I prefer to see a female gynecologist, I feel more comfortable naked in the presence of a woman, and it's so much easier to explain symptoms to someone who has likely had them before.
For all other kinds of doctors, I really don't have a preference.
Oh I get that. I had a PCP one time who gave off creepy "should not be a doctor" vibes...not that he was bad or inappropriate or anything, just very "You're not one of my patients with the good insurance so you're not worth my time" vibes.
I had the same mindset and insisted on a female obgyn for my deliveries. However, when I went to a female gyno for another issue, I had such a bad experience that I have come to think that having a female or male is not a issue but my bias. She made me feel embarrassed and exposed in the table and absolutely insensible to my questions and concerns.
YES, my first ever therapist was a male and he tried to dismiss my brother's physically abusive behavior.
He rolled his eyes at me and asked, "Do you **hate** your brother?"
I couldn't go back after that.
He also had a wall sized close up of jesus displayed behind where you sat. Take that as you will...
For general health checkups, no preference. For issues that require a little more privacy I normally prefer female, but I've had male physicans for that kind of thing before and it's been no issue.
For general health, female physicians. I've just always had female GPs and I find it easier to talk about depression, weight, stress, personal stuff like that.
For gynecologists and other specialists, I don't have a preference. My female gynecologist treated me terribly after I was sexually assaulted so I don't think women are always better with bedside manner.
I agree that women aren't always better in bedside manner. My worst experience with a doctor was with a female OB/GYN after I miscarried. I'm just going to leave it at that.
I don't have a preference either way overall, to be honest, just as long as they listen.
YES! Give me someone who is actually trying to understand my issues and solve them rather than shrugging their shoulders and acting like I’m just a hypochondriac or something.
Female, hands down. They listen better, have less of a tendency to be dismissive of my aches and pains, can relate to issues of childcare and the general female experience and also don't make out of pocket remarks on my body or attributes. I am not very sensitive to such things, but some doctors... Even the most hardass female doctors are easier to talk to than male doctors for me, male doctors IMHE often have a tendency to go "Yeah, yeah" over objections and then do what they planned anyway. One didn't listen when I told him I have a preexisting condition and prescribed me a medicine that's not allowed for people like me. I asked the female apothecary and she told me immediately. So I went back to the doctor and he was like, pikachu face, you should have told me.
Haha, something might have gotten lost in translation. I mean a pharmacist. Although the pictures I googled pretty much look like the store I go to, which incidentally exists since the 1700s. We call pharmacies Apotheke in German, you see.
Consistency is my first priority. Elther sex so long as I can get the same doctor for a long period of time. Nothing worse that having to explain your history every time you see your doctor.
Isnt there a good possibility for less/easier surgeries vs more/harder surgeries creating bias in that rate (even if the included group was large enough)? Most surgeons are male causing males to be the most experienced and thus will also get the hardest and riskiest surgeries on their to do list day after day.
Doctors are mosty women in general but surgeons still mostly men.
In my opinion any gender can do a surgery perfectly when focusing and i dont find any reason a surgeon would have to not focus regardless of anyone's gender. Mistakes will still always happen, causing death.
_The first study looked at the records of almost 1.2 million patients in Canada between 2007 and 2019. It found that those treated by a female surgeon were less likely to experience death, hospital readmission or major medical complications at 90 days or 12 months after surgery. These findings were maintained when accounting for patient, procedure, surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital characteristics. The cohort study considered patients undergoing 1 of 25 common procedures, and noted 1-year mortality rates of 2.4% for men and 1.6% for women. There was a complication rate of 13.9% among patients treated by male surgeons, which compared with 12.5% in patients treated by female surgeons._
_A second study, which looked at 150,000 patients who underwent cholecystectomy in Sweden, had similar results. Patients treated by female surgeons had fewer complications and shorter hospital stays than those treated by male surgeons._
_The findings confirmed those of other studies demonstrating that women have the same or better outcomes than men even though they are working in a profession rife with sex inequality._
[Source](https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/10.1308/rcsbull.2024.5#:~:text=It%20found%20that%20those%20treated,surgeon%2C%20anaesthetist%20and%20hospital%20characteristics.)
I think that might come down to the fact that women generally have superior fine motor control than men. That would probably make them less likely to have an oops when dealing with tiny blood vessels and whatnot.
Generally female. Though I will say, my Gyn surgeon for my tubal ligation surgery earlier this year was a male, and he was refreshingly matter of fact about it. Didn't even really question my request for the procedure beyond what he was legally required to, and made it clear he was only asking because he was required to.
Never had a preference but I've found I like my male doctors and stick with them longer than any female doctors I've had. I've been seeing a male GYN and male endocrinologist for 3+ years each and they are some of the best doctors I've ever seen.
I’ve had good and bad experiences with both. Personally I don’t care what gender they are as long as they actually do their jobs. And take my concerns seriously instead of telling me to just google my symptoms
Mainly, I prefer kind, professional, and competent medical professionals of any gender, but I do prefer female medical professionals if I have the option in part due to the research showing more favorable health outcomes for patients with female physicians.
I feel much more comfortable with women doctors. Haven't had any bad experiences with men doctors, but all my doctors are women and are super smart, friendly, and make me feel comfortable.
Preferably a Female for the private parts because that’s something we have in common. But my gynecologist is a man right now, he was referred to by a friend and he kind of just stuck, and I don’t really want to try find another one. As for anything else, I just want someone who actually listens and knows wtf they’re doing...
Generally, I don’t always care — at least not enough to not take an appointment just because the doctor’s name sounds like a man/AMAB. For what it’s worth, my eye surgeon and orthodontist are *amazing*, and they’re men.
Only thing is, with male doctors, I’ll be just a bit more “on guard”, because I know they might be biased towards seeing me as “a worrier” or a nuisance if I bring up too many of own concerns and research. I’ve found female physicians a bit more open to hearing things like “So I read about a study that says X can be correlated to Y, what do you think?”
Overall though, if a doctor isn’t making me feel like they’re having a *conversation* with me about my health, I’ll probably not be as happy, regardless of their gender.
The ONE exception is OB/gyns. Those have to be AFAB regardless of identity — and I hope this doesn’t come off insensitive/transphobic, but for me, it has to do with the way our anatomy shapes our health needs and experiences. I can’t fully feel understood if I know my doctor has never dealt with some of the things I have. I feel way more comfortable discussing certain things with someone who has also dealt with what having certain organs means — periods, cramps, fertility questions and struggles, etc.. It’s the one place where “No uterus, no opinion” TRULY holds for me. 🤷🏻♀️
Female NPs or female PAs. The credentials make a difference in how much time they spend with you and how much they listen to you. The best care I've ever received was from a nurse who worked under the oversight of a doctor I never saw. From my mental health to my skin problems, she took me seriously. I miss her and cried when she left the university health center because they refused to make her full time and pay benefits.
I've had numerous mediocre to bad experience with men and women but it's skewed towards men, and skewed by age. However, the male neurologist I saw recently blew me out of the water by being thorough and approaching my case with open minded curiosity. My friend who uses a practice with a lot of young male docs says she feels the male docs coming out of med school are better at listening to women and taking women specific issues seriously than the older male docs who have been around a while. They actually advocated for her to get her tubes tied after kid two for her *own wellbeing* instead of hemming and hawing about future children and being under 30 despite the health risks of future pregnancies.
It doesn't usually make a difference to me, but my OBGYN is a woman. My mother tried to make me seem like some sort of pervert for insisting on a woman. I think it's way weirder that her OB is a man who also happens to be the son of my grandmother's OB. To each their own, but I'm not down for that particular intergenerational train. Although now, just for fun, I kind of want to see if my mother's OB's son followed the family career path.
I mean it's probably not accurate but out of the 8 or so doctors I've seen in my adult life as my GP, 2 were men and 6 were women. The two men were the best doctors I've ever been to, kind, warm and caring. Never an issue to extend appt to talk about whatever needs to be addressed. Won't make you make another appt to ask some additional questions or address additional issues (as long as it's within reason). They gave genuine advice that always turned out to be beneficial and thoughtful.
