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Surgery and Health

Female obstetricians and gynecologists

Do Male Gynecologists Need a Sex Change?

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

November 17, 1996

It's not been a good week. I've had multiple problems in my medical office. One of my columns disappeared into eternity when my computer crashed. My son's dog, Dawson, tried to bite me. Now a Friday headline in a prestigious U.S. newspaper claims I and other male gynecologists are about to become as extinct as the Dodo bird. If that's the case I have some advice for women.

In The Wall Street Journal Andrea Gerlin describes Dr. Larry Kincheloe, a 43 year old obstetrician and gynecologist. He had applied for a position in an all©female practice in Kansas City.

He complains, "I thought they were kidding. But they are using their gender as a marketing tool. I was told I'd have to have a sex change to join them!"

In the U.S the demand for female obstetricians and gynecologists is outstripping the supply as more women choose doctors of the same gender.

The future, on the surface, looks bleak for males. Last year 60 percent of those training in Ob©Gyn were females. It prompted George Wilbanks, President of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to say, "Please get me some men so we can have a little balance."

Just to rub more salt in the wound, female obstetrician™gynecologists in the U.S initially earn $20,000 more than men. Talk about reverse discrimination!

They also appear to be busier than male gynecologists. Barbara Soles, assistant professor at Rush©Presbyterian©St Luke's Medical Center in Chicago says, "I'm booked three to four months ahead and my male colleagues are booked a month ahead."

How important do both sexes feel about having a doctor of the same gender? A study published in the Journal of Family Practice in 1990 shows it depends on the intimacy of the physical examination.

For routine medical situations 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men preferred a family doctor of the same sex. But for more personal examinations 57 percent of women and 64 percent of men preferred a physician of the same sex.

But does it make any difference in care if women choose a female obstetrician©gynecologist? Some professors and admissions officers claim that female doctors have an edge in communication skills, empathy and compassion. That all things being equal, women are more attuned to women's troubles. What happens if a woman has a gynecological problem that may require surgery? In 1991 the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology surveyed 1,267 of its members. They found that female gynecologists performed 45 percent fewer hysterectomies than men. And that they were more likely to obtain a Pap smear and mammogram.

All this makes me wonder, "Why didn't I remain a family doctor?" Becoming extinct like the Dodo Bird is hardly the way I expected to end my days.

Will it happen? There's no doubt that women will eventually outnumber men in this speciality. Time will tell whether it's good or bad news for women. But what should they do in the meantime?

My advice is that women make a terrible error if gender is their only criteria when choosing their obstetrician©gynecologist.

Selecting a surgeon has never been an easy job for the laity. I've known surgeons who are highly skilled, but have the personality of Dracula. Others could charm the devil but I wouldn't propose them to my worst enemy.

The bottom line is that there are few obstetrician™gynecologists of either sex who are highly skilled technical surgeons, great communicators and exhibit unusual empathy when catastrophic illness strikes. Choosing by gender alone may eliminate surgeons who may also be male.

But I must admit women do have a point to make. After all suppose the shoe was on the other foot?

For instance, I can already hear some of my female colleagues about to nail me to the wall on this issue. They will say, "Gifford©Jones, would you go to a female urologist for a prostate examination? Or suppose you discovered a lump on your testicle?"

Hmm. I admit I'd squirm a bit as I tried to answer this one. And wish I'd stayed in bed that day. But there's no doubt I'd swallow hard and choose the female if I believed she was the most capable urologist available.

I also admit I'd enter her office with great trepidation. No doubt I'd prepare by taking at least two showers, make sure I was wearing clean socks and impeccable underwear. And maybe I'd sneak a drink of Johnnie Walker to calm my psyche. Maybe two! As women are well aware, men are wimps.


W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones
Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod