Pediatric Genital exam: Touch or Visual exam?

I think I was about 11 or 12 when I started getting the hands on inspection.

Mine as a child always seemed to be touching and always bare handed. That was up until I was about 14, and then it was done with gloves on. Seemed to be strange to me the first time the doc put on gloves, like I was poison.

Mine as a child always seemed to be touching and always bare handed. That was up until I was about 14, and then it was done with gloves on. Seemed to be strange to me the first time the doc put on gloves, like I was poison.

This post corroborates my experience, as well as what I've read from others regarding doctors gloving for genital exams after their patients reach adolescence. This seems to indicate that gloving is less to preserve hygiene as it is to preserve the patient's modesty. If hygiene was a major concern, age wouldn't be a factor in the decision to wear gloves.

I know doctors want to be sensitive regarding adolescents heightened body awareness and modesty, but the sudden change from bare hands to gloves for the genital exam puts a new emphasis on the genital exam that didn't exist before.

Bare fingers, opened my vagina.

When I was younger it was just a look. As I got older my doctor started feeling and looking

Interesting comments all around here, and thanks to all for sharing.

There were three pediatricians at the practice I went to, and they were all over the map.

One would touch but not look, which sounds counterintuitive. He'd just reach into my underwear to do the genital and hernia exams without lowering the waistband while I was laying on the exam table (I recall him once lowering it just a tiny bit so that the head of my penis was still covered up). Other times, he'd stand behind me, pull my underwear down, and reach around to check my testicles and do a hernia test (often, embarrassingly, while I was standing facing my mom).

Another doctor, the one who I saw most frequently, would go right for it. He'd pull my underwear down far for a close look, do a lot of pushing over my pubic hair (or the area where my pubic hair would eventually be when I was younger), sometimes pushing hard enough for it to be uncomfortable. He'd manipulate my penis to see it from all angles and feel my testicles carefully while I lay down.

The last doctor I saw only twice: once when I was 13 and again at 18. The 13 y/o exam was the only time a doctor there had used gloves during the genital exam part. He really took his time, taking a seat in front of me while I stood and lowered my underwear (also the only time I was ever told to lower them myself) doing a careful testicular examination and taught me how to examine myself at home. He continued with a thorough hernia exam, asking me to "tighten up" my muscles in the area multiple times as he felt both sides. When I saw him again at 18, the exam was quicker. He didn't use gloves. I was still standing, but he pulled my underwear down for me instead of asking me to do it. He barely touched my testicles, and when he did the hernia exam, I had barely "tightened" on one side when he hurried to check the other.

All were very interesting, especially the variation between them all. The use of gloves only once puzzled me as well, and it made me feel somewhat "dirty" at that visit even though I knew that gloves were common during regular exams.

I think it depends on the history and diagnosis what you have. I had an operation of an undescended testicle when I was 5, had a (light) phimosis in my early teenage time and was late at puberty, so I think this is why I got always thorough genital exam by different doctors during general exams with inspectation, retraction of the foreskin and palpation of my penis, glans and testicles. For a while the paediatrician did a retraction therapy of my phimosis, too.

For me the genital exam was hands on for as long as I can remember, but it was quick and focused more on the testicles and not the penis. For my own children i will just say that for males it is hands on for females it is just a quick peek.

And that is consistent with good medical practice. For males, even as young children, there are a lot of structures in that part of the anatomy that need to be checked, un-descended testicle, tumors, hernia, torsions, atrophy, inflammations and swelling, premature enlargement, etc.. A quick hands on check is always in order and that check becomes more important as a child approaches adolescences as any problems with development will become evident as well as the risk of testicular cancer increases from puberty through young adulthood. Any doctor who fails to go hands on is not performing a complete exam. For those who are taking just a peek, they are relying on spotting something that may not be visible. For those who don't look at all, they are relying on the child reporting symptoms prompting a closer look. To me, what is the point of taking the time to go to a physical exam if the doctor is not going to perform it properly.