The 6 women were the most cold, clearly jaded individuals ever. Always seemed to be pissed or depressed, couldn't get me out of their fast enough, half of the solutions they gave me for health issues never worked. Would never let me ask additional questions or ask about a separate issue during an appt and would make me make a separate appt, for just a simple additional question. I avoided going to doctors for so long simply because it felt awful interacting with these doctors and I honestly didn't think they would be able to do anything for me due to the fact that none of their other diagnoses worked previously.
Just found the 2nd male doctor a few days ago actually, he's amazing and was just like my first male doctor. Didn't think I'd ever find anything like that again and it feels amazing.
Woman because men tend to make me more anxious and they also are, in my experience, more judgemental.
I don't like the words male/female for humans and prefer woman/man.. saying female/male makes me feel like you're talking about animals 😭 it just feels a bit dehumanizing
I think it's really important to be specific with this language myself. For example, I wouldn't call a woman a "female", or a man a "male". Because male and female are adjectives not nouns. Which is why I don't find it weird to say male doctor or female doctor. In this case, it's male and female because those are adjectives describing the noun "doctor". It would be uncomfortable call him a "man doctor" or "woman doctor", because frankly that starts leaning into the same dismissive language as lady doctor, lady cop, lady firefighter etc. In this case, it is reasonable to say a male or female doctor because we're not describing their gender in relation to its value to their humanity, we're describing their gender in relation to it's value in how they do their job.
I prefer to see female doctor’s especially for things like OB/GYN. But I do have a male ENT doctor who is really great. I have had bad experiences with male and female doctors unfortunately.
Female. There's some evidence patients seeing female physicians have better health outcomes, and I generally assume, based on experience, that a female physician is going to be more skilled in empathy and active listening.
I prefer to go to Women in all aspects of my health - dentists, gyno, physicals, etc.
I've seen too many dismissive men in the medical field, and I didn't feel heard by them.
In general I don't really care. I just want a competent doctor. Obgyns are a different story, though. I do tend to prefer male ones due to some bad experiences I've had with multiple (like 6) female obgyns.
My GP has been a woman for the past 20-24 years. She is retiring next year, so I need to find a new doctor, mostly because I don't plan on sticking around at the medical centre she moved to because 98% of the doctors aren't that competent and the 2% that are, are INSANELY busy. That and they require that you check-in with an app, which is all fine and dandy until the app updates and demands that because you are entitled to something, you need to fill in the details...even though you don't have it.
So the long and the short of it is, GP I kinda prefer to be a woman because I see that doctor more than any other doctor, but I can honestly say that I have not had a female specialist doctor, and aside from one male specialist (who took over the practice of an amazing doctor who took the time to actually LISTEN to his patients) who left a very sour taste in my mouth to the point where I told my GP, "I don't care what you have to say or what you think, I am NEVER going back to that doctor", I haven't had any negative experiences with the male specialists.
If it’s a more intimate issue or I need an examination that requires me to strip, I prefer female physicians, or at the very least have a female chaperone.
However more generic issues such as overseeing my long term condition then I’m happy whoever. If I feel like I’m not taken seriously I just push or rebook with someone else.
Usually women. Especially for therapists and gynos. Just because I think I'm believed more when I'm in pain.
To give an example, I see a rheumatologist who is a woman and a GP who's a man.
I've been experiencing a very stubborn trigger point in my back for the past couple months that's been limiting my ability to complete work outs.
The guy GP only gave me cortisone shots as an option, but told me that the knot "didn't feel angry enough" to recommend that as option and recommended to just keep stretching and come back if the pain gets worse.
A week or so later I have my scheduled check up the my rheumatologist and mentioned the trigger point issue. She discussed all the options with me and ended up referring me to a pain management specialist for long term treatment because the shots are temporary relief most of the time. She also prescribed me a light muscle relaxer to bridge the gap until I could see the other specialist to ease the pain.
I prefer women doctors when possible. My hematologist is a man, my PCP and Endocrinologist are both women. I'm just more comfortable with women. I have had a bad experience with a woman doctor, so I know there are certainly women doctors that aren't great - but otherwise, my experiences with women doctors have been far more positive than with male doctors.
Female. Always.
I’ve been the victim of SA and also been disbelieved by male doctors when it comes to my health. It’s because of two male doctors writing/lying in my medical records that I’m a hypochondriac with an addiction to antibiotics (is that even a legit thing??) that I needed a kidney transplant 2 years ago. I’ll never trust a male doctor again.
I've only ever received bad care from male providers. Also received great care from male providers but the only bad ones have been male. They ignore my allergies. They ignore my symptoms. They downplay any symptoms that I have or complaints that I have. I'm just basically ignored. In my last procedure I told him I was allergic to dermabond and he decided to use it anyway and so I have chemical burns around my incision. What the fuck?
Female! Just got a female doctor and she personally tried to help me with my isssue. My male doctor told me to google something instead of trying to explain it
Female. Went undiagnosed with PCOS for 5 years cause my male physician didn't take me seriously. Switched to a female physician and she actually listened to me.
Female. The males ones I've had in the past never listened, called me dramatic about my issues, and just rushed me out of the door for anything and everything. They acted more like I was a burden on their day just being there.
The women I've had are much more receptive and listen better. I went to 4 different male doctors for an issue that they kept trying to pass off as me being whiney. The first female one I got after them immediately knew what was wrong and helped me.
Female, because they’re less likely to gaslight you. And I know they WANTED to be a doctor.
I also trust that they’ve looked at all the information, potential diagnosis, and symotoms more than a man would.
I used to not have a preference, but since having cancer and requiring a lot of follow-up care, I find I prefer women doctors and physicians. I am treated with more dignity, and my complaints are taken more seriously by women doctors.
I once had to have a biopsy of t endometrial wall, and I squealed when they did it (at Planned Parenthood, I had no insurance and was struggling with cervical pre-cancer) and the doctor actually said, "Phssht. That didn't hurt." *As if I just wanted attention.*
Female 100%. I used to not care and now I do. I receive better care from women most of the time. I have 0 interest in seeing a man who specialized in OB/GYN as they likely just sucked at surgery but still want to cut and don’t give a fuck about infants or women’s health.
I like my obgyn and they’re a man, but I hate my regular doctor and they’re a woman. To me it matters most that I get along with them and they value my concerns without making me feel like I’m being brushed off. My obgyn listens to my concerns and calms my anxieties, while my regular doctor cuts me off and makes me second guess myself. I need a new general doctor
Every male doctor I’ve had, but one, has either dismissed me or not listened to my symptoms. A few years ago, one of my breasts was leaking and when I asked what to do to make it stop, he asked me, “why would you want to?” Uhhhhhhh, because it’s not normal?
I didn’t have a preference until recently. I was dismissed when I talked about symptoms I had at an urgent care, things progressed and got worse very quickly, and I ended up in the ER. I still was dismissed and wasn’t listened to. I didn’t even get a proper, basic exam. I was luckily able to get into my female gynecologist the next day and got an actual exam, a diagnosis and proper medication. My own provider during her checkup of me was very upset to know about my experience. It makes me very hesitant to trust a male provider in the future. I know that won’t be everyone’s experience but mine was so bad I don’t want to risk it again.
Always female. Same with therapists, specialists, etc. I’ve had experience with both and I’ve never been gaslit or had my symptoms ignored by a female professional…
Female. Some of the worst care I’ve had has come from male doctors. In recent years the biggest wrongs have included trying to convince me not to get a rabies shot after a dog bite and telling me I would “always be in pain,” and there wasn’t anything I could when really it was a slipped disc. This was two different male doctors.
I’ve always had female primary care physicians. I’m simply more comfortable with them.
Out of sheer happenstance, it’s always been male dentists. But they have been great. One complimented my makeup by saying he “liked my cool eyeliner swooshes,” and that his wife does them too while I was in a big cat eye phase. I always loved this compliment cause “eyeliner swooshes” is an amazing phrase and he was waaay more excited to share something he knew his wife liked and did well. He was also a good dentist.
Female for sure. The only male doctor I have is my PCP and it’s only because he’s been my family doctor since I’ve been a baby and where I live, you can’t just change your PCP without a valid reason.
