What does your doctor say?

I don't remember a doctor saying anything other than something like, "drop your shorts to your ankles" or "drop your underpants all the way down" when I was a kid and into my teens during sports physicals or other exams. When a little older, if I was in a gown only without underwear, then I remember the doc saying something like "please lift your gown so that I can examine your genitals" or "please lift your gown". Sometimes, a doctor would just motion for me to drop my shorts and not saying anything other than "turn your head and cough". At a physical a year or two ago, the doctor told me to get up off the exam table for the genital and hernia exam. I was only in my briefs and knew to drop them to my ankles without him having to tell me. So, it was really simple. By the time he turned around from pulling a glove on, I was already standing there with my briefs around my ankles.

When it gets to that point in the exam she tells me to lower my pants and underwear and face her. Then I know she'll be doing the genital exam. When she's fine she says okay bend over the table and we'll do the finger exam.

When i was young, the family physician just said "drop your pants please" & that was it When i was older, it was "stand up & lower your shorts' or "drop your shorts" or 'lower/drop your undies". The first plant physician i had eventually checked for testicle lumps but never said anything, & whenever he lowered/raised my undies while lying on the table, never uttered anything except "cough" Other physicians would ask if i wanted my testicles checked, and the one nurse practitioner asked if i wanted a genital exam. Maybe these other physicians might have asked if i had any issues or ever felt any pain or discomfort.

But usually whatever they said was minimal. They didn't narrate what they were doing or announce what they were going to do. That's what made it exciting when the one doc would lower my undies on his own, or just go ahead & check my balls for lumps. Suddenly i'd be exposed. Suddenly my balls were getting squeezed right after the hernia exam. And since i was lying on my back staring at the ceiling and not watching, that added to the semi-pseudo spontaneity.

I remember my pediatrician told me after my spine exam "I'm going to need you to drop your drawers". At my last 2 physicals with 2 different doctors, they both told me they were going to do a testicular exam and to stand in front of them. They didn't directly tell me to lower my shorts, but it was clear what I was to do.

From my first to my last, I'll try to recall all the ones I can remember. I will say that growing up I never went to my pediatrician for physicals, only when I was sick. So I never had a genital or hernia exam when I was really young.

I was 10 y.o. at my first sports physical at an old man family med doctor contracted through the school. I was fully dressed. "Stand right here and pull your pants down to your knees". I do. Doctor is putting on gloves and looks up at me and says, "Underwear too, don't be shy."

11 y.o., sports physical, my female pediatrician, me in only my underwear. Doesn't say a word, uses her right hand to pull up my waistband and just sticks her left hand in my underwear while I was laying down after she finished abdominal exam. After feeling a bit she grabs hold of my underwear with both hands and pulls it out and down and just looks at my genitals for awhile. I'm not sure she said anything to me the entire physical.

13 y.o., sports physical, my parents male family med doctor, me sitting on the table in my underwear. "Stand up on the step and pull down your underwear. I need to do a hernia exam." Those are the only words I remember him saying the whole exam.

25 y.o., pre-employement physical, male internal med doctor, me in jeans with my shirt off. I was laying down and he just finished abdominal exam. "Stand up and drop 'em." He points to the step at the end of the table, "Right here". As I'm lowering my pants and he's putting on his gloves, "I need to do a hernia exam."

27 y.o., pre-employement physical, female occupational med NP. Me wearing my underwear underneath a gown, standing in the middle of the large exam room. "Ok, we're almost done." She wheels over to a drawer, opens it up and pulls out some gloves. "I just need to do a hernia exam." I ask where she wants me. "Right there is fine. I just need you to lower your underwear for me."

34 y.o., vasectomy consultation, male urologist, me fully dressed. "OK, I'm going to do a quick exam on you. Just come over to the table and lower your pants and underwear to about here." He shows me on his legs about mid thigh. "Have a seat on the table and lay back."

46 y.o., my first annual physical, male family med doctor, me fully clothed sitting on exam table. "Ok, it's time for the hernia evaluation. Come all the way down on the floor and stand right over here, facing this way." As I'm unfastening my pants, he goes and gets gloves and says, "I'm just going to grab this chair." As he begins looking and feeling around, he starts asking about me about doing self testicular exams, any pain or tenderness, etc. After he finished examining my penis and testicles, "Look this way and give me a good hard cough. Ok, now look that way and cough. Alright...", he stands up and turns around, I think we're done and pull up my pants. He steps over to the end of the exam table turns and looks at me and says, "I'm going to go ahead and check your prostate now". He then explains and shows me the exact position he wants me in. "It's easiest to just lean over the table, feet apart, and point your toes inward a bit." As I'm bent over the table with his fingers on my butt crack and visually inspecting me, he starts telling me about the signs and symptoms of prostate problems. I hear the cap click on the tube of lubricant and then, "Ok, this might feel cold"...

