I ask because growing up it happened almost every single year to the point where, whenever I went to the doctor, I would get severe anxiety. I got a physical once for nursing school and the APRN said my heart sounded like I was having severe anxiety, I was 20 something years old.

I understand that, generally, providers do this to check on people’s development, such as testicles dropping, hair, deformities, etc.

But then I hear people talking about how that was never their experience. Ever.

When I have kiddos, I want them to feel safe around the doctor. I want them to feel like they have autonomy over their own body, not the doctor just pulling your shit down and touching you while you are laying down.

TIA

  • Random_Character_A@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 day ago

    Same. No doctors on my balls and I’m 50.

    Although when I was in elementary school in the 80’s there were horror stories of ball fondling checkups. According to the stories also a fridge cold spoon was placed on one of your testicles.

    No idea if the stories had any basis in reality or how the kids were selected.

    • tdgoodman@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 hours ago

      The standard ‘turn your head and cough’ while the doc pushes just behind the testes is a test for an inguinal hernia. It might seem like ball fondling, but the goal is to make sure your intestines will not pop through a hernia into the scrotum.