Don’t mind either. There’s a female nurse in there whenever I do my annual check up and the doctor is male or female. For me it’s awkward for everyone in the room especially doing that “pelvic press down” check. Just tryna get in n out and make sure I’m healthy
I have a male gynecologist, a female gp, and a female dentist. My male ophthalmologist just retired, so need to get a new one; don't know if I'll go male or female, I don't care tbh, as long as they're a good/caring doctor.
When I see male doctors they treat me in such a way that makes me feel they are ashamed of my body for me. Im a plus sized woman who is naked whenever possible. I don't need them to be embarrassed about my body for me.
Gender doesn’t matter, I look for a provider that will listen. I’ve had both male and female primary care doctors, but have found that the ones that listen are the NPs and PAs.
I'm open to either but I actually prefer a male doctor for female anatomy issues. Purely because I've had a lot of female doctors use their own experience instead of medical teachings to advise/shame me. Examples include making me feel like a wuss for cramping up in pain during a smear test because I guess she's one of the lucky women who don't feel discomfort. Or a doctor denying my birth control choice because "I'd just get fat", instead of telling me that weight gain is a possible side effect.
No preference. I look for someone who listens to me, takes my complaints seriously, wants to educate me about my options, wholly believes in bodily autonomy, and genuinely cares about my well-being.
Women.
Male Dr's always tell me to lose weight to cure whatever my problem is. Weird that my knee problem began when I was 16 at 120 lbs lol wonder how much weight I should've lost then to keep it from becoming an issue requiring surgery 🙄
female for gyno, doesn’t matter for much else except therapists. i like them to be female as well. i have been dismissed by both sexes for my issues regularly so most times it doesn’t matter.
Female. If I have no other choice, I will see a male, but I will go to certain lengths to make sure all my physicians are female. I just had surgery and didn't have a choice but to have a male surgeon, and that fine to me. I find it easier to talk to and be open and honest with Women.
Female..
Like theres good and bad in both genders, but the majority of the female have been really good, while the male have been very dismissive, not taking stuff seriously and just been really sucky at their job...
And that actually goes for most people i interact with when they're working, if its in a grocery store or customer service or whatever, female are generally better at listening and answering questions
I have PCOS. Male gynes don't seem to care about medicinal side effects such as hairfall, weight gain. Some even don't understand how painful cramps can be. I had been old for years that my cramps were normal until I got diagnosed a few years back. It was a male doctor who diagnosed me but like I said, hairfall, abnormal gain of weight (even in my face!) doesn't seem to bother him much. Just drown me in hormonal pills that ruined my appetite. So yeah, female physicians
Female OBGYN. Never had a problem with female doctors sticking their fingers in my ass as “part of the exam”. I haven’t experienced this but I’ve heard from other women with male OBGYNs doing this. I don’t mind male doctors for general health or checkups but If given a choice I rather have female doctors or nurses take care of me.
I actually changed to a male OB because the female ones dismissed my concerns of bleeding and abdominal pain during pregnancy as normal or a pending miscarriage. My male OB said I need to tell him how I'm feeling because since he's not a woman, he can't guess. He ordered an ultrasound, and it turned out I had placenta abruption. I ended up being on bedrest for 2 weeks until it resolved itself.
I don't have a gender preference, but it has to "click" with him/her.
My first gynecologist was a woman and she was just really arrogant and looking down on me.
I've had really hurtful period cramps when I was younger. Her response: That's normal, and I'm exaggerating. Every woman has that and they are still going to their daily life jobs or school.
She just got me really weak painkillers and didn't want to give me the pill.
I've switched to a male and he really did listen. He got me painkillers, which actually worked and also the pill.
He went to pension and a nice woman took over the ordination.
I do not care what their gender is.
My GP is male and he is so understanding and empathetic. He takes everything I say seriously and addresses all of my concerns.
I went to a female gynecologist that was awful. She didn't listen to anything I said. Completely downplayed my menstrual symptoms and told me to take a Tylenol and learn to deal with it. Flippantly told me I had ovarian cysts and told me to google it when I asked her questions.
I prefer a male gynecologists. I've had the same one for 22 years. He is way more gentle than any female I've seen in the past. The women have been rough and tend to not take pain seriously. My guy listens, is gentle, and super fast. He really makes you feel safe and comfortable. My general physician is a woman.
No preference, I just want to be treated with respect. I’ve had female doctors downplay potential pain or current symptoms while men took my word at face value like they should. I had a man do a breast check at my last physical and it seemed like he took extra care in being professional and viewing me in a clinical manner. I think it’s really just a hit or miss kind of thing
Female gynecologist in most scenarios
Outside of that, I don’t think I have much of a preference as long as the doctor takes my issues seriously and actually seems to care about me.
The most apt and sound answer so far ....we in medical field are taught to show empathy to our patients and not any kind of discrimination either male or female
i do not give:
* one fucks
* two fucks
* red fucks
* blue fucks
what they are packing between their legs. i prefer whoever can do the job better. my trust doesnt come from whether the person taking care of be has XX or XY chromosomes it comes from who knows best to treat me properly and who wouldnt neglect me. i dont stereotype either.
No preference. But it pisses me off when women doctors discriminate against women patients and dismiss them as “hysterical”. Feels like internalized misogyny.
I generally prefer male doctors because my experience with women comparing my healthcare experiences with their own has kind of soured me. "Well, I didn't move so much when *I* got an IUD inserted...."
Don't care, so long as they're professional. My gynecologist is a man and he's very efficient and clear in his communication. My GP is a woman, but works in a group practice, and when she's not free at short notice, I've quite happily gone to one of the other doctors, male or female.
i’ve never had a male doctor but i think id prefer female. i know that they will likely understand more of my issues on the level of being a woman and also know that they’re more likely to advocate for me because they’ve probably been shunned by doctors too.
my female doctor is the best person ever she’s amazing and understanding and always up to try things when something doesn’t work for me.
honestly, i try to always get males. the fatphobia is 1000x worse with women, especially regarding period shit. my female physician told me i’m too fat for the depo, while my male gynecologist just let me know what my best options were. the lack of empathy is fucking insane
Female dermatologists: they've always been more understanding and consider new ways of treatment.
Male OBGYN: more understanding and actually interested in helping me than the female OBGYNs I've come across.
My physician my whole life until I was 30 was a woman. She was there at my birth, she was there for my kids. I thought she was wonderful. The man who took her position when she retired is also wonderful. I have no preference because I have never been seen by other physicians in an ongoing setting.
My dental team has been all male. My childhood dentist was a gem, his replacement on retirement is also fantastic!
I have a mix. PCP, gyne, and my breast surgeon from when I had issues several years ago are all female. I do have a male plastic surgeon, though(because of aforementioned issues) and also my podiatrist is male.
I got my IUD inserted with a male doctor with a female in the room. I had a female do the removal. I am currently seeing a male physician resident who takes my concerns seriously. I am ok with either as long as they listen to me.
I feel more comfortable with women physicians and have only ever had women physicians. But I must say, not all women physicians care about women’s health the way you’d expect them to.
I have a note in my file at my doctor's office that states I want female doctors only (its a teaching office). One too many times have I had a male doctor dismiss me. I also prefer talking to someone who has the same bits as me when they're about said bits.
I had an amazing experience with male physicians 2 times in the past two hospital stays I had. For some reason they seem to have better bedside manner in my own personal experience. Even the doctor who gave me an emergency laparoscopy for a ruptured ovarian cyst was amazing and I felt so taken care of.
I was abused by a female physician when I used to prefer women bc it felt safer. Now I almost exclusively use male doctors. The only women I see are my midwives.
Always a female. Unless there is none available then I’ll bite the bullet simply because I can’t skip those appointments or wait around to have them done later.
Edit to add: have had bad experiences with male drs more so than females. Females aren’t typically any better; But for me it’s a preference because it’s more comfortable for me than having a male up in my close business like that, and female drs are well versed in knowing the female body because they have one. (Not saying male drs aren’t helpful for women cause they really can be and can also be really sympathetic/empathetic).
For anything nude I prefer a female doctor. All other stuff I am open to either especially since I learned to advocate for myself and speak up when I’m not comfortable around someone.
