Does your gyn really listen and palpate your tummy?

I want to know in real life, does your gyn really listen and palpate your tummy like they do at an internist' office? How common is this? I've had 3 ob/gyns in my lifetime and 2 didn't do this, but one did. This one also listened to my heart and lungs too and checked my eyes nose the mouth too, so it was basically even more thorough than a physical (minus bloodwork). I was pretty surprised but happy.

Mine always does it, but the one I went to in college didn't. I think they do it more now a days since people don't get routine physicals with their GP, so most women just see the gyn once a year so they do a more thorough work up.

My GYN is 'old school' trained. Nothing is missed with an annual exam.

My gynecologists have palpated my abdomen, but I have never had any that listens with the stethoscope.

Ditto here to for what others have said - my exams tend to be Gyn + GP as well, so I have all the ladyparts stuff as well as abdominal exam / eyes / throat etc.

I wonder if there is any difference in thoroughness if I was to separate the two practices but it seems like a pain to have to see two doctors.

Some gynecologists consider themselves to be primary care physicians, others consider themselves to be specialists. I know healthy women whose only annual doctor visit is to the gynecologist. That doctor does an annual physical. Other women use the gynecologist as a specialist, getting only their reproductive organs and breasts checked.

It's a combination of your expectations and the doctor's philosophy.

I have seen my wife's gynecologist listen to her heart and lungs and on several occasions I have seen them palpate her belly.

However, I have also observed several exams where no tummy palpation was involved. It was strictly breast and pelvic.

So I would have to say that it probably depends on the individual doctor and it also probably depends upon the particular complaint that the patient may have....

My girlfriend's gynecologist palpates her stomach after the breast exam and before the internal exam. The gown is wide open and she is fully exposed. Unfortunately, the doctor pulls the curtain so I can only see down to her mons pubis. Hearing the snap of the gloves makes me fully erect. Thankfully, I have her clothes on my lap to avoid any suspicion from her doctor.

I've had 2 different gyns and neither one has listened to my tummy, they've only palpated

I think Jds4med hit the nail on the head on post #6. If a woman is seeing the ob/gyn as her only doctor / her primary care physician, then her exam is more whole body encompasing. If however, the woman is seeing the ob/gyn for baby issues, then her first exam may be whole body to ensure she is healthy, but all of her other exams are likely to be breast / vagina related only, since those are the parts mostly associated with child bearing.

Wife's gyn exam is height, weight, BP, breast, PAP, bimanual

My wife's gyn just palpates her abdomen during her exam.

Mine does it all. She is an OB/GYN/Family medicine. I have never thought about this before but I never see any men in there. Not that I would want to. I wonder if they schedule it like that?

A true Well-Woman exam should include a full examination... head to toe.

Especially since so many women are now considering their OB/Gyn as their Primary Provider.

Doc Rob

I get a thorough chest , tummy and gynae exam each time I see my uro/gynae Dr .

I'm always surprised that some gynecologist don't perform a full exam as part of a yearly check up. Palpation and auscultation of the abdomen should be standard component of any gynecological exam .

Palpation to detect any abdominal tenderness, or for abdominal masses. The liver and kidneys may be palpable in normal individuals, but any other masses are abnormal. Auscultation of the abdomen is performed for detection of altered bowel sounds, rubs, or vascular bruits ( unusual sound that blood makes when it rushes past an obstruction, also known as turbulent flow).

But it seems that more and more doctors including gynecologist are forgoing a thorough physical exam or more investigative type interventions, much to the detriment of the patient as things are getting missed. In America and the UK its all about the numbers ( patient throughput) each day.

Unfortunately not all doctors are thorough they want to see as many patients as they can because thats what they get credit for which is very unfortunate because its us that suffer for it not the doctor

If your trying to pay off the new audi you just bought then skip the tummy palpation so you can see more patients 😉. I have always been taught to palpate at least key things such as if the liver descends beyond the costal margin, appendix area palpation, and general checking for masses and it really only takes a few min if its an all business and not a play appt so shouldn't really be a big deal to do.

When I had mine, the doctor only felt my belly a little bit between the breast and pelvic exams.

Well kelseyjo I expect where you work ( remote locations between north of Moscow and all the way to Nepal) the central focus is about patient care and improving the standards of their health and life. As I suspect its not ready available to them and so you have a different focus and mindset. Unlike America where it all about the cost and profit margins of the medical offices and insurance companies.

In the UK we don't pay to see our GP and medical care is free, but the GP are paid according to the number of patients on their books and the number they see per year. So its not unusual to have a consultation time of 15-20 mins allocated for a visit. So things are omitted or shorten much to the detriment of us the patients at times.

Although I consider myself to be a specialist I do not skip parts of a physical assessment.

My nurses usually have vitals done for me by the time I see the patient. The extra time it takes to do all IPPA is negligible in the grand scheme of things and can lead to a proper diagnosis. I admit that I do not normally perform a neuro exam unless my patient is complaining of problems that would lead me there.

Most patients that come to me have recent lab work sent to me but, if it is older than 5 months, I will have new labs drawn by my nurses. Physicians need to stop taking short cuts and start treating the whole patient, much like most NPs do.

That's just my 2 cents worth.

My doctor always feels my tummy when I go for my yearly well-woman check. Doesn't usually listen to my belly though.

Yes, at the gynecologist I get an abdominal exam with palpation between the breast and pelvic exams.

As Doc Rob said below.. "so many women are now considering their OB/Gyn as their Primary Provider" which fits perfectly with the "Well-Woman" logic.

Mine does. My general doctor does the exam, and I do not have a specific and separate gyn doctor.

My girlfriends gynocologists does palpate and listen to her belly as part of her checkup each year

To do a pelvic exam without doing an abdominal exam is just crazy. I always briefly listen to the heart and lungs and examine the abdomen prior to the pelvic.

Mine did. And I wasn't expecting it at all. I had just had an exam at my GP the week before!

I've always had this done!

Mine always does. IRL, the tension and anticipation during that time makes me feel sick. When I'm playing, it makes me something far different from sick. 😜