The other day, Karina asked me an interesting question that sparked a discussion on preference, safety and personal care. She asked at what age would she have to see a gynecologist. I answered, "I'm guessing it'll be when you're 18, or when you become sexually active...whichever comes first." She asked, "Then it should be a female doctor...right?" I answered, "Well, it should be whatever you're most comfortable with."

Then I began to think about MY experiences. I've always suffered from irregular periods, severe cramping, and ovarian and fallopian cysts; so I saw my first gynecologist when I was a shy 16 year old virgin, so I specifically requested a female doctor. She was very unsympathetic, and pretty much accused me of being a baby. I mean, if SHE could handle HER cramps, then why couldn't I? When she inserted the speculum, she became irritated at my pain and discomfort, and when I advised her that I was a virgin, she said..."Not anymore!"

That was the last time I specifically asked for a female doctor. Since then, my gynecologist have been primarily male...and much more sympathetic. When I was pregnant with Karina, I chose an older male Obstetrician. As a man, he didn't know first-hand what it felt like to be pregnant, go into labor, have a miscarriage, have a period, or even what cramps felt like. So, every little pain I had, he took seriously and never dismissed.

I spoke with Erika about this topic, and she forwarded comments that were on the Orange County Register message board about this very subject.

I'm glad you had a good experience with Dr [name redacted]. My experience was drastically different- waiting for every appoint for at least an hour (reception told me they sometime triple book appt times), never having an opening at a time that was convenient for me, then having [Dr's name redacted] tell me my labor was nothing compared to hers when she had her twins after I'd been pushing for three hours (apparently, she's notorious for this as the nurses were joking about it when I told them what happened).

I'm not saying that all female doctors are less sympathetic. I'm just sharing my personal experiences.

What were your experiences like? Do you have a preference when it comes to choosing your doctor? Does gender enter into your equation?