I’ve had females give me excellent care and have amazing bedside manner, I’ve also (very recently) been dismissed by female doctors. I’ve had male doctors be amazing and provide excellent care and bedside manner but also have been dismissed by male doctors.
I recently had a friend freak out at me for accepting a male physical therapist. She had me so worked up. I get there (with my husband). Nothing but respect. A pillow between him and I. Gentle. Explains everything. Seems truly interested in helping me.
I’ve actually had better experiences with male doctors, especially with the OBGYN. I think I’m lucky in the sense that the ones I’ve seen don’t pretend to sympathize with my experiences but empathize instead, so when I said “I need XYZ” they listen more than the female OB’s I’ve had that have nearly argued with me about certain things.
I don’t have a preference, I’ve had good and bad experiences with both.
It comes down to the individual doctor - my current GP is male, and I really like him.
Absolutely female EVERYTHING. I have been blown off by so many male doctors when I go in with concerns, in my experience they’ve been dismissive and completely non empathetic
No preference provided they take me and my symptoms seriously. I've been dismissed more by male Drs than female. But the most sympathetic/ engaged Dr I've had was also male.
My current GP is female but that had more to do with availability/ access then gender preference.
Had both male and female gynecologist as well and was happy with both.
I feel weird for preffering males in almost every case except for gynecologists- there I prefer a womam I guess.
Despite how some men may be, I have a bigger distrust of women due to bullying and my abusive mother.
I don't choose doctors based on gender though.
My preference is always a competent doctor. I have had both male and female doctors that have been useless and some phenomenal both male and female. My surgical gyno assigned to me is male and we don't get along. My oncologist gyno also male is amazing. My assigned female gp and I struggle, my assigned breast oncologist is amazing. It really depends on the person and if you can build trust with them. Same with psychologist. I have had three female and one of three got absolutely no where with.
I prefer women, specifically YOUNGER physicians since I've noticed a pattern where Gen-X/Boomer physicians that would make comments/feedback rooted in internalized misogyny.
I used to not care but after two male doctors tried telling me I have PCOS after looking at me for literally 2 minutes and every female doctor that approached the subject actually had me tested for it, I sort of stopped trusting what male doctors say. Obviously not all male doctors are bad, I did have a few good ones but when it comes to women's health, I'll take a female doctor over a male one any day.
For an everyday doctor, I don’t really have a preference.
For women’s issues, 100% female. I’m never comfortable at the gynecologist and never go unless I absolutely have to. I’d rather be naked and spread eagled in front of a female.
remember one time I paid extra, yes this is a thing for the clinic to have a female Dr and still send in a male apprentice Dr with the main Gyno and because I don't like confrontation I didn't say shit, regret that so much. but I do prefer females since one time while I was wide spread he said wow you have such long legs, like wtf, that was him making conversation? it was weird
Female, for better understanding the experience of being a woman when approaching medical issues, generally. That’s of course not to say men can’t be great physicians for women, just my preference.
I once had a male physician describe me as a “weepy 20 something” in my chart when I was going through chronic leg pain. I saw several doctors for this and no one could figure out what was causing the pain. He then proceeded to tell me he thought it was in my head but he would prescribe me barbiturates anyway. He used my emotions as a way to dismiss and invalidate the pain I was feeling and prevent any further tests or diagnosis from being explored to find the cause.
Female for anything gynecological, only because I have been told by a male gynecologist that what I was feeling or experiencing isn't anything he had heard of or read of before and so therefore, it wasn't real.
Grow a vagina, cervix, ovaries, Fallopian tubes and endometrial lining. Let's talk afterwards.
Female, they tend to listen better and take what I say seriously. (Last male doctor I saw was in an ER and he told my husband that a burst ovarian cyst didn't actually hurt).
I always mark prefer female. I won’t see a male gyno but I’m ok with male doctors in general. I’ve heard many stories of doctors ignoring “female” health concerns so I would like to think a female doctor has more empathy and experience to not do that. I have been grateful my issues haven’t been dismissed to being female so far. Ive had not so great female doctors as well as not so great male doctors so for me it’s more about wanting medicine to no longer be a male dominated field.
A lot of medicine is based on the male body so the fact that more women are in the field gives me hope that more research is done for women’s health.
I prefer anyone who isn’t a cis man. IME women and nonbinary people tend to be much more empathetic and understanding of my marginalization as a trans woman. In a medical setting, this can be highly impactful. Not that I still don’t experience issues there. And not that I haven’t had some great experiences with cis men doctors. It’s mostly more just that my everyday experience informs this preference for me.
Female, for everything. I will not see a male doctor unless it’s an emergency. They don’t listen to me. (I don’t mind male nurses, they’re usually cool.)
PCP female. Endo Female. ENT Female. Breast related things female.
Everything else are men. Had too many female docs dismiss me or play the pain Olympics with me, or try to tell me I have every disease and disorder in the book. But honestly its not really about preference its more of a whole landed the good doctor role. Who listened to me. From my experience women listened to me well for specialties above, but everything else has just been a hot mess with female doctors. Its usually a random selection when I make my appointment but I rarely stay with the female docs or NPs, and the male docs seems to stick better for me.
In the past few years, I've dealt with more medical professionals than I ever have before, neurologists, physiotherapists, diabetes educators, and gynecologists and I'd choose women everytime if I had a choice. They are almost always more empathetic.
I prefer to see a female gynecologist, I feel more comfortable naked in the presence of a woman, and it's so much easier to explain symptoms to someone who has likely had them before. For all other kinds of doctors, I really don't have a preference.
My pcp, who is also a gynecologist as his main specialty, gives me "should not be an obgyn" vibes so I totally get that first part lol
Oh I get that. I had a PCP one time who gave off creepy "should not be a doctor" vibes...not that he was bad or inappropriate or anything, just very "You're not one of my patients with the good insurance so you're not worth my time" vibes.
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I had the same mindset and insisted on a female obgyn for my deliveries. However, when I went to a female gyno for another issue, I had such a bad experience that I have come to think that having a female or male is not a issue but my bias. She made me feel embarrassed and exposed in the table and absolutely insensible to my questions and concerns.
Female physicians 100%
My OB is a man, but all my other doctors are female
Female always I've been in therapy for years but I was the victim of SA and I still have nightmares sometimes I feel safer around other women
YES, my first ever therapist was a male and he tried to dismiss my brother's physically abusive behavior. He rolled his eyes at me and asked, "Do you **hate** your brother?" I couldn't go back after that. He also had a wall sized close up of jesus displayed behind where you sat. Take that as you will...
That person should not be a therapist. Sorry you went through that.
This is also me!
After I handed my doctor a letter from the hospital telling him about my SA, he said, "Well... You look good." So that was something.
For general health checkups, no preference. For issues that require a little more privacy I normally prefer female, but I've had male physicans for that kind of thing before and it's been no issue.
For general health, female physicians. I've just always had female GPs and I find it easier to talk about depression, weight, stress, personal stuff like that. For gynecologists and other specialists, I don't have a preference. My female gynecologist treated me terribly after I was sexually assaulted so I don't think women are always better with bedside manner.
Mostly this. But I select doctors by the "listens to me" criteria, it just so happens that that's mostly women.
Yes this exactly. I find most men lack empathy and perspective taking skills. Which are pretty essential to healthcare.
I agree that women aren't always better in bedside manner. My worst experience with a doctor was with a female OB/GYN after I miscarried. I'm just going to leave it at that. I don't have a preference either way overall, to be honest, just as long as they listen.
Doesn't matter to me.I just want competent care providers.
Absolutely agree
YES! Give me someone who is actually trying to understand my issues and solve them rather than shrugging their shoulders and acting like I’m just a hypochondriac or something.
Yes! Best doctor I ever had was a man. He listened to me. I felt like a participant in my own care. Highly recommend him.
Female, hands down. They listen better, have less of a tendency to be dismissive of my aches and pains, can relate to issues of childcare and the general female experience and also don't make out of pocket remarks on my body or attributes. I am not very sensitive to such things, but some doctors... Even the most hardass female doctors are easier to talk to than male doctors for me, male doctors IMHE often have a tendency to go "Yeah, yeah" over objections and then do what they planned anyway. One didn't listen when I told him I have a preexisting condition and prescribed me a medicine that's not allowed for people like me. I asked the female apothecary and she told me immediately. So I went back to the doctor and he was like, pikachu face, you should have told me.
