In ancient Greece, women were forbidden to study medicine for several years until someone broke the law. Born in 300 BCE, Agnodice cut her hair and entered Alexandria medical school dressed as a man. While walking the streets of Athens after completing her medical education, she heard the cries of a woman in labour. However, the woman did not want Agnodice to touch her although she was in severe pain, because she thought Agnodice was a man. Agnodice proved that she was a woman by removing her clothes without anyone seeing and helped the woman deliver her baby.

The story would soon spread among the women and all the women who were sick began to go to Agnodice. The male doctors grew envious and accused Agnodice, whom they thought was male, of seducing female patients. At her trial, Agnodice, stood before the court and proved that she was a woman but this time, she was sentenced to death for studying medicine and practicing medicine as a woman.

Women revolted at the sentence, especially the wives of the judges who had given the death penalty. Some said that if Agnodice was killed, they would go to their deaths with her. Unable to withstand the pressures of their wives and other women, the judges lifted Agnodice's sentence, and from then on, women were allowed to practice medicine, provided they only looked after women.

Thus, Agnodice made her mark in history as the first female doctor, physician and gynecologist. This plaque depicting Agnodice at work was excavated at Ostia, Italy and is now on display at the British Museum.

[Scott Horton]

GYNECOLOGIST STORY 🚺

This is a TRUE story, everything really happened!

About 2 years ago as I was still very freaking dysphoric, I had to visit the hospital for a check up on my hormones and to talk about a possible hysterectomy ~removing uterus and ovaries~. They have a special section for trans-people there. But this section is part of the ,,gynecology and obstetrics" department. So you basically had to sit in a waiting room together with 95% pregnant women. It was incredibly humiliating. Whenever I visited, they usually had a longer talk with me, took some blood and did a check up on my hormone levels. But this time was different. I mentioned how I had considered a hysterectomy and if it was possible to get an operation date.

I got a date and then they told me I had to wait outside in the waiting room because I should see the gynecologist and have a talk with them as well. They were basically next door. I was about 19-20 years old and up until this day I had never visited an actual gynecologist. I had avoided it and it was basically my worst nightmare. I actually had no idea what they even do there. But I took it kind of literal when they told me ,,have a talk with the gynecologist". I thought I should go see them and basically just talk about the hysterectomy. So not knowing what is going to happen now, I was called in to the examination room. I barely had closed the door behind me and a fat, grumpy woman with glasses on in her 50s stood face to face to me in front of me as she had opened a 2nd door. She was checking me out in a bit of an derogatory kind of way. She reminded me a little bit of Berta from 2 & a half men. And for some reason it terrified me. Before she said ,,Hello" she said ,,Take off your shoes, pants and panties. Then come in." Then she closed the door.

I was so in shock and totally mortified. I might was very naive but I simply didn't expect I'd actually be physically examined now. I felt like fainting. I wanted to leave so bad but I felt quite helpless in this situation, as if there was no way out. So against my will I took of my clothing. There was no way I could enter this room like this. I was standing there, not knowing what to do. I felt like crying so hard and as if I was literally waiting for my execution. After a while she opened the door and said annoyed ,,What's up with you?? Come in!" I felt my heart pounding and my face turning fire red as I entered. There were two other female assistants in that room. Berta ~I call her this now~ said ,,Lay down with your legs spread, your feet must be up there." I had never seen a gynecologist chair before, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was so naive I had absolutely no idea what is done at the gynecologist. I had no choice, I lay down and I felt so embarrassed and degraded in this moment, I wanted to cry so bad. ,,Ever used tampons??", one of them asked. ,,Mhm" I answered, but it happened automatically, I felt like everything was happening in a fog, I was in a mental state where I just froze. Actually I didn't ever use tampons, I had avoided touching or interacting with my vagina in ANY way possible. So Berta came back with a dildo-shaped object in her hand, rubbing some lubrication on it. In my mind I said ,,This is not actually happening. There is NO way", my mouth sure stood open a bit because I was so shocked by this. Then she entered this thing into my vagina, just like that. I let out a little moan because it was totally unexpected and hurt a bit and I wasn't used to this sensation down there. My heart was racing so fast it felt as if it was about to explode. This was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I felt so degraded and traumatized because I had no idea what was going on. I just know there was a fat, old woman staring at my vagina while penetrating me with a dildo shaped object. Turned out it was some ultrasound thing and she was examining my ovaries and uterus, taking ultrasound pictures.

