Plastic vs Metal Speculum

Would love to hear everybody's experience with either having plastic vs metal speculums for a Pap Smear.

My wife went for her annual the other day and I accompanied her. Her doctor used a metal speculum and when he took it out, I could see a small amount of blood on the tip of it before he put it in the sink.

Pretty crazy in 2023 that they have not switched over to 1-time use plastic, but was wondering if other doctors are still using metal only.

Yes, metal speculums are still used. Mostly on hospitals, when was needed to operations, like Sims one (love it). But my last doctor still used them. I know that partly can be gyno prefers and he are doing some clinic small treatments and had autoclave.

I think in Britain it is just plastic that is used now. I have only had the plastic when I have had my check ups but I like the metal graves and collins ones I got for play exams. The plastic creaks sort of make me think maybe I would break it if I squeezed. I know how to clean my metal ones but I think it is a lot cheaper for the doctors to just buy the plastic ones than clean the metal ones in an autoclave and use them again.

Slightly off topic, but surely there needs to be raised awareness of the medical waste associated with plastic speculums and other similar items? Washable (probably metal) items will be better for the planet long term. I wonder how many plastic speculums are used everyday, thrown away into the clinical waste stream for incineration? @Amethyst

Slightly off topic, but surely there needs to be raised awareness of the medical waste associated with plastic speculums and other similar items? Washable (probably metal) items will be better for the planet long term.

I do not know how much an incinerator costs to use but I think the doctors are just bothered about how much it costs to buy the plastic compared to using autoclaves for the steel speculums.

From a non fetish stand point. I do not like the feeling of the plastic ones. They don’t feel sturdy and they don’t feel clinical. It makes an uncomfortable feeling even worse. They don’t feel as cold and that’s virtual the only thing that’s better.

From a fetish stand point I prefer the steel ones because I want to think about how many times they’ve been used before they pried me open.

From a non fetish stand point- the re-use really freaks some people out. And I understand why.

Also with plastic the clicking is not a good sound for being opened like that. It makes you acutely aware. Like jacking up a car. Ugh.

My current gyno uses metal ones that sit on a heating pad in the table. At the family doctor there is a drawer with 20 plastic ones of various sizes. But my last gyn used plastic. And all was fine. It is fun to look in the trash can at the end of the exam and see a pile of them. Then you have an idea of how many people were on the table before you that day. Haha.

@KinkEngineer In private practice are very common to use disabled speculums. It's kind of contagious items (blood-hiv, hcv, staphylococcus, candidiasis) and incineration cost around 9,000zl/1t. Metal tools, speculums are much expensive to buy but can be easy reused various times.

For me, there is no photo, I am a fan of metal speculums.

I mainly use models from Collin.

For single-use plastic materials, we mainly find Cusco which is adjusted by notches and which exists in 3 sizes.

For my Collins, I have a much greater number of valve widths and lengths that are better adapted to the physiognomy of the patients (including virgins).

For the opening, the screw allows a softer opening and more pleasant to adjust.

As for cleanliness, no problem, cleaning then autoclaving.

Ditto for the cost price, UU equipment is expensive.

For fun, I'm telling you the story of a gynecologist who told me about thirty years ago that his secretary was so toned that she was able to crack the plastic speculum by contracting her vagina.

For fun, I'm telling you the story of a gynecologist who told me about thirty years ago that his secretary was so toned that she was able to crack the plastic speculum by contracting her vagina.

That is what I mean, my husband says I am very strong down there. I have done kegel exercises since I was 12.

I have had plastic used on me once. It seemed different and a little painful. It could have been me when I would hear the click. All the doctors at the OB/GYN office I worked at used metal. Same in the hospital. Metal is actually cheaper in the long run and keeps costs low. You can sterilize them. I have heard of cases where plastic has broken in half inside the woman. I own one plastic and it never gets used. All my others are metal.

Her doctor used a metal speculum and when he took it out, I could see a small amount of blood on the tip of it before he put it in the sink.

Are you implying the metal speculum caused the bleeding? Most likely the pap smear scraping/brushing might have caused that, and not trauma from the speculum itself. With any speculum, great care should be taken to keep the bills a little open so they don’t trap the cervix upon withdrawal. Many women also prefer metal (minus the cold) as it seems to glide in/out smoother, whereas the plastic tends to snag if not well lubricated.

All the doc’s offices I’ve been in besides just one have used plastic speculums, particularly the Welch Allyn with the light in the handle. This is my personal favorite as it has the light built into the handle, but can make photographing tricky.

Both are in common use here. It seems like GPs / outreach clinics use plastic more, and gynecologists use metal more. I assume if it's the core of your practice you develop stronger feelings about the tools and metal offers more options. Gynecological subspecialist I saw last year had a really gorgeous metal one with gold screw, I didn't know they came that fancy. That exam was the smoothest feeling speculum exam I've ever had, she was a pro at opening and closing it slowly and smoothly as she inserted and removed it. Much more comfortable than the jerky clicking of a plastic speculum opening and closing.

@matty96

Of course the traces of blood seen can in no way result from an injury caused by the metal speculum.

The edges of the valves are perfectly rounded and are not sharp.