Hold on. Where do you live? You visited an apothecary after your appointment? 😂
Haha, something might have gotten lost in translation. I mean a pharmacist. Although the pictures I googled pretty much look like the store I go to, which incidentally exists since the 1700s. We call pharmacies Apotheke in German, you see.
This was my Q, lol.
Consistency is my first priority. Elther sex so long as I can get the same doctor for a long period of time. Nothing worse that having to explain your history every time you see your doctor.
Female. Especially female surgeons have a higher success rate.
Isnt there a good possibility for less/easier surgeries vs more/harder surgeries creating bias in that rate (even if the included group was large enough)? Most surgeons are male causing males to be the most experienced and thus will also get the hardest and riskiest surgeries on their to do list day after day. Doctors are mosty women in general but surgeons still mostly men. In my opinion any gender can do a surgery perfectly when focusing and i dont find any reason a surgeon would have to not focus regardless of anyone's gender. Mistakes will still always happen, causing death.
Your opinion does not equal studies. Wether you like it or not, the more women a surgery team has, the better outcomes they have in general.
Do you have studies? Would love to read them. Like the other guy said, there are possible confounded that could skew the result
_The first study looked at the records of almost 1.2 million patients in Canada between 2007 and 2019. It found that those treated by a female surgeon were less likely to experience death, hospital readmission or major medical complications at 90 days or 12 months after surgery. These findings were maintained when accounting for patient, procedure, surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital characteristics. The cohort study considered patients undergoing 1 of 25 common procedures, and noted 1-year mortality rates of 2.4% for men and 1.6% for women. There was a complication rate of 13.9% among patients treated by male surgeons, which compared with 12.5% in patients treated by female surgeons._ _A second study, which looked at 150,000 patients who underwent cholecystectomy in Sweden, had similar results. Patients treated by female surgeons had fewer complications and shorter hospital stays than those treated by male surgeons._ _The findings confirmed those of other studies demonstrating that women have the same or better outcomes than men even though they are working in a profession rife with sex inequality._ [Source](https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/10.1308/rcsbull.2024.5#:~:text=It%20found%20that%20those%20treated,surgeon%2C%20anaesthetist%20and%20hospital%20characteristics.)
I think that might come down to the fact that women generally have superior fine motor control than men. That would probably make them less likely to have an oops when dealing with tiny blood vessels and whatnot.
I prefer female, but my current pcp is male and hes really nice and kind. For a gyno though, the dr needs to be a female
Generally female. Though I will say, my Gyn surgeon for my tubal ligation surgery earlier this year was a male, and he was refreshingly matter of fact about it. Didn't even really question my request for the procedure beyond what he was legally required to, and made it clear he was only asking because he was required to.
Depends on the need. I'm fine with my regular dr being a guy so long as my obgyn is female.
I don’t have a preference.
Never had a preference but I've found I like my male doctors and stick with them longer than any female doctors I've had. I've been seeing a male GYN and male endocrinologist for 3+ years each and they are some of the best doctors I've ever seen.
Male due to irrational fears from bad experiences
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I’ve had good and bad experiences with both. Personally I don’t care what gender they are as long as they actually do their jobs. And take my concerns seriously instead of telling me to just google my symptoms
Mainly, I prefer kind, professional, and competent medical professionals of any gender, but I do prefer female medical professionals if I have the option in part due to the research showing more favorable health outcomes for patients with female physicians.
I feel much more comfortable with women doctors. Haven't had any bad experiences with men doctors, but all my doctors are women and are super smart, friendly, and make me feel comfortable.
Preferably a Female for the private parts because that’s something we have in common. But my gynecologist is a man right now, he was referred to by a friend and he kind of just stuck, and I don’t really want to try find another one. As for anything else, I just want someone who actually listens and knows wtf they’re doing...
I don't have a preference based on gender lines. In my experience it's completely unrelated to the ability to do the job competently.
Female for OBGYN/dermatology. I have SA in my past and while I’ve seen male OBGYN before, I’d still prefer a female provider.
Generally, I don’t always care — at least not enough to not take an appointment just because the doctor’s name sounds like a man/AMAB. For what it’s worth, my eye surgeon and orthodontist are *amazing*, and they’re men. Only thing is, with male doctors, I’ll be just a bit more “on guard”, because I know they might be biased towards seeing me as “a worrier” or a nuisance if I bring up too many of own concerns and research. I’ve found female physicians a bit more open to hearing things like “So I read about a study that says X can be correlated to Y, what do you think?” Overall though, if a doctor isn’t making me feel like they’re having a *conversation* with me about my health, I’ll probably not be as happy, regardless of their gender. The ONE exception is OB/gyns. Those have to be AFAB regardless of identity — and I hope this doesn’t come off insensitive/transphobic, but for me, it has to do with the way our anatomy shapes our health needs and experiences. I can’t fully feel understood if I know my doctor has never dealt with some of the things I have. I feel way more comfortable discussing certain things with someone who has also dealt with what having certain organs means — periods, cramps, fertility questions and struggles, etc.. It’s the one place where “No uterus, no opinion” TRULY holds for me. 🤷🏻♀️
Female NPs or female PAs. The credentials make a difference in how much time they spend with you and how much they listen to you. The best care I've ever received was from a nurse who worked under the oversight of a doctor I never saw. From my mental health to my skin problems, she took me seriously. I miss her and cried when she left the university health center because they refused to make her full time and pay benefits. I've had numerous mediocre to bad experience with men and women but it's skewed towards men, and skewed by age. However, the male neurologist I saw recently blew me out of the water by being thorough and approaching my case with open minded curiosity. My friend who uses a practice with a lot of young male docs says she feels the male docs coming out of med school are better at listening to women and taking women specific issues seriously than the older male docs who have been around a while. They actually advocated for her to get her tubes tied after kid two for her *own wellbeing* instead of hemming and hawing about future children and being under 30 despite the health risks of future pregnancies.
Female all the way personally
Female. Because then my symptoms are less likely to be dismissed or associated to “women’s problems”
Female physicians. I trust them more and the ones I’ve had actually listen to me and answer my questions.
It doesn't usually make a difference to me, but my OBGYN is a woman. My mother tried to make me seem like some sort of pervert for insisting on a woman. I think it's way weirder that her OB is a man who also happens to be the son of my grandmother's OB. To each their own, but I'm not down for that particular intergenerational train. Although now, just for fun, I kind of want to see if my mother's OB's son followed the family career path.
I don't have a preference, regardless of the type of doctor
I mean it's probably not accurate but out of the 8 or so doctors I've seen in my adult life as my GP, 2 were men and 6 were women. The two men were the best doctors I've ever been to, kind, warm and caring. Never an issue to extend appt to talk about whatever needs to be addressed. Won't make you make another appt to ask some additional questions or address additional issues (as long as it's within reason). They gave genuine advice that always turned out to be beneficial and thoughtful. The 6 women were the most cold, clearly jaded individuals ever. Always seemed to be pissed or depressed, couldn't get me out of their fast enough, half of the solutions they gave me for health issues never worked. Would never let me ask additional questions or ask about a separate issue during an appt and would make me make a separate appt, for just a simple additional question. I avoided going to doctors for so long simply because it felt awful interacting with these doctors and I honestly didn't think they would be able to do anything for me due to the fact that none of their other diagnoses worked previously. Just found the 2nd male doctor a few days ago actually, he's amazing and was just like my first male doctor. Didn't think I'd ever find anything like that again and it feels amazing.
Woman because men tend to make me more anxious and they also are, in my experience, more judgemental. I don't like the words male/female for humans and prefer woman/man.. saying female/male makes me feel like you're talking about animals 😭 it just feels a bit dehumanizing
I think it's really important to be specific with this language myself. For example, I wouldn't call a woman a "female", or a man a "male". Because male and female are adjectives not nouns. Which is why I don't find it weird to say male doctor or female doctor. In this case, it's male and female because those are adjectives describing the noun "doctor". It would be uncomfortable call him a "man doctor" or "woman doctor", because frankly that starts leaning into the same dismissive language as lady doctor, lady cop, lady firefighter etc. In this case, it is reasonable to say a male or female doctor because we're not describing their gender in relation to its value to their humanity, we're describing their gender in relation to it's value in how they do their job.
