“Australia is pioneering the use of a home kit for pap smears.

If HPV isn’t detected, you’re okay.

So what the hell did I go through that uncomfortable exam for?!

Jada Pinkett Smith, wearing a yellow headwrap and dark top, stands in shock with the text "WHAT?!" overlaid. She appears to be on 'Red Table Talk.'

I couldn’t even stand up straight after the procedure.”

I have a long family history of birth defects and a couple of chronic health problems."'

“Since I was a teenager, I have battled a serious stomach issue.

A woman lies on a medical examination table, looking forward, while a hand points towards her abdomen

Every test always ends with the same diagnosis.

It’s a rare disease mostly found in postmenopausal women.

He said it has nothing to do with biology but everything to do with family history.

A man lying in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown, exclaims, "Really?" with a surprised and incredulous expression on his face

“I had to have my gallbladder removed due to severe pancreatitis.

After the surgery, I was wheeled back to my recovery room, where my parents were waiting.

Then, the nurse helped adjust my bed to lie down, and I was suddenly in terrible agony.

A woman and man reading a document together, both appearing concerned as they focus on the paper in front of them

I felt like my chest was going to burst, and I could hardly breathe.

And, though my surgery was abdominal, the pain was focused in my shoulder and neck area.

I was shaking with tears pouring down my face, and my parents started freaking out.

A person is opening a small cardboard box on a round table with a floral arrangement in the background

The nurse starts patting my hand and asking what’s wrong.

Was I anxious about something?

What was making me sad?

A person lies in a hospital bed, dressed in a medical gown, looking thoughtfully out of the window. An IV drip is seen next to them

“I was told I had HPV from an obstetrician.

I was married and lost my virginity to my husband.

I never went back for follow-ups due to the humiliation and pain.

A doctor, wearing a white coat and glasses, sits beside and places a comforting hand on the shoulder of a seated man with a beard, dressed in a sweater and jeans

A year later, I was experiencing health issues and went to PlannedParenthood.

They did an exam and listened to me.

I was properly diagnosed with cancer.

A woman sits on the floor by a window in a bedroom, holding her head in her hand, looking distressed. An unmade bed and nightstand are visible in the background

Three months of chemo and losing my opportunity to have children.

If it had been caught earlier, I may have been able to do so.”

I consulted my gynecologist, who was very supportive, but her staff definitely were not.

A doctor wearing a white coat and stethoscope sits at a table with a clipboard, speaking to a man in a blue shirt

I bluntly told her that wasnt true; she was taken aback and could only muster an ‘Oh.’

The nurses who came into the room after asked me what my imaginary future husband would want.

I provided them the same bluntness, telling them it didnt matter and I was doing this for myself.

A woman in a hospital bed looks out the window, with a medical professional's hand seen in the foreground operating equipment

They nodded in unison.

It was so degrading and mind-boggling how women in healthcare were so ingrained with misogyny.

“It took me visiting three doctors all women before I was able to get an IUD.

Person in a medical gown and socks, lying on an examination table with legs in stirrups, likely in a gynecological exam room

It wasnt a question of whether or not my insurance would cover it; it did.

She didnt tell me how painful it was to insert, and she didnt offer any numbing medication.”

“30 years ago, I was a single mom with a 7-year-old son.

A person wearing a hospital gown sits on the edge of a hospital bed with feet hovering above the floor. The background features a sofa and a large window

At that time, I decided to have a tubal ligation.

I told him I had neither.

He seemed confused at my answer.

A person wearing a white lab coat holds up an intrauterine device (IUD) for the camera. The person's face is slightly out of focus in the background

After a couple of minutes, he finally agreed to perform the procedure.

Anonymous

12.

Of course, it was broken.”

Person in a pink shirt and jeans with their right arm in a grey sling against a yellow background

Im in the US in Michigan.

Had she come and said no, he wouldnt have done it.”

“Mybest friendtried to get her uterus taken out due to severe endometriosis multiple times.

A doctor holding a clipboard while talking to a patient sitting in a chair. Their faces are not visible

Meanwhile, she has two sons, both starting college.”

poisonistic

16.

“Just got my vasectomy and am currently resting up with frozen peas.

A woman sits at a table across from a medical professional in blue scrubs, appearing contemplative and deep in thought. Various medications are on the table

The doctor asked me quite a few questions, including how my wife felt about it.

“In 1995, my husband had to sign ‘his permission’ for me to get a tubal ligation.

No clue what the current situation is, but it was a thing at least.”

A woman in a black shirt talks to a woman in a white lab coat, possibly a medical professional

iwasarealteenmom

19.

“I had my tubes tied after my C-section.

I knew I was having it done.

A man in a blue shirt consults with a woman holding a tablet

I signed all the consents and paperwork beforehand.

My doctor and surgeon knew it was happening.

You may want another baby!'

A woman in a hospital gown sits on a hospital bed, hooked up to medical equipment, speaking with a concerned expression

All of this was WITH my partner’s support.

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.

A man and a woman are sitting on a couch. The woman is crying with her knees up, and the man is comforting her by placing his hand on her shoulder