It was I guess the first time I ever had such a big, long object inside of me. I basically felt these sensations for the very first time in my life. She moved this thing around inside of me, looking at the computer. And I felt my body getting aroused. Like, I was in absolute mental agony, dying of embarrassment and feeling as dysphoric as I never had before...but at the same time I felt as if my cervix & uterus were tickling and my clitoris was stiffening. This made me feel even MORE horrible and degraded. After a while she pulled it out again, I could feel the... longness of this thing as she pulled it out. It also made a very quiet ,,blop" sound and I let out another short moan, perhaps because I got wet during the procedure.

I felt like throwing up, I'm not sure if my cheeks were fire red out of shame or if I was pale like a ghost. She said I could go back outside and get dressed. I was for certain traumatized after this. In the end I didn't get the operation because I didn't want to come back there ever so I didn't, I started visiting a different hospital where I do these checkups. Also I couldn't leave my house for a couple days, I was very depressed for several weeks and it probably changed me for ever.

It also marks how I started masturbating vaginally. After this experience I started to pleasure my insides more and more until it was excessive, like for the fiest time I started to shove things inside my vagina, because now I craved the tingling feeling around my cervix I had felt during this examination, I also craved embarrassment and exposure and dysphoria.

I think this experience was partly responsible for how fucked up I am today 🫢🥹 I'm so fucked up I got dripping wet by all these memories and now I'd LOVE to go see a gynecologist to get off to the embarrassment and exposure later on.

Who got space for one or two parient during the holiday we need full intake exam check evrything off before being treated for supposed trauma for the vacation neck brace frequent code and diagnostic exam and procedure to do on us most probably high level of care if not full life support in icu and how know maybe we will find out that we are pregnant whit the blood test or more pregnant then we though like almost to term maybe only sky is me and sab limit for the 27 to the 2. We are curently 23 and 22 both female. If any medical team have question orwish us to fill paper work a head contact us in dm

Exhibition at the window

Gyno Joel

I don’t know who made this lol(tag if you know) As soon as I saw this look all I could see was Gyno Joel or Joel the surgeon. Just HOT DOCTOR JOEL. Also, I can’t remember who wrote the gyno Joel fic(also tag if you know) My short term memory is trash y’all!!! It won’t let me add the tag GYNO JOEL😫😫😫😫😫

So I have terrible menstruations and my doctor booked me an appointment to a gynecologist I've been dreading. I'm a repulsed aroace and do not want anything down there. So the day finally came, there's many different people there, some have "whatever, it's a part of life" energy, others "I'm not here, you might see me but I'm not here!", etc. So the doctor calls my name and I go in as fast as I can. So she throws one look at me and "It's a standard question, but do you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend with a strap-on or anything like that?" "Nope" I reply "so you have no interest in sex or the like?", "nope" (she looks at me as if she could see that I was aroace from a mile away). "Given what you've told me, you have no interest in sex toys either?" "no, never used them", "good, then you aren't likely to get virus and bacteria that usually sticks to those". She then prescribed a medication that might help me not get menstruations again and we agreed that I'd take ultrasound to see if there is anything wrong next appointment, and while still scary is it better than halfway lying down with my legs open and someone doing something in there.

I'm so relieved! And she was such a good doctor! It wasn't awkward, I wasn't shamed for being aroace, not told "you'll find someone eventually" or anything like that. Even though I didn't directly say that I'm aroace, I felt accepted. I was a little afraid I'd get a lecture about "you should probably have a child soon as you aren't in your prime anymore" or anything like that, but there wasn't, just acceptance and warmth.

Help. Pls seal a competent doctor in an envelope and send them to me.

OK. I'm in danger. Ha. Still fighting to stay alive with what I have, but... uh... Two out of three doctors are confirmed incompetent and the third hasn't acquitted himself too well, but I'm not positive he's lacking information I need to live and resistant to learn it. The other two are definitely like that, and that's not good for the ol' complicated health problems. I'm not easy to treat and BOY DO THEY ALL HATE THAT!

