Gastroenterologist need to expose female b*****s to use the stethoscope to check lungs/breathing?

Question

My girlfriend went to see a gastroenterologist the other day and he examined her. There were about 1 or 2 female nurses there as well. She told me that the doctor pulled her top up, unbuckled her bra and pulled her bra up as well when he used the stethoscope. I don't know anything about medicine but I feel uneasy whether what the doctor did was necessary because I have never heard of doctors taking off girl's bra in order to check their heartbeat, breathing or lungs.

Since I know nothing about the medicine profession, my question is, do females need to lift their top and bra in order for the doctor to do a check up?

Thank you

Answer 1

Often yes. Many girls don't wear bras to the doctor for this reason. Also. many doctors get no pleasure from women's bodies, it's a  job. Just ask a doctors wife.

Answer 2

I NEVER have had a doctor do that unless he was doing a breast exam, and even then they ask you to take off your clothing.  Now my GP does lift my top whenever he's doing my initial exam so he can put the stethoscope against my skin, on the back to check the lungs and the front if it's loose enough he'll go in from the neck line area to check my heartbeat.  

I'm 48 years old, have had 1000's of doctors over the years, and not one has ever undone my bra and taken it off.  VERY unprofessional.

Answer 3

Sometimes you have to have the patient take the bra off, especially if they are heavy set. However I never take the patients bra off myself.

More often than not, we are just listening to the heart as part of physical exam (and hence do it for the sake of completion). However when a patient has a problem which may be related to the heart, then I usually do expose the patient fully (as opposed to just listening through the gown) because then every little sound becomes extremely important.

In any case, either the patient takes her undergarments off herself or a nurse helps her. I don't know any physician (man or woman) who does that for a patient.

Answer 4

We were taught that while examining the chest and abdomen a person man or woman must be undressed from neck to pubis and from arm pit to arm pit. A nurse must be present if a lady is examined by a male doctor.

Answer 5

That's standard. The apex of the heart is very near the left nipple, and good contact between the skin and the stethoscope is needed for a good listen.

A lot of doctors (and I confess I've done it myself) will do a half-baked exam when pressed for time or if a chaperone isn't available, but only if we don't expect to hear anything important.

Rather than being upset about it, I'd say you should be reassured that her doctor isn't cutting corners.

Answer 6

OK, the doctor was clumsy or unprofessional in the way he approached the patient. But, if you are going to have a complete exam, the bra has to be removed. You simply just can't hear subtle heart sounds otherwise. The sounds clothes make as they rub against the skin can be very distracting.

A well-trained aide should provide the patient with an examining gown before the  exam with instructions to remove the bra and why, and offer to chaperone during the exam.

It's very understandable than many women choose female physicians because of their discomfort in these situations. That's fine. I'm not exactly thrilled when a woman doctor checks me for a hernia or hemorrhoids, either.