Dr. once as a child for tonsillitis at age 6, and that was at home. I’m sure it’s caused the medical traumatic shame, it’s more common than you think, and this is why I’m against children being systematically being examined and checked like they are faulty goods, over and over again mainly for bureaucratic needs rather than looking out for the welfare of a child. It’s more about protection from litigation. For the readers out there who read this and jump to a reaction to revoke or rebuke the thread. Read the title of the thread.