Today was the gynecologist. I hate that. I hate having one of those. I hate having to navigate all this gendered shit that's phrased like people like me don't exist. Forget "nonbinary," I have to keep saying "total hysterectomy" over and over and OVER. I hate that this person sees me as NOTHING BUT my gendered body parts and she's REAPEATEDLY refused to engage with anything going on in the rest of my body. I go to this person's office and I become tits and a vagina. Mainly the vagina. With people intermittently forgetting I don't have the other standard equipment.

I didn't know how to prepare for today. I had a week. I made a phone appointment in order to beg for an in-person appointment to lay out all my complicated shit, and she tried to take care of it over the phone anyway. I had not prepared for that. I mentioned that my hair was falling out, as a persistent menopause symptom that was not being addressed, and she focused on that, interrupted me, and went off on how she could not regrow my hair. And, OK. But that wasn't what I meant and she didn't give me room to explain what I DID mean. I did manage to be annoying enough to get the in-person appointment. And then I didn't know what I ought to take with me.

I spent all week going in circles, wondering what she needed to know, and how to say it so she'd understand. I do have the neurodivergent inclination to, you know, explain things when I'm not understood. And I don't know how else to make a doctor understand the type of healthcare I need! Shouldn't they listen to me? I have ample evidence that they don't, but I don't know how they expect to treat me otherwise.

Over the phone, she hit me out of left field with the fact that she's been dragging her feet on my estrogen dose because I had a bad reaction to ONE MEDICATION, ONE TIME. I don't even know if it was the estrogen, it could've been a binding agent or some shit. She decided that for me, she also decided my breast pain was from too much estrogen (even though my dose is at post-menopausal levels) and she's been prescribing me medicine based on that story she told herself.

I told her my experience is that I've never had more breast pain with a higher hormone dose, it's always gotten better... and I'm pretty sure she doesn't believe me. Like, I said that, and she reiterated later that more estrogen causes breast pain. I reiterated, that wasn't my experience and I do have anecdotal evidence at least of women who have breast pain from low estrogen too. She basically went, "OK, here's some higher estrogen. Whatever."

Then I said I was also willing to use the injectable kind, or an implant. Oral estrogen hurt my liver earlier, so I agree with her that something other than that would be safer. I thought she would know about these other methods. I did not research their existence. I mean, estrogen injections? I'm active in trans circles, that's just... That's shit's not special. That's just Tuesday.

She said, "What is that? I've never heard of that." She didn't even know enough about it to think, for a second, "Hmm, maybe I should know about that. Maybe I shouldn't admit I don't know that." Nope. I'm asking for weird medication and the burden is on me to explain this craziness.

What I wanted to say was, "Don't you know even one transwoman? Aren't you in women's health??" But I didn't know what the hell that was gonna get me. I sputtered for a bit and finally managed, "That's... pretty basic gender clinic stuff..."

She said, "Do you want me to refer you to a gender clinic?" right away. Fuck, I should've just said, "YES! I WANT THAT SO MUCH! LET ME GO!" But I was so baffled and confused at that point that I was shaking.

The spouse found a name of an injectable estrogen brand and offered it to her. She had a look at his phone and said, "I don't know what that is and I'm not going to prescribe it if I don't know what it is." She offered a referral to another doctor that does, "Off-label stuff, the crazy stuff the rest of us don't want to deal with." Ha-ha, okay. Cool. Yeah. That's me!

So I have a new patch with more estrogen in it and GOD HELP ME if I have a bad reaction to it. I've never been on this particular type of estradiol before, but I wasn't getting any traction when I asserted there are different kinds of estrogen that I may tolerate better or not as well. No acknowledgement. No engagement. More irrelevant information from the special snowflake who looks things up on the internet and thinks they're smarter than a doctor. Fucking hell, BUT I KNOW WHAT ESTROGEN INJECTIONS ARE.

Oh, and because we waited over an hour past our appointment time to get in, the garage where we parked our car closed before we could get out. We had to beg to be let in. While I was melting down and feeling like I was gonna pass out.

I got a soda and some nuggets, I'm fine. I lived. I got home and looked up injectable estrogen + Canada, because, deep down, I do doubt myself and wonder if I'm insane. Maybe Canadian transwoman suck their hormones out of the mighty moose, fuck if I know. But, uh, no. It's a thing. Yeah. Pretty basic thing. Once weekly injections. No public option for it, though. Trans folks pay extra to be who they are!

