Worst Gyno Ever Pressures Woman To Get Labiaplasty

Getting a gynecological exam can be nerve-wracking under the best of circumstances. But for one woman, it included an aggressive sales pitch for labiaplasty.

The woman wrote to the Globe and Mail‘s Patient Navigator Lisa Priest,

About a month ago, I went to my gynecologist. There were big poster ads for labiaplasty in the waiting area. I was still surprised, though, that once the doctor was examining me, he suggested he could do this procedure for me. I curtly told him ‘no thanks’ but he didn’t stop. In the middle of the exam that was not related at all to cosmetics, he showed me on his monitor where he could trim my labia. I still said no, but felt ashamed and wondered if I should do it. Only later did I realize how violating this was. Is this type of behaviour illegal or is there any recourse for admonishing this doctor? I’d like to save other women from having to go through this.

Priest wrote, “I would have no issue if, after your examination was over, and you are fully clothed in the office, you asked about the procedure after seeing the poster on the wall. But when you are getting a sensitive examination, it was highly inappropriate for him to raise it.” She’s right. Basically, the doctor was implying that his patient’s junk was funny-looking and he could fix that for her — for a fee, of course. This is creepy not just because a pelvic exam is a sensitive time — nobody wants to hear there’s something weird-looking down there — but also because women are supposed to be able to trust their gynecologists for unbiased medical advice. I wonder how many patients he’s successfully pressured into labiaplasty because they simply took their doctor’s word that it was a good idea. Priest recommends that the letter-writer report her pushy gyno to the medical regulatory authorities in her province — hopefully they’ll take steps to make sure this jerk stops using his gynecology practice as a labiaplasty recruitment pipeline.