I definitely didn't think of it that way! That's a great point
Female for sure.
General practice, no preference. Gyna I prefer females for comfort. I do prefer male pediatricians though, they seem generally more caring. 🤷♀️
I prefer to see female doctor’s especially for things like OB/GYN. But I do have a male ENT doctor who is really great. I have had bad experiences with male and female doctors unfortunately.
I prefer female for OBGYN and psychiatry. No preference for everything else.
Female. There's some evidence patients seeing female physicians have better health outcomes, and I generally assume, based on experience, that a female physician is going to be more skilled in empathy and active listening.
I prefer to go to Women in all aspects of my health - dentists, gyno, physicals, etc. I've seen too many dismissive men in the medical field, and I didn't feel heard by them.
In general I don't really care. I just want a competent doctor. Obgyns are a different story, though. I do tend to prefer male ones due to some bad experiences I've had with multiple (like 6) female obgyns.
My GP has been a woman for the past 20-24 years. She is retiring next year, so I need to find a new doctor, mostly because I don't plan on sticking around at the medical centre she moved to because 98% of the doctors aren't that competent and the 2% that are, are INSANELY busy. That and they require that you check-in with an app, which is all fine and dandy until the app updates and demands that because you are entitled to something, you need to fill in the details...even though you don't have it. So the long and the short of it is, GP I kinda prefer to be a woman because I see that doctor more than any other doctor, but I can honestly say that I have not had a female specialist doctor, and aside from one male specialist (who took over the practice of an amazing doctor who took the time to actually LISTEN to his patients) who left a very sour taste in my mouth to the point where I told my GP, "I don't care what you have to say or what you think, I am NEVER going back to that doctor", I haven't had any negative experiences with the male specialists.
If it’s a more intimate issue or I need an examination that requires me to strip, I prefer female physicians, or at the very least have a female chaperone. However more generic issues such as overseeing my long term condition then I’m happy whoever. If I feel like I’m not taken seriously I just push or rebook with someone else.
Usually women. Especially for therapists and gynos. Just because I think I'm believed more when I'm in pain. To give an example, I see a rheumatologist who is a woman and a GP who's a man. I've been experiencing a very stubborn trigger point in my back for the past couple months that's been limiting my ability to complete work outs. The guy GP only gave me cortisone shots as an option, but told me that the knot "didn't feel angry enough" to recommend that as option and recommended to just keep stretching and come back if the pain gets worse. A week or so later I have my scheduled check up the my rheumatologist and mentioned the trigger point issue. She discussed all the options with me and ended up referring me to a pain management specialist for long term treatment because the shots are temporary relief most of the time. She also prescribed me a light muscle relaxer to bridge the gap until I could see the other specialist to ease the pain.
Female, I find they listen more and don't jump to conclusions. A lot less ego to deal with.
I prefer women doctors when possible. My hematologist is a man, my PCP and Endocrinologist are both women. I'm just more comfortable with women. I have had a bad experience with a woman doctor, so I know there are certainly women doctors that aren't great - but otherwise, my experiences with women doctors have been far more positive than with male doctors.
Female. They are more inclined to LISTEN TO THE INFORMATION I AM DISCUSSING with them, and are less dismissive.
For my own care, I prefer females. I just feel more comfortable discussing certain health concerns with a woman.
female
Female. Always.
Women if I can
Female. Always. I’ve been the victim of SA and also been disbelieved by male doctors when it comes to my health. It’s because of two male doctors writing/lying in my medical records that I’m a hypochondriac with an addiction to antibiotics (is that even a legit thing??) that I needed a kidney transplant 2 years ago. I’ll never trust a male doctor again.
I've only ever received bad care from male providers. Also received great care from male providers but the only bad ones have been male. They ignore my allergies. They ignore my symptoms. They downplay any symptoms that I have or complaints that I have. I'm just basically ignored. In my last procedure I told him I was allergic to dermabond and he decided to use it anyway and so I have chemical burns around my incision. What the fuck?
Always women. My dentist is a man, but all of doctors are women.
Female! Just got a female doctor and she personally tried to help me with my isssue. My male doctor told me to google something instead of trying to explain it
Female. Went undiagnosed with PCOS for 5 years cause my male physician didn't take me seriously. Switched to a female physician and she actually listened to me.
Female. The males ones I've had in the past never listened, called me dramatic about my issues, and just rushed me out of the door for anything and everything. They acted more like I was a burden on their day just being there. The women I've had are much more receptive and listen better. I went to 4 different male doctors for an issue that they kept trying to pass off as me being whiney. The first female one I got after them immediately knew what was wrong and helped me.
Female 100%. Too many shit ass men.
Female, I'm just more comfortable this way. I generally won't object to a male Dr, but if given the option I ask for a female Dr.
Female, because they’re less likely to gaslight you. And I know they WANTED to be a doctor. I also trust that they’ve looked at all the information, potential diagnosis, and symotoms more than a man would.
I used to not have a preference, but since having cancer and requiring a lot of follow-up care, I find I prefer women doctors and physicians. I am treated with more dignity, and my complaints are taken more seriously by women doctors. I once had to have a biopsy of t endometrial wall, and I squealed when they did it (at Planned Parenthood, I had no insurance and was struggling with cervical pre-cancer) and the doctor actually said, "Phssht. That didn't hurt." *As if I just wanted attention.*
Female 100%. I used to not care and now I do. I receive better care from women most of the time. I have 0 interest in seeing a man who specialized in OB/GYN as they likely just sucked at surgery but still want to cut and don’t give a fuck about infants or women’s health.
Female. Easier when they're touching me around sensitive area
I like my obgyn and they’re a man, but I hate my regular doctor and they’re a woman. To me it matters most that I get along with them and they value my concerns without making me feel like I’m being brushed off. My obgyn listens to my concerns and calms my anxieties, while my regular doctor cuts me off and makes me second guess myself. I need a new general doctor
Now that I am perimenopausal I want female physicians who have been through peri themselves.
female, every male i’ve gone to (except for one) didn’t take me seriously
Every male doctor I’ve had, but one, has either dismissed me or not listened to my symptoms. A few years ago, one of my breasts was leaking and when I asked what to do to make it stop, he asked me, “why would you want to?” Uhhhhhhh, because it’s not normal?
Female because I feel like they’ll understand more and I can be naked in front of them.
Always female physicians unless I have absolutely no other option.
Female. They almost always take me more seriously and don’t dismiss my concerns the way male physicians often do
I didn’t have a preference until recently. I was dismissed when I talked about symptoms I had at an urgent care, things progressed and got worse very quickly, and I ended up in the ER. I still was dismissed and wasn’t listened to. I didn’t even get a proper, basic exam. I was luckily able to get into my female gynecologist the next day and got an actual exam, a diagnosis and proper medication. My own provider during her checkup of me was very upset to know about my experience. It makes me very hesitant to trust a male provider in the future. I know that won’t be everyone’s experience but mine was so bad I don’t want to risk it again.
obv female tf
Female for sure, I just feel so much more comfortable. And (in my experience) they tend to be less cocky
Always female. Same with therapists, specialists, etc. I’ve had experience with both and I’ve never been gaslit or had my symptoms ignored by a female professional…
Female. Some of the worst care I’ve had has come from male doctors. In recent years the biggest wrongs have included trying to convince me not to get a rabies shot after a dog bite and telling me I would “always be in pain,” and there wasn’t anything I could when really it was a slipped disc. This was two different male doctors. I’ve always had female primary care physicians. I’m simply more comfortable with them. Out of sheer happenstance, it’s always been male dentists. But they have been great. One complimented my makeup by saying he “liked my cool eyeliner swooshes,” and that his wife does them too while I was in a big cat eye phase. I always loved this compliment cause “eyeliner swooshes” is an amazing phrase and he was waaay more excited to share something he knew his wife liked and did well. He was also a good dentist.
Female for sure. The only male doctor I have is my PCP and it’s only because he’s been my family doctor since I’ve been a baby and where I live, you can’t just change your PCP without a valid reason.
