Underwear Mandatory at Pediatricians

During the late 70’s through the 80’s, when my son and daughter saw their pediatrician, they had to remove all their clothes through age seven and got their temperature taken rectally. Every other year they received a digital rectal exam through age eleven. Starting at age eight, they could leave their underwear on, and their temperature was taken orally. However, when the doctor came in the room, he removed their underwear at the start of their examination. At age twelve my son started receiving a digital rectal exam every year, as did my daughter, however, he also referred my daughter to a OB/GYN. This continued through their High School years.

. Every other year they received a digital rectal exam through age eleven. Starting at age eight, they could leave their underwear on, and their temperature was taken orally. However when the doctor came in the room, he removed their underwear at the start of their examination. At age twelve my son started receiving a digital rectal exam every year, as did my daughter, however he also referred my daughter to a OB/GYN. This continued through their High School years.

I never got a rectal examination ever as a child and without some type of problem cannot see a good reason for doing that to a child although I am not a doctor but I played one in ping pong once. I'll be curious as to what the docs have to say.

I have never heard of children getting rectals either unless there was a problem in that department. Strange!

Mashie

I never had a rectal exam by anyone until I was in college.

Except as an infant, I never had my temperature taken by any route by any doctor until I was in the delivery room with my older daughter.

I never had a rectal exam by anyone until I was in college.

Oh now this should be an interesting story.

Until i was about 12 i had to strip to undies then i started getting a gown.

They had issues with constipation as did my brother, sister, and I. We were always checked when we were kids in the late 40’s and 50’s. When my wife and I had constipation issues with both our kids before age 4, we ask their pediatrician for advice on how to handle the issue. The first thing he did was a digital rectal exam, and he continued to check them afterwards, till we moved to a different town. When their new pedestrian checked them, we didn’t think anything about it. However, we did ask their second pediatrician, around age 7 or 8, if it was necessary to continuing to check them. The answer we received was, “kids their age are bad about holding back, which can cause issues, and with their history of constipation, I would advise it”. We never thought twice about it after that. But judging by their Pediatricians age at the time, both went through Medical School during or just after World War ll. In conversations with their friends parents on issues with kids, we learned more than half had constipation issues, received digital rectal exams by their pediatrician, and advised to handle the issue with small warm water enemas, as we were. Laxatives for kids during that time, other than the occasional suppository or fleet, seemed to be, a no no with Pediatricians.

They had issues with constipation as did my brother, sister, and I. We were always checked when we were kids in the late 40’s and 50’s. When my wife and I had constipation issues with both our kids before age 4, we ask their pediatrician for advice on how to handle the issue. The first thing he did was a digital rectal exam, and he continued to check them afterwards, till we moved to a different town.

Can't the same thing be accomplished by just feeling their lower left abdomen? I know a girl that got a fleet enema for constipation at the college infirmary and all the doctor did was ask her when the last time she had a bowel movement was and then felt her stomach. It was obvious what the problem was. I can't ever remember getting dragged to the doctor for constipation as mom had her own cure but I would think a big finger in a small anus isn't any fun.

It was only for yearly physicals that I was asked to undress to my underwear. If I was just there like that, my doctor would just put his stethoscope up my shirt.

Yes, ever since around age 11 the nurse would give me a paper gown and tell me to strip to my underwear. It was always embarrassing and exciting wearing that paper gown.

At my pediatrician, the only time I was instructed to get undressed down to my underwear was for a sports physical. When I went to her office all other times, I was instructed to remove my shirt and I think my shoes.

Every visit to the pediatrician required me to undress, regardless of the reason for the visit. This practice became increasingly vexing during my teenage years. It was common to continue seeing the pediatrician until leaving for college.

For me, every visit no matter the reason my pediatricians always told to undress to my underwear. Immediately, upon entering the exam the nurse said “ok, strip everything off except your underwear.” The nurse never left the room so most visits I had to undress in front of my mom, sister and the nurse. My doctor did the entire exam with me only wearing my briefs. When I was 11 or 12, at the end of the exam he would have me stand up for the genital exam. I remember stand in front of him as he grab the waistband of my “tighty whities” pulling them down to at least my knees. The exam remained the same until my last visit at 18.

For the most part, down to my underwear was always the deal for my yearly physicals. I remember once, I forgot to take my socks off, and my doctor immediately came over and took them off for me and start the exam there once.

I never had to remove anything for other visits with my doctor until I was about 16, when he would have me remove my shirt when I saw him.

There was this one time, I went to my doctors office for a fever I had for a while, so I had to see another doctor cause mine wasn't available. He had me take my shirt off too, but he also expose me a little bit which I wasn't expecting. He was having my lie down so he could listen to my heart and stomach and as he was talking to me, he was palpating me stomach and out of no where....pull the front of my shorts and underwear down and started pushing down there. He lifted to look under my testicles but that's it. That was an interesting adventure with that doc.

I think only once or twice I was required to undress.

