It’s a valid question we’ve all wondered before: if you’re a male gynecologist, why did you choose your profession?
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Now, our biggest burning question has been answered. In one Reddit thread, male OB/GYNs and their family members shared why they chose to go into the field, and I’m actually surprised at how heartwarming their answers are. I’ve rounded up 17 of the best responses, below:
1.“Male OB/GYN in my 30s from Europe here. Several reasons, but maybe the most important and formative experience for me was when, after med school, I was living in the Horn of Africa for a couple of years.”
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“I witnessed some soul crushing things, like obstetric fistulae, young women with advanced cervical cancer that could have been prevented easily, victims of sexual violence, complicated and traumatic deliveries. To put it mildly, women’s health leaves much to be desired in a global context.
I also met there some extremely inspiring and charismatic people, like Edna Adan Ismail and Catherine Hamlin. In general, I’m usually not very easily captivated by people, but these women were just something else with their endless kindness, charisma, and altruism. If, on my deathbed, I could say that I spent my life trying to do what they did, I could die peacefully.
So when I, as a young doctor, had the opportunity to get a training in the most important medical specialty of all and do my small part in making the world a kinder place for women, I mean, who really would need to think twice?”
–johnnywayfarer
2.“I’m a male gynecologist of six years. Working in a hospital outside the US. During our education, we do rotations in every field, and gynecology was one of the most diversified fields. I’ll do deliveries, small operations, or laparoscopic surgery as well as bigger stuff. Here we even do breast surgery and administer adjuvant chemotherapy ourselves. So I get to do all the fun stuff, and it never gets boring. Sorry to everyone thinking I’m looking at vulvas 24/7. Most of what I do is talking, to be honest.”
–Myd00m
3.“Originally, I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I entered medical school, and if you had asked me, OB/GYN was at the bottom of the list based on everything negative I’d heard. My third-year rotation, I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it. You get to do a little of everything: medicine, surgery, primary care, office procedures, and obviously delivering babies, which was awesome.”
“On top of that, I lost my mother during medical school, who was my biggest role model. Being able to be there in the room with new moms during their happiest moments just kinda made it all click for me. Don’t regret my decision at all.”
–EpeePaul
4.“Male OB/GYN here. Lots of reasons! I am genuinely excited every time I get to be part of bringing a child into the world. As a dad to daughters, I feel responsible for making the world a safer place for women to seek healthcare.”
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“Women’s health is full of mystery, which isn’t the case in more studied clinical areas. Some reasons for this include women’s health only getting about 1% of biopharma research funding, women being excluded from clinical trials until 1993 (thank you, thalidomide scandal), and research animal models almost exclusively being male until 2016.
There are common women’s health problems, like endometriosis (10% of women), which we simply do not yet understand. As an academic, I love the research component of my job. The list goes on and on. In short, I think it’s the most rewarding area of medicine and wouldn’t do anything else.”
–risenpixel
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5.“It felt like an extremely well-rounded profession. You get to do inpatient and outpatient. You get to do office procedures, laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery, vaginal surgery, and open surgery. You get to do hands-on ultrasounds and not just read them. You get to deliver babies!”
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“If you’re doing gynecological oncology, many will do the chemo and the surgery, and not just the surgery like surgical oncology. If you do MFM, you get to do ultrasound-guided procedures such as fetal blood transfusions and such.
We are physicians who take care of patients regardless of their demographics/characteristics, and the profession itself can have high acuity, high points, and low points. You are caring for vulnerable populations, and it’s rewarding.”
–The_White_Lotus
6.“People who think it’s to look at vaginas all day don’t realize in a professional medical setting, looking at genitals for a doctor is the equivalent of a mechanic looking at another motor. Nothing sexual or arousing about it. Many people I know have reduced sex drives while working on their OB rotations in school because it’s just another vulva.”
–ElPuertoRican15
7.“My dad is/was one. Got into it because he really liked the excitement of delivering babies. Stayed in it because he likes surgery.”
–spastic_raider
8.“Gyn-oncologist for 20 years. Great job that has always had lots of variety and evolved over time. Started with a focus on obstetrics, delivering babies, and experiencing the adrenaline and privilege of being there for that big moment with people. Slowly evolved towards gynae and cancer, learning high-end surgery, using cool kits, dealing with highly challenging scenarios, and constantly learning and developing.”
