Pediatric Genital exam: Touch or Visual exam?

I only had the one exam but the doc pulled the front of my briefs out and immediately began handling my penis, retracting the foreskin etc.

Always touch and visual. Looking back it seems kind of weird what the doc did, but I just thought it was normal back then.

My pediatric genital exams were all solely visual. While I was lying on my back, my pediatrician would pull down the front of my underwear and take a quick look, and then pull my legs up and back toward my head, after which he would pull the back of my underwear up to the back of my upper leg and take a long look there. I always felt very awkward and exposed during that part of the exam. I am sure the doctor could do a good visual exam in that position, but I really hated that part a lot. I don't remember having a genital exam that involved touch until my first appointment with a gynecologist, and even then there wasn't much of an external genital exam at all.

Those who have read my other posts will know that ( probably because of an ongoing but thankfully continously improving condition) I had annual school medicals every single year between 1960 and 1970. I grew up in a coal mining town. Doctors, like teachers, were respected authority figures. Every single school doctor I encountered always seemed to speak with cut glass, upper class accents.

They were always very brisk and breezy. Plus, they had a particular way of always speaking in the third person. Even when I was a teen, they seemed to be obliged to 'jolly me along' with an almost forced cheeriness, bordering upon condescension. Phrases such as "Right, let's get undressed, shall we?" "How are we today?" "Chop!Chop!" etc. still resonate over 50 years after the event. Plus, "Right, we will just see what's happening down below." meant an examination of penis, testes and scrotum, whilst "Now, we'll just check your back passage.." meant parting your butt cheeks whilst the doctor shone a light up your anus.

Most of the exam took place whilst I was wearing vest and pants. The vest came off for the stethoscope (chest / back) and abdominal exam. Finally, I was always told / asked to remove my pants for the genital / anal examination. The doctors always felt and palpated my scrotum and touched / held my penis. Now that another poster has mentioned this..,,I genuinely do not recall them wearing latex gloves. They may have used their bare hands, but had some type of surgical wipes nearby. I had to bend across the examination couch whilst they examined the anus. It was visual, but seemed to last a while. I never had a finger inserted up there, but the area around my hole was touched during some exams.

I don't recall the first foreskin retraction until I was aged 10 ( nearly 11) in 1963. It did hurt and the doctor commented on it and noted it on my medical forms. The same thing happened the following year. Not long after that, puberty kicked in. I began to start having erections and masturbating. Although there was discomfort, I was retracting my foreskin more often myself. By the time I had an exam aged 13..it was more embarrassing, as I got semi - erect during that part of the genital exam, but the foreskin retraction was easier...still a little tight though.

I recall being touched from about kindergarten age through 6th grade elementary ( about 12). Mommy would bring me and I'd be told to undress to my little panties. To speed things along the doctor's assistant would cheerfully aid in my disrobal because as we'll know kids are slow.

When down to my underpants the nurse or assisting staff member would weigh and measure me. This was carefully done because accuracy was important. Next an eye test ( while I was still standing).

Before the doctor ever saw me, a routine temperature taking had to be done. The exam table was adjusted perfectly flat and I was told to lay on my tummy. With mommy seated on a nearby chair, the nurse reached into my panties and pulled them all the way off leaving me naked.

I remained naked until the doctor came in. Sometimes it was a lady, sometimes a man. In every case I eventually was laid upon my back, legs splayed and genital area exposed. A cursory parting of my labia accessed the interior region of my vagina without a deep intrusion. A similar parting of my buttocks laid my anus before the doctor's touch.

I think when I had my exam she pulled out the front of my briefs for a quick look before pulling the front down enough to release my penis then she had a feel of my testicles, examined my penis gently pulling back my foreskin before letting go and pulling my briefs back up for me.

I do recall laying naked on the exam table, about age 8, for some reason the Doc was discussing testicles descending with my mom, who was nodding and taking in his conversation. He was gently massaging my scrotum, and as I remember, my testicles had descended properly, and there was no concern then or later on in puberty.

she pulled out the front of my briefs for a quick look before pulling the front down enough to release my penis

I really like your use of the phrase "release my penis." This is exactly what someone has to do when lowering briefs to expose the genitalia since the penis generally gets trapped by the waistband so it needs to be released before the briefs can be dropped. It has a really technical sound that I find exciting.

I really like your use of the phrase "release my penis." This is exactly what someone has to do when lowering briefs to expose the genitalia since the penis generally gets trapped by the waistband so it needs to be released before the briefs can be dropped. It has a really technical sound that I find exciting.