We can therefore effectively think that the practitioner carried out a smear slightly pressing on the cervix or more certainly that he introduced a brush into the endocervix to collect endocervical cells. This gesture very often causes some bleeding but, personally, I believe that a PAP with only a sample of the exocervix is ​​not complete.

And I think there is nothing shocking, even in 2023, to prefer to use sterilizable instruments in stainless steel rather than disposable plastic

Sorry for not being clear!

I was in no way implying that the metal speculum caused the bleeding and totally understand that it was most likely the pap smear.

It was just so clear, bright red on a grey metal speculum!

The fertility specialist uses metal speculums still, while my ob/gyn used disposable plastic type.

My actual OB-GYN uses metal, when I have had my GP do a pap he's used plastic.

Thing is plastic is just easier if you don't have an autoclave in the office. As for comfort metal, that's properly warmed, does feel a lot better.. I find plastic has an edge and just I really don't like the click of them... And like someone also mentioned something to think about with a metal one is how many others it may have been used one...

I prefer metal. I have been pinched, scratched, scraped, and even had the plastic ones slide out. It's a weird sensation either way. But, I feel more secure and confident with metal.

I prefer metal. I have been pinched, scratched, scraped, and even had the plastic ones slide out. It's a weird sensation either way. But, I feel more secure and confident with metal.

It's amazing to me they would make something like that without smoothing it. I had a nurse get a "sterile" urine sample out of me where I wasn't allowed to touch anything myself. She wiped my penis on the outside then held the foreskin back and wiped again then put it in the sample cup. I really had to go so it overflowed and she quickly shoved a plastic bottle they called a urinal over it. The rough edges on that plastic bottle/urinal seriously scraped my inner foreskin and when she removed it, it caught on the coronal ridge doing quite a job on that. Later, I felt the mouth of the bottle and the edges were sharp/rough like they never smoothed it after taking it out of the mold.

Slightly off topic - just a comment about purchasing meatal speculums for play purposes.

Most gynecologists are going to use mainstream sources for their instruments. The quality varies but they are subject to standards. But when you think that you've found a great buy on cheap speculums off ebay or amazon or wherever, maybe you have, but you need to at least inspect the blades and run your fingers carfeully along the edges before using. I ran into a couple some years back...the husband wanted some training advice because his partner had a lot of pain issues and bleeding when he tried to perform an exam. Aside from technique what I found was a couple of very poorly made speculums they were using with blades that were far from instrument grade polished. You could run your finger along the blade edge and feel it catch the skin. Made all the difference in the world to have them toss out the garbage and use a pro quality medical grade instrument. The apprehension that was terribly counterproductive to the whole concept of a play exam experience vanished so they could start to enjoy themselves.

Several years ago I had a play partner, an enemate. One day we were examining each other. When I was examining her I had a plastic, Peterson, speculum in her and spread open. After looking at her cervix and touching the sides of her vagina, I started rubbing her clitoris. She responded and soon she had an orgasm. The contractions of the orgasm caused the plastic speculum to collapse. I don't get to do many exams but when I do I like to use both a Peterson and a Collins. I get a better overall view of the vagina by using both and if I am going to give the woman an orgasm it will be with the Collins in her because it won't collapse.

The plastic are more difficult to buy online than they use to be. unfortunately. So reusing plastic is no different than using metal. Cold plastic can bring a sleepy vagina to life quickly 😀

Thank god my Gyn uses stainless steel and not plastic and had she used plastic i would have asked her to use stainless steel

My Gyn(like 99% of the gyn in germany also) uses standard Stainless Steel

Ok I actually have quite a story about this. A lot of places I have been use the plastic. But I had one break inside my vagina, and while I was fine it was terrifying. I would ask for metal every time after that, because of that incident.

Specialty GYN offices seem to be more likely to have metal instruments in my experience.

My wife says her regular Ob/Gyn group asked her for her preference. She always recycles any thing she can so she is not happy with the plastic disposable ones. She is a medium metal Graves Girl. Except her first opening was courtesy of a Pederson Little girl size. She was 16 years-three months and she remembers less that a week old. Mom's doctor who was also the man who delivered her.

Plastic, and she always uses the smallest one on me.

I practiced for 35 years and used stainless steel speculae. The plastic ones, as noted by others are less comfortable, as they tend to scratch, pinch, click, bend, and break. Decreasing plastic trash was also always on my mind. Stainless cleans and sterilizes easily. I tended to use Graves the most, but for small women or virgins, Pedersons were better. Collins were for special procedures that needed access to the anterior or posterior walls, or used for better visualization with the others.

I prefer metal over plastic for play exams. The cheap plastic ones tend to have sharp edges, produce plastic wast and you should not reuse the, even in a hobby environment. Metal ones (at least the ones I haves seen, have no sharp edges and can be properly cleaned/sterilized.

My wifes exams in the 90's and early 200's were metal, but they changed to plastic around 2008. My wife is not a fan of any of them in a real exam.

Definitely prefer the metal speculums they are far more sturdy and smooth. Also if the speculum is kept chilled the feeling of cold metal sliding into you and slowly opening you up is unreal.