“This coincided with moving away from the exhausting after-hours work. Love my job, and if I were independently financially comfortable, I would still do it for free.”
–needlenoise
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9.“To people outside of medicine, this is a common question. And it’s usually included with something along the lines of, ‘how can you effectively care for women with women-specific issues if you havent experienced those yourself?’ Seems like a very reasonable question.”
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“But it’s helpful to remember that most oncologists haven’t gone through cancer treatment. But they’re still well equipped to guide someone through cancer care. Sure, the patient might benefit from talking with someone who has been through it, but that’s a good role for group therapy or a support class. Doesn’t have to be a role that’s filled by the doctor. Most surgeons who fix heart valves, take out gall bladders, remove tumors, etc., have never had heart problems, gall bladder problems, or a tumor. It’s not necessary to have personally experienced those things in order to be excellent at taking care of those things.
Where we run into trouble is when men dictate the care of women. But doctors shouldn’t be dictating anyone’s care in this day and age. Patients should be provided with the resources to make their own decisions. For women seeking care from an OB/GYN, the best-equipped OB/GYN is the one who can listen, make a logical plan, advise their patient of their options, and respect their wishes. That OB/GYN could be a man or a woman and be equally good at those things.”
–bigwill6709
10.“My first gynecologist was a gyn-oncologist. I had to go to him early in life due to family history. He got into the field because the deaths of his mom and grandma affected him deeply; they died of vaginal cancer. My mawmaw also had vaginal cancer, very late stage. With his help, she was able to beat it and lived another 15 years. He did a lot of pro bono work, which the hospital board wasn’t happy about. But since he was one of the best guys in the field, they really couldn’t do anything about it.”
–Switchbladekitchen
11.“Male OB/GYN here, with a post on fetal medicine, sexology, and a fellowship in fertility/reproduction. As others have already said, OB/GYN is an extremely diverse field with a lot going on. There’s major surgery to be done, then you’re off in an office talking about anything, then on an ultrasound machine performing morphology checks, and then a phone rings and you’re over there helping bring someone into the world. It’s all very engaging, emotional, and rewarding.”
–prpg03
12.“It sounds made up every time I say it, but The Cosby Show first got me interested in that sort of work. My mom was a single mom, and I would picture myself with a nice house, good money, all the while getting to work from my home office, lol. Once I was in medical school, I enjoyed bringing life into the world, and the other stuff obviously faded away.”
–Shoddy-egg1582
13.“As a male gynecologist, I understand that my chosen career path may seem unusual to some people. However, for me, it was a natural choice that was driven by a desire to help women with their reproductive health and to make a difference in their lives.”
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–J4MEJ
14.“I asked my doctor that once. He said he’d done a rotation on cardiac, and men were the whiniest wooses. When he did the OB/GYN rotation, he said, ‘damn those women are tough as nails.’ So that’s why he chose it.”
–ValiMeyer
15.“Male OB/GYN resident here. This field is so much more than just delivering babies. There is plenty of pathology to explore and research. The field allows variety in schedules with combining outpatient clinic, outpatient surgeries, inpatient admissions, as well as ICU-level care.”
“It definitely caters to people who like variety in their work weeks. In one day alone, I can counsel a 65-year-old about a terminal diagnosis, and then a few hours later help a family welcome a new child they’ve been waiting seven years for. It’s mentally taxing, for sure, but is always interesting.”
–touche24
16.“Late answer, but my OB/GYN is my step-grandpa’s brother-in-law. He was the one who helped my mom give birth to me 20 years ago, who had an extremely difficult pregnancy. He says he became an OB/GYN because he grew up in a little village with minimal health resources, let alone OB/GYNs! So he has three offices, one in the city in a hospital, one in a secluded village, and one in the suburbs.”
–strippedallbutpr1de
17.“My Dad is an OB/GYN surgeon and when I asked him years ago why he chose to be one, he simply shrugged and said, ‘Women go through a lot of shit and a lot of that shit comes from men; so I wanted to make it a little better for them all.’ Guess he always had the simplest of explanations.”
–Zack_Knifed
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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