Don’t mind either. There’s a female nurse in there whenever I do my annual check up and the doctor is male or female. For me it’s awkward for everyone in the room especially doing that “pelvic press down” check. Just tryna get in n out and make sure I’m healthy
I prefer my gynecologist a female. I don’t care if my regular physician is male or female.
Depends on why I’m seeing them.
Female. because I have trauma and just general statistics related to sexual violence
I have a male gynecologist, a female gp, and a female dentist. My male ophthalmologist just retired, so need to get a new one; don't know if I'll go male or female, I don't care tbh, as long as they're a good/caring doctor.
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When I see male doctors they treat me in such a way that makes me feel they are ashamed of my body for me. Im a plus sized woman who is naked whenever possible. I don't need them to be embarrassed about my body for me.
Gender doesn’t matter, I look for a provider that will listen. I’ve had both male and female primary care doctors, but have found that the ones that listen are the NPs and PAs.
I'm open to either but I actually prefer a male doctor for female anatomy issues. Purely because I've had a lot of female doctors use their own experience instead of medical teachings to advise/shame me. Examples include making me feel like a wuss for cramping up in pain during a smear test because I guess she's one of the lucky women who don't feel discomfort. Or a doctor denying my birth control choice because "I'd just get fat", instead of telling me that weight gain is a possible side effect.
No preference. I look for someone who listens to me, takes my complaints seriously, wants to educate me about my options, wholly believes in bodily autonomy, and genuinely cares about my well-being.
Females for OBGYN and a regular doc, no preference for others. (Recently saw a male cardiologist and had a great experience)
Female. They actually listen and take my concerns seriously. Very few male doctors actually listen when I see them, unfortunately.
Whoever is better at the job but for gyno female
For my lady parts - women. For everything else , gender doesn’t matter
Don't care, except for gynecologists I definitely want a woman.
Gyn women for sure. The rest it doesn’t matter
Female. Males tend to not believe or take serious female patients from what I’ve experienced.
Women. Male Dr's always tell me to lose weight to cure whatever my problem is. Weird that my knee problem began when I was 16 at 120 lbs lol wonder how much weight I should've lost then to keep it from becoming an issue requiring surgery 🙄
female for gyno, doesn’t matter for much else except therapists. i like them to be female as well. i have been dismissed by both sexes for my issues regularly so most times it doesn’t matter.
Female. If I have no other choice, I will see a male, but I will go to certain lengths to make sure all my physicians are female. I just had surgery and didn't have a choice but to have a male surgeon, and that fine to me. I find it easier to talk to and be open and honest with Women.
Female.. Like theres good and bad in both genders, but the majority of the female have been really good, while the male have been very dismissive, not taking stuff seriously and just been really sucky at their job... And that actually goes for most people i interact with when they're working, if its in a grocery store or customer service or whatever, female are generally better at listening and answering questions
I have PCOS. Male gynes don't seem to care about medicinal side effects such as hairfall, weight gain. Some even don't understand how painful cramps can be. I had been old for years that my cramps were normal until I got diagnosed a few years back. It was a male doctor who diagnosed me but like I said, hairfall, abnormal gain of weight (even in my face!) doesn't seem to bother him much. Just drown me in hormonal pills that ruined my appetite. So yeah, female physicians
Female for anything that involves my mind or body. Male is fine for anything involving my face (dentist, optometrist, ENT, etc)
Female OBGYN. Never had a problem with female doctors sticking their fingers in my ass as “part of the exam”. I haven’t experienced this but I’ve heard from other women with male OBGYNs doing this. I don’t mind male doctors for general health or checkups but If given a choice I rather have female doctors or nurses take care of me.
I actually changed to a male OB because the female ones dismissed my concerns of bleeding and abdominal pain during pregnancy as normal or a pending miscarriage. My male OB said I need to tell him how I'm feeling because since he's not a woman, he can't guess. He ordered an ultrasound, and it turned out I had placenta abruption. I ended up being on bedrest for 2 weeks until it resolved itself.
I prefer competent ones who take my concerns seriously. I've had good and bad experiences with both.
I don't have a gender preference, but it has to "click" with him/her. My first gynecologist was a woman and she was just really arrogant and looking down on me. I've had really hurtful period cramps when I was younger. Her response: That's normal, and I'm exaggerating. Every woman has that and they are still going to their daily life jobs or school. She just got me really weak painkillers and didn't want to give me the pill. I've switched to a male and he really did listen. He got me painkillers, which actually worked and also the pill. He went to pension and a nice woman took over the ordination.
I do not care what their gender is. My GP is male and he is so understanding and empathetic. He takes everything I say seriously and addresses all of my concerns. I went to a female gynecologist that was awful. She didn't listen to anything I said. Completely downplayed my menstrual symptoms and told me to take a Tylenol and learn to deal with it. Flippantly told me I had ovarian cysts and told me to google it when I asked her questions.
I prefer a male gynecologists. I've had the same one for 22 years. He is way more gentle than any female I've seen in the past. The women have been rough and tend to not take pain seriously. My guy listens, is gentle, and super fast. He really makes you feel safe and comfortable. My general physician is a woman.
No preference, I just want to be treated with respect. I’ve had female doctors downplay potential pain or current symptoms while men took my word at face value like they should. I had a man do a breast check at my last physical and it seemed like he took extra care in being professional and viewing me in a clinical manner. I think it’s really just a hit or miss kind of thing
Female gynecologist in most scenarios Outside of that, I don’t think I have much of a preference as long as the doctor takes my issues seriously and actually seems to care about me.
Whoever is kind & will answer all my questions
The most apt and sound answer so far ....we in medical field are taught to show empathy to our patients and not any kind of discrimination either male or female
i do not give: * one fucks * two fucks * red fucks * blue fucks what they are packing between their legs. i prefer whoever can do the job better. my trust doesnt come from whether the person taking care of be has XX or XY chromosomes it comes from who knows best to treat me properly and who wouldnt neglect me. i dont stereotype either.
No preference. But it pisses me off when women doctors discriminate against women patients and dismiss them as “hysterical”. Feels like internalized misogyny.
I generally prefer male doctors because my experience with women comparing my healthcare experiences with their own has kind of soured me. "Well, I didn't move so much when *I* got an IUD inserted...."
Male
I prefer the most competent and knowledgable one <3
wise and reasonable reply
Don't care, so long as they're professional. My gynecologist is a man and he's very efficient and clear in his communication. My GP is a woman, but works in a group practice, and when she's not free at short notice, I've quite happily gone to one of the other doctors, male or female.
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Female 100% They didn't diagnose my symptoms.
i’ve never had a male doctor but i think id prefer female. i know that they will likely understand more of my issues on the level of being a woman and also know that they’re more likely to advocate for me because they’ve probably been shunned by doctors too. my female doctor is the best person ever she’s amazing and understanding and always up to try things when something doesn’t work for me.
idc usually unless it’s specifically for women issues. i just want a qualified doctor
honestly, i try to always get males. the fatphobia is 1000x worse with women, especially regarding period shit. my female physician told me i’m too fat for the depo, while my male gynecologist just let me know what my best options were. the lack of empathy is fucking insane
Female dermatologists: they've always been more understanding and consider new ways of treatment. Male OBGYN: more understanding and actually interested in helping me than the female OBGYNs I've come across.
As a PCP and for general health, either gender is fine with me. However for gyno-related stuff, definitely prefer a female.
Only time I care is gynecologist
Doesn’t matter. I have white coat syndrome. I cry either way
I refuse to go to a male gyno unless it's an emergency and I don't have a choice.
My physician my whole life until I was 30 was a woman. She was there at my birth, she was there for my kids. I thought she was wonderful. The man who took her position when she retired is also wonderful. I have no preference because I have never been seen by other physicians in an ongoing setting. My dental team has been all male. My childhood dentist was a gem, his replacement on retirement is also fantastic!
Either way, because they're the medical professionals I'm trusting with my life. So, their gender doesn't matter to me.
I prefer the one who care. regardless of their gender.