Now for the girls, a quick peek to check for swelling, rash, discharge, etc (also for the boys) is all that is normally needed unless something is spotted that would prompt a closer inspection. Once girls start their periods it might be time to refer them to an OB/GYN to discuss "Woman's Health Issues" where they can go hands on if necessary.

So no, this is not a double standard, but for me, the boys should have hands on from birth, but the girts usually only need a peek, but once the girls become women, when the doctor goes hands on she really goes hands on. It is better to be a boy and just get you junk manhandled once a year.

For males, even as young children, there are a lot of structures in that part of the anatomy that need to be checked, un-descended testicle, tumors, hernia, torsions, atrophy, inflammations and swelling, premature enlargement, etc..

How do boys ever make it to adulthood? It seems a wonder with a list like that.

In the 19th century doctors could have added a whole bunch of other worrisome problems: tuberculosis of the genitals, phimosis, hypospadias, hermaphroditism and of course all the neurological and personality disorders brought on by masturbation ...

From the early exams that I remember as a kid at a doctor's office or clinic, I was always examined by touch and not just looked at. My briefs came down and the doctor examined my testicles and penis quickly and barehanded. Then did the hernia exam barehanded. He washed his hands after the exam.

For group exams at school, I don't remember the doctors wearing gloves or washing their hands to examine lots of boys. I didn't think about it at the time. Not sure that it mattered hygienically. If some boy showed up for a group physical and had some problem on his penis or balls, the doctors probably would have put on a glove or washed their hands afterwards. We were healthy kids. No health problems and the exams were quick except for the waiting in line. Some kids might have had a hernia but I never did.

I remember a few exams, probably from 10 to 13 or so, where the doctor just lifted up my waistband and slid her hand in. She rolled my testicles between her fingers briefly before feeling the length of my penis. After that, and at a new practice, it was the standard stand up hernia check with underwear pulled down.

Never had a doctor do any real form of genital exam at that age during a routine medical examination, yes they had a look without touching and the usual 'cough please' whilst feeling around my lower abdomen, but never examined my testicles or penis. That's the UK healthcare for you.

For a while my pediatrician just lifted the waistband to my tighty whities and looked. Then around 13 years old, at one of my exams there was a different doctor and he completed undressed me as soon as he came in the room, when it came time he did a " hands on " exam. I hated that because my mom was right there in the room.

I went to the same (male) pediatrician for many years. From the time I was old enough to remember until post-puberty it was always the same: stethoscope listening to the major blood vessels in the groin, some poking and prodding of my lymph nodes, and then a 2-3 second look inside my briefs. Except for the one time I had a bladder infection I don't remember him touching my genitals at all.

In my case, it was both.

When I was five or six years old, my foreskin was too tight, which became apparent during a check-up at elementary school.

Doc tried to push the skin back, would not work. I was told to practise, and if that would not get things going, I'd be circumcised.

THANKFULLY I managed to stretch it up far enough to have it slide back without a lot of problems.

I can't recall them ever looking at / in my bum. Just a palpation of stomach, groin, penis and balls.

I don't recall it ever being anything more than a visual, and even that probably didn't happen with each exam. The first time I recall and "handling" was a "turn your head and cough" hernia check for my first college physical.

The pediatricians I went to always examined the genitalia with palpation. The doctor I saw until I was 11 years old would lift up the waistband of my pants and briefs and feel the testes and penis. There was no visual inspection of the genitalia at all. I had to change pediatricians at age 11 and the exam routine change significantly. That doctor had me strip down to my tighty whities before the exam began. During the first two examinations I had from him when I was 11 and 12, with me lying supine on the exam table and after the abdominal examination had been completed, he lowered the front of my briefs to fully expose the penis and scrotum. He checked the meatus by spreading it apart and then palpated each testicle after which he pulled my briefs back up. There is no doubt that receiving a full visual inspection produced optimal embarrassment. Starting the following year, at age 13, the portion of the examination with my underpants down changed. At the conclusion of the examination, and when the abdominal examination had been completed, he instructed me to "get down off the table and stand here." "Slip your pants down for me." He would then do the same examination of the genitalia that he had done previously, but, in addition, added the hernia exam. "Turn your head and cough for me. "I have wondered for these many years: why did he pull down my briefs for me when I was 11 and 12 and then start having me pull them down on command from 13 -18? My conclusion is that he was demonstrating the first two physicals the kind of exposure he required so that I would know what he wanted me to do on instruction.

