Gyn exam without stirups

What the OP described did not, necessarily, sound like the frog leg position. Perhaps, he would describe the position in a little more detail if it was not the frog leg position.

My wife always gets the stirrup treatment for her annual. The only time she was asked to use the frog position was for cervical dilation checks before childbirth, both at the doctor and in delivery.

That's right it doesn't sound like a froggie. I've never seen a pelvic done without stirrups or leg rests. It's just impossible to abduct the legs enough to get the speculum in comfortably.

At GP surgeries here you don't get stirrups. I had a PAP smear two weeks ago . I was told to bring my knees up and just let my legs open . I couldn't go too wide as there was a wall in the way for my left leg . She then inserted the speculum . Took her a little longer but not much more .

I lay in the normal position on my back . I wasn't told to move further down.

I'm hoping I don't get a recall as before she realised my smear was due she had done a pelvic exam with lube . Then did the smear a few minutes after .

Pap smears and other spec exams in the frog leg position are very common in Aus.

That's right it doesn't sound like a froggie. I've never seen a pelvic done without stirrups or leg rests. It's just impossible to abduct the legs enough to get the speculum in comfortably.

I am not a doc or a play doc, and pretend no medical expertise whatsoever, but a woman lying on her back, with her bottom presented at the very edge of a desk or table or bed, her knees drawn towards her chest, and allowed to fall wide apart, is quite accessible for most purposes. I do not know about inserting a speculum, but it works great for inserting other things! Not to mention just being a lovely, naughty view.

I have to agree with WillyNilly.

If I am laying on my back in a frog position, you can easily get any number of things, including a specullum into my vagina-especially if my butt is near the edge of the bed and the speculum handle just hangs down. No leg supports of any kind are needed.

For the manual parts of the exam, being anywhere on the bed or table without leg supports is fine in the frog position.

Did he instruct her to bring her knees back as well or simply spread her legs flat on the table? The former position would provide better access than the latter, but I also believe it would be more fatiguing for the woman after a minute or two versus letting her rest her feet in the stirrups. The stirrups in general allow the doctor better control of her positioning.

Pulling the knees/legs back gets the legs out of the way so you get vaginal access UNDER the legs, but does little to change the position of the vagina itself compared to a spread eagle position.

Just to be thorough, why not do both? Most tables have the stirrups at least in US.

Just to be thorough, why not do both? Most tables have the stirrups at least in US.

It isn't necessary. It's an exam, not a tryst.

Susie I must respectfully disagree. If a woman were perched on the end of a table with flexed hips she would be forced to keep them so by holding her knees or by tensing her abdominal muscles. Either way would cause tensing of the abdominal muscles. This would make the bimanual exam difficult and unreliable. Also the legs have to be abducted to reveal the perineum and introitus. Stirrups just make this way easier.

Stirrups WILL make visualization easier, but the other way, it is far from impossible and very do-able at home.

Over the years, doctors Wife has seen used stirrups; except during pre-delivery checks. The doctors used the frog-leg position on the bed to check her progress. Her present GYN originally used a table with stirrups. However, about three years ago she started using a table that looks more like a massage table for routine exams and Pap smears. Wife says she has no preference but the "massage" table is slightly lower and is easier to get on and off.

In the UK the majority of GP surgeries do not have an exam table with stirrups or leg supports. Most women are examined in the the "frog leg position " on the exam couch. There is no anecdotal nor scientific evidence that examination in stirrups is superior to examination in the left lateral or dorsal "frog-leg" position.

That said there are a number of BUPA centers that have Gynecological Chairs with either stirrups or leg supports. Most hospital gynecological departments or clinics have stirrups attached to the exam couches. All the beds on labor ward had stirrups during my placement experience.

All of my pelvic exams have been done with me getting positioned in the stirrups. I did however experience the frog leg position as an early teen when my family doctor would do a brief external genital exam as part of my checkup.

When I went for my 2 cervical smears at my GP I was in the frog leg position and that is standard in GB. But last month when I went to have my private gynecologist examine me I was in leg supports. I prefer it because I was more relaxed than in the frog leg position. I am sure my buttocks were more spread open and he would be able to inspect my anus more easily when he examined my genitals externally. Being more relaxed might have helped when he put the speculum in as well.

