Male OB/GYNS how has your experience been so far with women and particularly conservative women?

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license43

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Hi all currently a Medical student, not looking to do OB/GYN ever. Have you male (or female) OB /GYNs find it hard or even see it awkward for males to be dealing with females all the time and particularly female reproductive problems. I mean don't you sometimes get the response, 'I would rather see a female OB' or something like that..?
I mean sometimes I wonder how male OBs get lots of business because there are many females that are conservative/religious/moderate and simply prefer female OBs.

Not trying to bash male OBs at all and I bet there are plenty of successful, happy, prosperous male OBS, but I have to believe there are sometimes problems with getting female patients as a male OB sometimes.
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This topic has been beaten to death.

You can make a reasonable living as a male OB GYN. You will still get patients.

A certain segment of the female population will not see a male provider. Just comes with the territory and you can't do anything about it. Others may prefer a female provider but will take who ever is available.

Based on salary surveys, male and female salaries are similar and are slightly higher for men (probably due to being more likely to work full time)

I had no problem finding a job in the west coast for salaries ranging from 200K to 320K starting.

No different than a female urologist and asking them if they find it weird to deal with male urologic issues for 80% of their day (although they manage female urological issues the vast majority of their training is focused on male urology).
 
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license43 said:
Hi all currently a Medical student, not looking to do OB/GYN ever.
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Than why is this of interest to you?

There are the usual issues which you will experience in every specialty even IM and FM many male/female patients prefer a doctor of their own gender.

As anonperson mentioned this is akin to asking a woman how she handles urologic male patients (which is the vast vast majority of urology) including male only sub specialties like andrology and male reconstruction, and personally know women surgeons in these fields who do as well as their male colleagues. Just like male general ob/gyns and subspecialists who do as well as their female colleagues.
 
Not an OB but just as a female person myself who has been through the medical system, I think people make this into a bigger deal than it really is. While there are some women who prefer working with female OBs, some of us (such as myself) actually prefer seeing male OBs. I've done enough pelvic exams on patients that I understand that there is nothing erotic or titillating about the experience, so I've never had any concerns about a male doctor finding it super-sexy if I show up with bacterial vaginosis or menorrhagia. My totally anecdotal experience is that male OBs have been nicer to me than female ones have been - possibly because today's era of male OBs know they need to make an effort to come across as sensitive and caring to win over the skeptical patients.
In my personal life, I've experienced more problems with other women trying to bully me in 100% female situations than I have had with men acting like jerks to me in mixed sex situations, so I generally find it easier to be comfortable in mixed sex situations. For other women who have had bad experiences with men, these ob/gyn practices that are 100% female may be a good thing, but there are women like me out there who would avoid a 100% female practice because that's not what we want or feel comfortable with. Don't assume that every patient wants to see a doctor who shares demographic traits with the patient.
 
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In rotations, conservative type women were much more likely to accept a male student. It was the younger white liberal type that were more hesitant by far. I know this is stereotyping but this is based on my antedotal experience.
 
northernpsy said:
Not an OB but just as a female person myself who has been through the medical system, I think people make this into a bigger deal than it really is. While there are some women who prefer working with female OBs, some of us (such as myself) actually prefer seeing male OBs. I've done enough pelvic exams on patients that I understand that there is nothing erotic or titillating about the experience, so I've never had any concerns about a male doctor finding it super-sexy if I show up with bacterial vaginosis or menorrhagia. My totally anecdotal experience is that male OBs have been nicer to me than female ones have been - possibly because today's era of male OBs know they need to make an effort to come across as sensitive and caring to win over the skeptical patients.
In my personal life, I've experienced more problems with other women trying to bully me in 100% female situations than I have had with men acting like jerks to me in mixed sex situations, so I generally find it easier to be comfortable in mixed sex situations. For other women who have had bad experiences with men, these ob/gyn practices that are 100% female may be a good thing, but there are women like me out there who would avoid a 100% female practice because that's not what we want or feel comfortable with. Don't assume that every patient wants to see a doctor who shares demographic traits with the patient.
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My internist wife feels exactly the same way
 
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