I never went to a pediatrician. Back when I was of the age to go to one, most kids went to the family doctor and only went when they were really sick. I remember getting my smallpox vaccination after I was 6 years old. I got it during the late summer right before before I started school. I sat on the table and the doctor wiped my arm with alcohol then took a small diameter glass cylinder and began twisting it back and forth on my upper arm. I sat there and watched him do that for a short time, maybe a minute or so. He stopped and I asked him when was he going to give me my vaccination. I was expecting a shot in my arm and wanted to watch him give it to me. He told me that he just did. The vaccine was on the end of the glass tube he used to scratch my skin. He taped a plastic cup over the vaccination place and said to be careful with it until it healed and to not let it get wet.

I remember when I started first grade, there were lots of kids with those plastic cups over their vaccinations. After the cup was no longer used, we had a soft scab with what looked like pus under it. The teacher cautioned us to be careful and not hit that place until the scab died up and fell off. It took a while for that to happen.

Other that getting that vaccination, I didn't see a doctor of any kind for five or six years, not even when I had the whooping cough. People just didn't take their kids to doctors unless it was something really bad. So I never had any physical exams until I was an adult.

Even when my two children were young in the late 1960s to late 1970s, we didn't take them to a pediatrician, just the family doctor. The closest pediatrician was about 30 miles away.

When the polio vaccine came out in 1955 and I'm sure I got it, but don't remember when or how. I do remember before it came out, parents were afraid to let their children get in large crowds or even go to a public swimming pool in the summer. That was polio season. Because of the polio scare we lived though, I am sure my parents got me vaccinated.

Whenever we went to doc as kids, it really depended on what we were there for. Check-ups were everything off to underpants, but if it was for something else, like I had a bad rash on my torso around the time I was 9-10, we only had to partly undress. Colds, flu, no undressing. Doc's steth went up under shirts mostly.

At my pediatrician's office I was brought back by the nurse who told me to strip to my undies,then he weighed me and told me to sit here and wait for the doctor... When the doctor came in there was a minute of general questions then he would tell me to stand and he would remove my tighty whities... Leaving me naked for the rest of the exam!

Always growing up I remember going to the pediatrician and striping down to underware. No matter what.

If visiting the pediatrician for a physical, I'd always be instructed by the nurse to remove everything but my briefs/underpants. After age six or seven I knew the typically routine.

When I grew up I didn't see a doctor unless I was sick. The first doctor's visit I remember is when I went to get my smallpox vaccination at age 6 before starting first grade. The next doctor's visit was for a bad cut on my head at about age 7. Got some sulfa powder in a squeeze tube to put on the wound. Then at about age 10 or 11 I went to the doctor to get something out of my eye (office visit was $2) and another time to lance a cyst. Other than that I never saw a doctor even when I had whooping cough or the measles. At no time did I ever have to take off anything except my shirt to lance that cyst on my shoulder. Seems I missed all the fun of having to strip down to my undies or get completely naked for the doctor so he could poke and prod and look and feel.

Yes most of the time I was undressed. Early years I was undressed by the nurse then later on I undressed myself. I had a very old school pediatrician and lots of time once it was time to take my rectal temp my underwear was taken off.

I seem to only remember getting naked for genital exams later in life. And that's just pants being pulled down

My doctor growing up only had me take off my shirt never pants. At the time I was happy but now I wish they were more exposing!

At my pediatrician office I had to undress down to my underwear. After the nurse was finished with weighing, BP, temp, etc , she told me to remove my undershirt, so I waited for the doctor to come in wearing only underpants. It stayed like that for most of the exam until I had to lower my underpants for the genital part.

For me...

Nude at very start (ht.wt.etc) until age 12.

Starting at 12 it was underwear for nurse and doc would ask me to remove them as soon as he came in and nude for the rest of the exam.

I saw him until 19 (with mom in the room!) and was naked the entire time he was in the room.

My mom always did it automatically. I stayed in my underwear, sitting on the medical table, then the nurse came and took my pulse and temperature while talking to my mom. Then the doctor came and continued with the attention. It was embarrassing but my mom never understood.

I remember sitting 20 minutes waiting nervously and very ashamed, but I had no choice, I just had to do what they ordered

It was embarrassing because anyone came into the room and when there was anyone outside the door could see inside, the door was never open but in the little moment someone came in or out then you could see everything

I think there was only one time that I did not strip to my underwear at the start of a physical exam at the pediatrician. In that one instance I had loose fitting but small athletic type of nylon shorts on so I am guessing the nurse thought those were sufficient to strip to

@Adorkable after your 14th birthday and checkup were you given a gown to wear during your checkups? Or were you just in your bra and underwear? If you were in a gown were you able to keep your bra on or did you have to take that off as well and just wear the gown with just your underwear on underneath?

Certainly from what I recall the exam was conducted with nothing but underpants on, being male I don't really think any boy really cared having chest and abdomen exposed at any age.

I understand with girls it can be more of a modesty issue but I know for sister and my own girls growing up it was the same deal but different era. Much more attention paid to dignity of patient etc and even from about 5 or so onwards grandkids both male and female get gowns to wear for checkups and if it is a specific visit nothing is removed that is related to the specific issue.