All of mine have been done in stirrups.

When my wife was pregnant, i when with to most of her obgyn exams. to wards then end of her pregnancy the doctor had me hold one of her legs while the other was on the edge of the exam table

All of my smears have been in the frog-leg position which works very well. I have only had 2 internal exams, one a long time ago when going on pill and the last one quite recently at a BUPA medical and again both were in the frog-leg position. The first was with my GP and like all my smears carried out on a couch which was against the wall so one knee basically leans against it so the legs are not as open as they could be but it is enough for smear and internals. With BUPA I sort of expect stirrups but in fact the exam was again on a couch but the exam room had the couch in the middle of the room with a screen in the corner rather than a curtain to undress behind. So the doctor could walk around the couch and examine me from both sides and ends and when it came to the internal it was again frog-leg position but this time my knees were really well apart for the internal exam. For smears and internal exam the frog-leg position works but not sure it would work for a recto-vaginal exam, we don't have those in UK very often I have never had one though feared I would get one at the BUPA exam but after the internal exam all she did was a rectal exam but she had me roll onto my side and bring my one knee up. Also with the GP surgeries the nurse or Dr worked from the side as very often there are things at the end of the couch preventing them from standing at the end, with BUPA if she had wanted to she could have stood at the foot of the couch and done the exam and maybe from that position a recto-vaginal exam could be done but for the internal she worked from the side as usual. Not that I am keen on experiencing a recto-vaginal exam as did not find the rectal exam fun. Has any UK lady here had a recto-vaginal exam in the frog-leg position or has it always been in stirrups? If you have had one in frog-leg position were you asked to open legs wider so they could get access?

Lisa

Hello Lisa My private gynecologist said he would only do a rectal on me when I was 40 and said because I am only 28 I don't need it yet. Is this what you were told as well? I know the exams vary and include things depending on how old you are.

I asked my wife about her exams. They have been been in stirrups since she was 19.

Hi,

Yes I am in mid 40s so after she had finished the pelvic exam she said I could put my knees down and then removed her glove and chatted to me about my age and that a rectal exam is recommended before explaining what the procedure was going to be, asking me if that was ok, then telling me to just roll onto my side and bend one knee up. I liked her as a Dr but then again I suppose BUPA can afford the best. Like with the pelvic exam she explained everything she was doing etc during the exam and though was not really keen on the finger in bum she made it as comfortable as it can be.

Lisa

Like most of the British women on here, all my exams have been in the frog leg position except one, which took place at a GUM clinic. I have to say, using the leg rests was so much more comfortable, but in suspect that was because I'm very flexible. Lying on my back in typical frog leg position, my knees can easily flop past horizontal; I can be lying on a wedge 3-4" high and my knees will still touch the surface of the couch. Which is fine initially, but after lying like that for more than five minutes or so my hips begin to ache rather. Blame it on a combination of hypermobility and years of martial arts!

I had one with my legs simply spread. that was in school and when i was about 19-20. Usually it is in the stirrups.

I've never experienced an exam without the use of stirrups..

This is the first I've heard of no-stirrups exams.

C.

My wife says her GP when she was in college asked her to spread her legs while they were at the edge of the table. He took a peek and didn't touch.

After 40 years of pelvic exams, in stirrups, on a bIG and high table, my brand new PA gives them on a chair not unlike a dentist's recliner. It is a bit higher and some what flatter, but yes, she has me scoot down and well, now that I think about it, I do not recall if there are stirrups or not I was so flabbergasted at the 'new' chair. I am going this month and I will try to take a picture (of the chair) and post it. That is if my feeble mind can remember to do so. @{;~ LadyM

For a full exam I've usually been in stirrups. It's only if the doctor wants to take a quick look at something that Id be asked to lie another way. I've also been asked to lie on my side for a rectal exam or anal swab.

One of my friend's husband is a gynecologist. He once told during a conversation that he does not use an exam chair with strirrups He believes if the patient opens her legs herself it will provide more a more dignified position. I tried that position (frog legs) at home. I think it is not very comfortable. After some time, your legs begin to ache. In terms of dignity it is even worse. You display yourself on your own.