I find it exciting too. I think it was sort of released too because my penis was nice and snug in my briefs and having the front pulled out and down just led to it springing out and flopping down.

When you used to get your genitals checked at the pediatrician, was it just a visual exam or physical touching too?

Almost all the exams I had as a child, especially at school because I did not have a pediatrician, were visual examinations. Only one palpation of the testicles. I’m circumcised, it was not necessary to retract the foreskin.

My doctors would always touch when examining my genitals. They would first grab my penis and examine it from all angles, rubbing it thoroughly to check for any abnormalities. Then, they would feel my testicles. I’ve only had visual examinations of the anus though, never any thorough rectal exams. My doctor would just ask me to bend over and spread my cheeks a bit.

I can’t remember my genitals being checked when I was young at all. I’m sure it’s something that would have stayed in my mind, so I don’t think it ever happened.

The middle aged female NP would just pull the waistband of my underwear out, reach in and examine my testicles. Embarassing when I hit my teen years !

The exam was visual also physical. First a quick glance, then the testicles where examined, just followed by the penis and retraction of the foreskin.

As a young boy I had an undescended testicle which required regular doctor visits to monitor. I was ordered to stand in front of the seated doctor, pull up my shirt and take down my pants and underpants (white briefs) so he could see and feel me closely. He spent a good deal of time touching and looking as I stood in front of him, my bare boy-butt clearly on display to anyone who might enter the room. I watched the doctor very closely and now distinctly remember his fingers pushing the scrotum forward to conduct the examination. Got to thinking back about how upset I got with the testicle exams. Not so much the exams themselves, but a conversation the doctor had at some point with my mother while I was present. Doctor advised mom that surgical intervention would be necessary if the testicle failed to descend on its own. No timetable, but "soon". This really freaked me out! Probably because I had a hospital experience (tonsillectomy) only a couple years before, and really did not enjoy it....especially the idea of having to use a bedpan! I remember feeling so indignant about that: I'm a big boy now, and can go to the potty just like I'm supposed to. The experience of being asked if I needed to go, then being assisted with the placement of my body on the pan and a nurse holding my penis and cleaning my butt afterwards was over the top! Fortunately for me, perhaps 6 months later nature finally took its course and my little right ball went to its proper place.

I usually layed naked on the exam table. My doctor inspected my penis and testicles thorough. So my genitalia were touched.

As a child I was told to remove my clothes by the nurse who then had me lay on the table she would then put a small towel over my genitals. Our pediatrics was a females back in the sixties since my parents only wanted one dr for all the kids I have two sisters. When the dr came in with in 5 ,in she would remove the towel and tell me to separate my legs. Then she would visually look and also move my penis/ small balls around while looking. It was when I became older, 17 and began having sex that she would open spread the tip of my penis and look inside the tip area. Embarrassing for sure as I got older.

It isn't really possible to examine the genitals of either gender without touching, I would argue looking at the testes and penis isn't an exam, palpating the testicles is an exam. In female not touching is just looking at labia.

It isn't really possible to examine the genitals of either gender without touching, I would argue looking at the testes and penis isn't an exam, palpating the testicles is an exam.

This would definitely seem to be the case in my opinion too. A glance at the pubic hair, size of the penis, and the hang of the scrotum might get the viewer a reasonable idea of Tanner stage but would not even be an accurate reflection of maturity. Touching is necessary to examine the glans and meatus and check for phimosis if the penis is uncircumcised. Palpation is needed to confirm the presence of both testes and determine the sizes. I do not think an adequate hernia exam can be done without the finger in the inguinal canal though I did have one doctor just look at my groins while I coughed on command.

Has anyone had to show his glans or meatus to the pediatrician himself, retracting the foreskin, without the doctor touching him?

As early as I can remember my doc had me stand up. He would slip his hand underneath my waistband an feel around. Later around age 10 I was asked to lower my briefs. He would then do a visual inspection as well as touch my genitals.

I never saw a pediatrician. We had a GP, but as far back as I can remember, I never had a regular physical exam. We only went to the doctor when we were really sick with something. Even when I had whooping cough, I never saw a doctor for it. This was back in the late 1940s through the 1960. Guess I missed out on those "Let's have a look down here" times with the doctor.

I will never forget all that quality time with our GP every visit started with pants around the ankles laying on the table with a thermometer coming out of my ass from birth to ten every visit started the same way ,our GP was also the coroner so he didn't care if his patients had a pulse or not .