Other times, he'd stand behind me, pull my underwear down, and reach around to check my testicles and do a hernia test (often, embarrassingly, while I was standing facing my mom)..

That's a rather odd position for the doctor to be doing an examination from. The emphasis on feeling rather than visually examining i guess.

Haven't read or knew of anyone having a similar experience.

My genital exams were always both touch and visual. As a kid my physical exams all started with step on the scale, vitals done, finger stick for blood test, urine specimen in the pan (in the exam room, see other posts) and strip to the waist, wait for the doctor.

When it came time for the abdominal exam, I was laying on the exam table and the doctor would undo my belt and unsnap/unzip my pants and then palpate my abdomen.He would then have me stand up, at which point my pants would just drop to the floor, and I was standing in front of him in my underpants.Initially, he just pulled the waistband open a little bit and put his finger into my scrotum and have me cough on both sides.

Later, he pulled the waistband down below my scrotum and did the hernia check. When I was 12, he pulled my underpants down to my knees for the first time, presumably to assess my development. By this time I had gotten into the excitement as well as the embarrassment of this exam and I had a fully erect penis (which he ignored.)

Subsequent adolescent exams were much the same, although eventually he had me pull my underpants down myself. I never had a rectal exam until I was an adult, although at my 18 year exam he did have me turn around and spread my cheeks to look at my anus.

Our pediatrician had delivered my two sisters and then me so he was old fashioned and came to the house most of the time when we got sick. He smoked his cigar during the exams and he stunk to high heaven, but he always told my mom to give me a "good enema" every morning and night until I felt better.

If my illness had anything to do with my tummy he would always have thermometers and his fingers in my butt and handle my penis (which would always get hard when touched by anybody) and testicles during the process all the while, reeking of cigars. I am not a cigar smoker but whenever I have the opportunity to smoke a cuban, I go for it and the memories come back most vividly.

Dr. N examining me on my bed with my mom and my aunt standing behind him to the side in a cloud of smoke, me feeling fingers up me wondering what that had to do with the horrible tummy ache I was having. Fortunately I still have my appendix but everything around it has been felt and poked for sure.

As far back as I can remember, genital exams were always hands on. He did a quick check of my scrotum and retracted my foreskin. I had a congenital hernia and I got a hernia check every time.

Growing up, as long as I remember, I had both.

The earliest one I remember, I had just my underpants on, laying on the exam table and the doctor slid her hand into my underpants and felt around. I must have moved a bit because she asked if it tickled me? I don't remember that one being so visual. Other years I was totally naked, so it was also visual then, but I don't think I ever had a hernia check that didn't involve the doctor feeling under my scrotum. Doesn't seem the exam would be very thorough for a male if just visual.

All that I can remember is a school doctor with a nurse in the background pulling down my briefs as I lay on the exam table and my jumping up on contact.

It was both, visual and touch for the school physical. And it was always, lie down on the bed, lower your pants to your knee and raise your shirt above your belly button. Then the doctor would hold your penis, look around and retract your foreskin. though i never had hernia exam till I got it during college.

It was mostly touch with a had down my trousers when I went to my family doctor though, as the doctor was a lady.

Circumcision is rare here, unless your Muslim.

Always touch. Exam was done laying on the table until I got to high school.

I would lay on the exam table in my briefs as a boy, the doctor would visually examine my body then he would lift up the waistband of the briefs and visually look and then feel of my penis and balls, then take my briefs completely off for a extensive touch exam.

Timmyman2002: What did it consist in?

Nothing out of the ordinary. He opened my pants, had a quick feel and asked me to cough. Same routine when I got okder but I was standing in front of him.

I just had a quick exam with the cough just to make sure everything was was ok.