I remember as a teen when having sports physicals each year, my doctor would tell me to hop off the exam table and drop my pants for the hernia exam as he was gloving up. In the last 10 or so years, my PCP tells me she is going to get the nurse and that I will need to hop off the exam table and wrap the drape around me and she will be right back to perform the hernia exam and prostate exam.

11 y.o., sports physical, my female pediatrician, me in only my underwear. Doesn't say a word, uses her right hand to pull up my waistband and just sticks her left hand in my underwear while I was laying down after she finished abdominal exam. After feeling a bit she grabs hold of my underwear with both hands and pulls it out and down and just looks at my genitals for awhile. I'm not sure she said anything to me the entire physical.

I recall having a similar experience with my female pediatrician around the same age. I was lying in the supine position and she was palpitating my abdomen. Her fingers inched lower and at one point her hand was inside my underwear. She was palpitating my lower abdomen. Suddenly, without warning, she lifted the waistband of my underwear and thrust her hand deep inside. She made eye contact with me as she felt around for what seemed like an eternity. She then pulled my underwear down, exposing my genitals. I was fully erect. She didn't say anything, but gave me a satisfied look, before pulling my underwear up.

My Doctor did say get nude for the exam for me.

I obeyed

When the time came for that part of the exam, my pediatrician didn't say much and just lowered my briefs down to my knees, then did his usual visual, feel thing.

My current internist says please stand up so I can examine you for hernias. I am fully undressed with just a paper sheet over my genitals, so I awkwardly stand up while trying to stay covered. I just lower the sheet a little when she checks me.

The male doctor that did my skin exam referred to my labia as my "folds" when he pulled them back.

"Um, if you, step down here to the carpet, I need to check ya, in the standing position, so if you want to drop your jeans."

I’ve always been told to “lower,” “drop,” or “take down” my pants or underwear (depending on what I’m wearing). However, for the first time at my recent physical the doctor didn’t give any such direction. He asked me to hop down off the table for a hernia exam, stood in the exact location and position he wanted me to stand in for the exam, and then left me to lower my pants without any command to do so while he gloved up. Of course I knew what he wanted, and he knew I knew, so it didn’t need to be said. However, it was still a little awkward to just stand there and do it without being told. This was definitely the first time I didn’t get a specific instruction though.

My doctor politely asks me to slip my boxers down so he can check my testicles and prostate.

I’ve always been told to “lower,” “drop,” or “take down” my pants or underwear (depending on what I’m wearing). However, for the first time at my recent physical the doctor didn’t give any such direction. He asked me to hop down off the table for a hernia exam, stood in the exact location and position he wanted me to stand in for the exam, and then left me to lower my pants without any command to do so while he gloved up. Of course I knew what he wanted, and he knew I knew, so it didn’t need to be said. However, it was still a little awkward to just stand there and do it without being told. This was definitely the first time I didn’t get a specific instruction though.

That would have ruined the experience for me. Was it your first physical with this doctor? Was he modeling the location and position he wanted you in?

As a teen, it was "raise your hips" and the briefs would be pulled down and off. Now, it's just , "remove your briefs," and the exam continues.

That would have ruined the experience for me. Was it your first physical with this doctor? Was he modeling the location and position he wanted you in?

@exam_doc, I thought that would've ruined the mood as well and I was disappointed at the time, but in hindsight I've come to appreciate the doctor not having to say anything and actually find it quite exciting. If I had waited another 20-30 seconds without complying while he put on the gloves I assume he would have explicitly told me to lower my pants. But after he modeled precisely where he wanted me to stand, and how he wanted me to position my body (saying something like "Stand right here and turn this way"), I knew he was expecting me to be ready when he was. So yes at first there seemed to be a little less control or power from the doctor when he didn't actually utter the words, but again in hindsight I feel like in this situation he might have exerted even more control over me because he had me complying without the need for words. And in my experience most of my doctors have not said they were about to do a genital or hernia exam when they ask me to stand, they just say something to the effect of "Go ahead and stand up (or hop down off the table) and lower your pants." So for this doctor to explicitly say "Please stand for a hernia exam" that was noteworthy. And yes, this was my first exam with this doctor and the exam itself was very basic and short, and mostly unremarkable.

... However, for the first time at my recent physical the doctor didn’t give any such direction. He asked me to hop down off the table for a hernia exam, stood in the exact location and position he wanted me to stand in for the exam, and then left me to lower my pants without any command to do so while he gloved up...

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me at my first physical with my current doctor. After setting the little reflex hammer down on the counter, he turns to me and says something like, "OK, time for the hernia exam. Step all the way down to the floor and stand right here, facing this direction." He was leaning over pointing to the floor and using hand motions to indicate the exact spot he wanted me to stand and direction to face. He stepped back and watched me while I stood up, walked to the location, and started to unzip and unfasten my jeans. While he was grabbing his gloves and the rolling stool, I was just standing there with my hands on my hips, holding up my unfastened pants, waiting on him. When he was actually standing in front of me, ready to sit down, is when I finally lowered my jeans and underwear. He gloved up while sitting and staring at my genitals. In my opinion, that is the most awkward part of any exam. Just standing there completely exposed while the doctor sits with his/ her face a foot in front of you, staring at your genitals (or butthole during the prostate exam).

