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Is It Time To Find Another OBGYN?

by — Last updated: 2016-01-12 in Women's Health

Table of Contents

Your obstetrician/gynecologist can be a powerful ally who sees you through some of the most important and intimate medical issues in your life, but if your OBGYN sucks, it's time to find another. Look out for these warning signs.

3. Your OBGYN Doesn't Have Time For You

Is your OBGYN expecting appointments to be over in a matter of minutes, leaving you without the opportunity to ask questions or share concerns? Are you being treated like an item on a conveyor belt, rather than a real, live, human patient? Do you need to book appointments weeks in advance, even if you are dealing with very worrying symptoms? Is your OBGYN not available after office hours in cases of emergency? Do you need to take time off work when you need to see your OBGYN, because slots aren't available when you are not working?

Your OBGYN doesn't have time for you, and is robbing you of the chance to develop a real doctor-patient relationship that would help catch medical conditions early. You have every right to look around for an OBGYN who does have value your health as much as you do.

4. Your OBGYN Isn't Up To Date

We live in a world where information is easily accessible, even by lay people. Are you a Twenty-First Century patient? Chances are that you will browse the internet to find out more about the symptoms you are experiencing before you even get to the doctor's office, and that you will perform a Google search prior to undergoing routine checkups such as mammograms, PAP smears, and prenatal ultrasounds. 

If, during the course of your visit, you get the impression that you almost know more than your OBGYN does, because, for instance, they have no idea what you are talking about when you ask whether that Hormone Replacement Therapy is still safe in light of recent findings that it comes with an increased risk of breast cancer and stroke? That's a sign that your OBGYN isn't up to date.

Doctors who don't follow recent developments in medicine as closely as their patients are walking red flags who might as well be wearing a badge that says "look for another doctor!"

5. Your OBGYN Judges You

Does your OBGYN not want to prescribe you birth control pills or give you a Paragard intrauterine device when you think you may be pregnant, because they have religious objections? Does your OBGYN strongly oppose your desire to have a fifth child despite not being able to provide a medical explanation as to why another pregnancy would be risky for you? Is your OBGYN rude to you when you contract genital herpes? Does your OBGYN make weird comments that indicate they judge you for having sex though you're not married? That's not nice. 

Doctors should be able to provide scientifically accurate, evidence-based information and treatment recommendations without adding a side dish of personal judgment. And if they aren't willing to provide services you need and which they are qualified to offer because of moral objections? You need another doctor. 

READ How Women Can Detect Gynecological Cancers Before They Even Go To The Doctor

6. Your Doctor Goes Along With All Your Wishes

On the other hand, there are women who believe you should ditch your OBGYN if they disagree with your birth plan, if they dare to bring up the possibility of selective reduction when you are pregnant with quadruplets, or if they have a high c-section rate. While your OBGYN should always listen to you — both paying attention to your reports about your symptoms and your personal beliefs that affect reproductive choices — they also have a duty to provide you with accurate information despite your beliefs.

If your OBGYN is a "yes man" who agrees with everything you say even though your desires may run counter to evidence-based medicine, that is another red flag. A good doctor doesn't just listen to you, they also inform you when your personal desires are medically dangerous. 

7. Your OBGYN Is Rough

Finally, a good OBGYN ensures that you are as physically comfortable as you can possibly be, being gentle during pelvic and vaginal examinations and — for instance — warming a metal speculum before inserting it. They should intuit fear and discomfort and ask you whether you are in pain. If a procedure is going to hurt, they should inform you in advance. If your OBGYN treats you like a piece of meat without pain sensors, you deserve a new doctor.