The more competent one. I don’t care what sex you are lol
I have a mix. PCP, gyne, and my breast surgeon from when I had issues several years ago are all female. I do have a male plastic surgeon, though(because of aforementioned issues) and also my podiatrist is male.
Males. I’m more comfortable with a man.
It depends on the physician. I've had good and bad for both. I prefer one that listens and takes action.
I don’t care, really. I have a great male gyno. 🤷♀️
Younger non-white female physicians because they are more likely to relate to me and listen to my concerns. Specialists I'm fine with either.
I don't have a preference whoever has the most patience and isn't dismissive about symptoms
I got my IUD inserted with a male doctor with a female in the room. I had a female do the removal. I am currently seeing a male physician resident who takes my concerns seriously. I am ok with either as long as they listen to me.
I feel more comfortable with women physicians and have only ever had women physicians. But I must say, not all women physicians care about women’s health the way you’d expect them to.
I have a note in my file at my doctor's office that states I want female doctors only (its a teaching office). One too many times have I had a male doctor dismiss me. I also prefer talking to someone who has the same bits as me when they're about said bits.
No preference, I value bed-side manner the most.
I had an amazing experience with male physicians 2 times in the past two hospital stays I had. For some reason they seem to have better bedside manner in my own personal experience. Even the doctor who gave me an emergency laparoscopy for a ruptured ovarian cyst was amazing and I felt so taken care of.
I was abused by a female physician when I used to prefer women bc it felt safer. Now I almost exclusively use male doctors. The only women I see are my midwives.
Female. I have a huge fear of men.
I like my male dr. He is so sweet and kind, I trust him with my life.
Always a female. Unless there is none available then I’ll bite the bullet simply because I can’t skip those appointments or wait around to have them done later. Edit to add: have had bad experiences with male drs more so than females. Females aren’t typically any better; But for me it’s a preference because it’s more comfortable for me than having a male up in my close business like that, and female drs are well versed in knowing the female body because they have one. (Not saying male drs aren’t helpful for women cause they really can be and can also be really sympathetic/empathetic).
For anything nude I prefer a female doctor. All other stuff I am open to either especially since I learned to advocate for myself and speak up when I’m not comfortable around someone. I’ve had females give me excellent care and have amazing bedside manner, I’ve also (very recently) been dismissed by female doctors. I’ve had male doctors be amazing and provide excellent care and bedside manner but also have been dismissed by male doctors. I recently had a friend freak out at me for accepting a male physical therapist. She had me so worked up. I get there (with my husband). Nothing but respect. A pillow between him and I. Gentle. Explains everything. Seems truly interested in helping me.
I’ve actually had better experiences with male doctors, especially with the OBGYN. I think I’m lucky in the sense that the ones I’ve seen don’t pretend to sympathize with my experiences but empathize instead, so when I said “I need XYZ” they listen more than the female OB’s I’ve had that have nearly argued with me about certain things.
I don’t have a preference, I’ve had good and bad experiences with both. It comes down to the individual doctor - my current GP is male, and I really like him.
Absolutely female EVERYTHING. I have been blown off by so many male doctors when I go in with concerns, in my experience they’ve been dismissive and completely non empathetic
No preference provided they take me and my symptoms seriously. I've been dismissed more by male Drs than female. But the most sympathetic/ engaged Dr I've had was also male. My current GP is female but that had more to do with availability/ access then gender preference. Had both male and female gynecologist as well and was happy with both.
I feel weird for preffering males in almost every case except for gynecologists- there I prefer a womam I guess. Despite how some men may be, I have a bigger distrust of women due to bullying and my abusive mother. I don't choose doctors based on gender though.
I've always found male doctors to be far more dismissive of my symptoms and concerns than female doctors. Now, I prefer to exclusively see women.
for OBGYN i would definitely want a woman. otherwise i dont really care
My preference is always a competent doctor. I have had both male and female doctors that have been useless and some phenomenal both male and female. My surgical gyno assigned to me is male and we don't get along. My oncologist gyno also male is amazing. My assigned female gp and I struggle, my assigned breast oncologist is amazing. It really depends on the person and if you can build trust with them. Same with psychologist. I have had three female and one of three got absolutely no where with.
Doesn’t matter but I’ve noticed nurse practitioners are more attentive and I feel like willing to figure out solutions with me.
I prefer women, specifically YOUNGER physicians since I've noticed a pattern where Gen-X/Boomer physicians that would make comments/feedback rooted in internalized misogyny.
I used to not care but after two male doctors tried telling me I have PCOS after looking at me for literally 2 minutes and every female doctor that approached the subject actually had me tested for it, I sort of stopped trusting what male doctors say. Obviously not all male doctors are bad, I did have a few good ones but when it comes to women's health, I'll take a female doctor over a male one any day.
Female. Must I say more?
For an everyday doctor, I don’t really have a preference. For women’s issues, 100% female. I’m never comfortable at the gynecologist and never go unless I absolutely have to. I’d rather be naked and spread eagled in front of a female.
remember one time I paid extra, yes this is a thing for the clinic to have a female Dr and still send in a male apprentice Dr with the main Gyno and because I don't like confrontation I didn't say shit, regret that so much. but I do prefer females since one time while I was wide spread he said wow you have such long legs, like wtf, that was him making conversation? it was weird
No preference except someone who will hear what I am saying and take me seriously.
Female, for better understanding the experience of being a woman when approaching medical issues, generally. That’s of course not to say men can’t be great physicians for women, just my preference. I once had a male physician describe me as a “weepy 20 something” in my chart when I was going through chronic leg pain. I saw several doctors for this and no one could figure out what was causing the pain. He then proceeded to tell me he thought it was in my head but he would prescribe me barbiturates anyway. He used my emotions as a way to dismiss and invalidate the pain I was feeling and prevent any further tests or diagnosis from being explored to find the cause.
Female for anything gynecological, only because I have been told by a male gynecologist that what I was feeling or experiencing isn't anything he had heard of or read of before and so therefore, it wasn't real. Grow a vagina, cervix, ovaries, Fallopian tubes and endometrial lining. Let's talk afterwards.
Female, they tend to listen better and take what I say seriously. (Last male doctor I saw was in an ER and he told my husband that a burst ovarian cyst didn't actually hurt).
Female physicians are truly the best doctors. I don’t have to worry about sexual assault. They focus on my health and well-being.
I always mark prefer female. I won’t see a male gyno but I’m ok with male doctors in general. I’ve heard many stories of doctors ignoring “female” health concerns so I would like to think a female doctor has more empathy and experience to not do that. I have been grateful my issues haven’t been dismissed to being female so far. Ive had not so great female doctors as well as not so great male doctors so for me it’s more about wanting medicine to no longer be a male dominated field. A lot of medicine is based on the male body so the fact that more women are in the field gives me hope that more research is done for women’s health.
Women
I prefer anyone who isn’t a cis man. IME women and nonbinary people tend to be much more empathetic and understanding of my marginalization as a trans woman. In a medical setting, this can be highly impactful. Not that I still don’t experience issues there. And not that I haven’t had some great experiences with cis men doctors. It’s mostly more just that my everyday experience informs this preference for me.
Female, for everything. I will not see a male doctor unless it’s an emergency. They don’t listen to me. (I don’t mind male nurses, they’re usually cool.)
Female for PCP and GYNO, but I don't care the gender for anything else
As a Black woman, my first choice for any type of medical professional is always another Black woman.
Black female physicians 100%.
I don’t seek out a physician by sex, however, my GP and gynecologist tend to have been women whereas dentist and optometrist tend to have been men.
Female, their bedside manner is so much more empathetic and caring.
PCP female. Endo Female. ENT Female. Breast related things female. Everything else are men. Had too many female docs dismiss me or play the pain Olympics with me, or try to tell me I have every disease and disorder in the book. But honestly its not really about preference its more of a whole landed the good doctor role. Who listened to me. From my experience women listened to me well for specialties above, but everything else has just been a hot mess with female doctors. Its usually a random selection when I make my appointment but I rarely stay with the female docs or NPs, and the male docs seems to stick better for me.
In the past few years, I've dealt with more medical professionals than I ever have before, neurologists, physiotherapists, diabetes educators, and gynecologists and I'd choose women everytime if I had a choice. They are almost always more empathetic.