My second physical was completely different. After he instructed me to sit up after the abdominal exam, he said, "If you step down here to the carpet", he again pointed exactly where to stand, "I need to check you in the standing position". I had never heard it phrased like that, so I wasn't sure what was about to happen. After he initially said to step down to the carpet, I actually started to reach for my zipper. But then when he added that he needed to check me in the standing position, I stopped, thinking it might be something else. As he was pulling out the gloves he added, "So if you want to drop your jeans". That just seemed to be a weird dialog to initiate a hernia exam.

I think if the doctor states it is for a hernia exam, most men are already going to know exactly what is about to be done and should be able to proceed without any further instructions. However, personally, I love hearing the instructions! Any and all directions during a physical, from both the nurse and doctor, are some of the best parts for my medfet.

During my first adult physical at 24 or so, I had no idea what the “procedure” was going to be for the genital exam. My previous exams came with no warning; the doctor would either pull my boxers (at the time) back and expose me when lying down, or I’d stand for a scoliosis check and know a hernia exam was coming.

This time, I was lying back on the table in a gown with underwear (trunks now) underneath. The doctor had me sit up and checked my reflexes. Then said “alright, I’d like to check your testicles now” and went to grab gloves. I was definitely anxious about this part of the exam and must have made a weird facial expression. The doctor then stopped and started to put the gloves down and goes “only if that’s okay with you! We can talk about self exams instead if you’re more comfortable with that, or I can just take a peek.” Not knowing what to say, I just blurted “oh! No it’s okay! I’d like you to check me”. And he goes with a big smile “excellent, hop on down here for me, and slip your underwear down to your knees or so. This will be quick” and did a brief testicular and hernia exam.

With my current doc and the one I saw before him, the phrases are/were:

“Go ahead and slip your undies off for me”

and

“For this next part, I’ll need you to remove your underwear.”

Sometimes it is just a request to hop off the table. It is obvious what is coming next and I take my position in front of the rolling stool and drop my boxer briefs to my ankles.

Just based on the order of how my doctor does the exam, I usually know when to expect the genital exam. He will usually say "I'm going to examine your testicles now, just slip down/off your underpants for a minute." It's pretty quick and he usually explains about testicular cancer and how to perform a routine self check. And then that's it

My pediatrician never to say much, the first time came to me as a surprise, after that the same routine. When the time came, he told me to stand, arms at your side , legs apart and Don’t move. My doctor was always seated then would grab the waistband to my briefs pulled them down and let them fall to my ankles.

My first adult exam (new doctor), I assumed every doctor pull down your underwear. As I stood in front of him, he said “ok , you can drop your underwear now” I felt like a idiot.

After many physicals and different doctor, with a few differences all very similar. A few doctors, will tell me I need to check your “genitals or privates” now and “I”ll be checking you for a hernia too”. ” Usually, the doctor will be putting his exam gloves and then sit on a stool. I’m told, hop down off the table and drop you underwear. If he isn’t specific, I only pull them down to mid-thigh or knees. My current doctor all he says- “you know what’s next”.

If it’s the very first physical with a doctor sometimes he will specific questions about my genitals. The questions range from - if I’m sexuality active, being uncircumcised, hernias, regularly check my testicles.

Side note: I always find it interesting the exact phrasing the doctor uses in his instructions.

Some say: “ok, drop....“., pull down.....”. or “lose your .....”

The different names when referring to your underwear- —- briefs, boxers, shorts, skivvies, jock underwear and pants.

It's always varied, but my favorite was with a female Navy doc doing my physical after 9-11 as I was trying to go back on active duty.

She said "Drop your drawers so I can take a look at what's going on here."

My last exam was done in underwear but then I was told to remove my briefs and sat on the beD naked when the doctor returned to do the genital exam.

My Dr just said “it’s best to check everything, now just lower your jeans and boxers to your knees and lay flat on the bed”.

All through my teens the male pediatrician always had me naked from the beginning to the end of the exam. I guess the nurse in the beginning would say something like we have to get you ready for the Doctor, or with a smile say lets get these off of you, as she pulled my underpants down and off my body leaving me naked ! The doctor, after he examined my belly and abdomen he would spread my legs wider and feel down there and do a genital exam and a hernia exam It was very embarrassing ! As the young nurse stayed and watched.

"Why don't you just stand here on the carpet, and maybe just drop your drawers."

Hasn't happened (yet). We wait with baited breath.

My doctor would usually ask me to raise my hips up so he could pull down my underwear. He didn’t say he was going to do a genital exam but I obviously knew what was coming after the raise your hips!