Has anyone had to show his glans or meatus to the pediatrician himself, retracting the foreskin, without the doctor touching him?

I had to do when I went to the doctor at age 11 or 12. She first told me to remove my underwear, then, after a visual inspection she asked me to retract my foreskin.

I had a family doctor instead of a ped, but I always had my testicles examined at exams when I was a kid. There was a kid a few years older than me who died from testicular cancer, so it was very much something that my mother wanted done. I was also shown how to check my testicles myself. Testicular cancer checks are really most important in younger males. Any doctor who is performing a physical and doesn't examine the testicles for someone under 30 isn't doing their job.

I remember getting both....

Mine was always both legs spread open wide while he felt my penis from base to tip,a peek inside,then he’d roll each testical between his fingers. Up on hands and knees spreading of the cheeks for visual then palpitation of my anus finished with insertion of his pinky finger

I don't remember ever having my pediatrician check my genitals. I'm fairly certain my first gynecologist was the first doctor to examine my genitals. I also don't remember ever having my temperature taken rectally.

Sounds like I may have missed out, lol

"Angelkisses " it is certainly a question of age

I presume that you are still rather young because at least in France in the 50's as a child and a small kid under 12, I had always my temperature taken rectally, it was considered by doctors and nurses as more accurate than the oral temperature.

I have been told that it was the same in hospitals and clinics at that time even if I have not not experienced it myself

Even at school, the middle aged permanent nurse performed always a rectal temperature at middle schoool and sometimes even at high school in the first 60's if she suspected a boy student to be a liar about his sickness to escape to a PE lesson, it was a kind of thread to dissuade the students to lie, the surprise was great the first time for a teenager boy when he was instructed by the nurse to remove his clothes including his brief and to lie on his belly on a medical table where she would come to insert the thermotheter in his naked anus while she put her other hand on one of his cheek, and she took her time to make it more embarrassing, so it was enough efficient.

It happened to me two or three times at middle school and one in high school when I was a freshman, ( and the last time the permanent nurse was assisted by a student nurse who was at school for a training course and was still young and as she explained her how to proceed, how to touch me and so on ...,it took still more time and it was still more embarrassing to stay with my naked butts exposed for a more long while under their sight, so I understood that I might not lie...)

.

I don't know if she did it also with an older teenager of 16 or 17 age but I think so.

I believe that it was depending also of his more or less suspicion towards the boy student and may be also if she was in a bad mood or a good mood because one time she had not taken my temperature.

At least our PE teacher told it to us as a thread at the beginning of the year school during the first lesson and it was the rumor which spread all the time in locker rooms and corridors and break time in the playground of the school that even a 17 age student could have his temperature taken rectally if he was unfortunate. It was related also that a boy student who came to the nurse office and seemed to her too arrogant could be submitted to a rectal temperature as a kind of punishment. May be a legend but may be not, how to know...

Normally at home, we were told also to continue to take our temperature rectally but in most families we could do it ourself in privacy even if it could be depending on families.

As regards the inspection of the penis and palpation of the balls and rolling them between fingers, it was quite a standard procedure at school examination but seldomly performed by private doctor. I had not a pediatrician but a regular doctor, I believe that on the rreverse of today, there was a very few number of pediatrician doctors at that time while now almost all families who have children send them to see a pediatrician.

Like every doctor knew that we had an annual mandatory school exam, they thought that except in specific cases, it was useless to perform a check of the genitals. If a check was decided , for instance for me by a doctor at 15 age, he pulled down himself my brief until knees and when he had finished, he instructed to me after to slip of it and to turn around for a check of the curvatures of the spin and then to move forward and down a few steps in the examination and eventually to move to the wall and to stay here face to the wall before bending over . It was in presence of my mother but fortunately she looked away at that while of the examination.

As regards the visual inspection of the anus, it was not a common practice in my knowledge except of course if you had rashes or other issues in that part of the body.

My first digital rectal examination took place as a draft at a pre-induction medical center for military service and was performed by a male military service, never at school or university.

At that time it was considered that a DRE was not necessary for boys according to most of doctors because a testicular cancer was very very seldom for a kid or a teenager, but of course a very cautious doctor who knows that it can nevertheless occur would do it, and now I think that it is him who is right if there is even a small risk...

Initially visual, then thorough examination: uncapping of the foreskin, checking of the urinary meatus, palpation of the testicle and stretching of the penis to estimate the length.