Here's the kicker, while we were waiting for the nuggets and soda, the spouse said, "While she was saying that she didn't know what it was, the poster behind her, with the birth control options? Estrogen injection is the third one on there."

"God, why didn't you just point to it?"

"I didn't know what she'd do."

That's... Probably pretty wise, yeah. I don't think she would've done anything GOOD.

I'm not being allowed to participate in my own healthcare as an equal partner. People are just... making decisions for me and never telling me. And they fight me when I say it's not helping and I try to give them some reasons why. They want me to take what they give me and shut up. But that'll KILL me. It HAS BEEN KILLING ME.

The family doctor is at the root of this, he's in charge of everything. I can't get rid of him. I'm trying, but it's not set up so I can get rid of him. There isn't another doctor available who I can switch to. Clinics are filling the gaps, but I can't shitcan my actual doctor to get care on random from a clinic. They won't let me. I'm not familiar with this system. I know someone who knows it better and they're willing to help. We're going to have to get back in touch with them, and I hope they know what to do.

At the moment... I'm not safe. I'm not getting good care. I'm getting bullying, gaslighting and apathy. So much that I worry about posting this stuff on the internet. Like all y'all aren't going to believe me either. Surely, I must be exaggerating. This is... This reads like warmed-over Kafka, or Catch-22. This is my life. For now. While I'm able to fight for it.

Those full body deodorant commercials piss me off. They are so full of body shaming, but they know its wrong, so it's mostly a bunch of wishy-washy bullshit.

"I know bodies have natural odors it's normal, but you shouldn't."

"We shouldn't care that bodies smell sometimes, but you should, because you stink. Trust me I'm a gynecologist."

"You went to the gym and got swamp ass that's totally normal and can be fixed by taking a normal shower, but girl that's not enough (even though it absolutely is)."

"We don't want to make women feel bad about their bodies' natural smells. (Yes, we absolutely do, because we know people will cave to societies hygiene olympics, and fund our capitalist regime)"

The one by the alleged actual gynecologist pisses me off the most. How dare you be a doctor and participate in this bullshit.

Rejuvenecimiento Pt. 1

Soy Jeen, ha mis 30 años he tenido dos partos, mis partos han sido naturales aún que en ambos he tenido severas complicaciones debido a la mis problemas con mi presión arterial, en ellos tuve dos infartos y tuvieron que operarme para no tener más hijos.

en los últimos años he notado que he dejado de sentir muchas cosas en mi vagina, mis problemas con la sensibilidad han llegado a causar mi divorcio, mi esposo se ha quedado con la custodia de mis hijos y yo decidí hacer una nueva vida sexual, por lo que, he decidido hacerme un rejuvenecimiento vaginal.

la ginecóloga me ha comentado que no soy una buena candidata debido a mi hipertensión y a tengo el piso pélvico muy bajo, ha dicho que aún que la cirugía funcione, el riesgo de sufrir un infarto nuevamente o secuelas como la incontinencia es muy alto, por no decirme que es lo que iba a suceder.

sin embargo, no me importó y en este momento me encuentro internada en el hospital en espera de mi próxima cirugía.

una enfermera entra sonriente con un par de cosas en la mano que deja en la mesa de metal a lado de mi cama y se acerca a mi.

"hola jean, un gusto tenerte aquí, voy a explicarte lo que voy a hacer ¿bien?"

asentí con la cabeza estaba algo nerviosa e inquieta, pero era por la emoción que mi cirugía me generaba.

"muy bien, lo primero que haré es alzar el respaldo de la camilla para que tengas una posición en "L" asi la cirugía será más fácil"

la enfermera inclinó mi camilla dejandola en "L" simunaldo que yo estaba sentada, después bajó una parte de esta haciendo que mis rodillas se flexionaran hacia abajo y movió los retenedores hacia adelante.

"ahora voy a quitarte la bata y ponerte ésta gorra, es para que tu cabello no vuele a la hora de la operación"

la enfermera quito mi bata dejando mis senos copa "C" y mi abdomen plano al descubierto, después tomó mi cabello en un chongo y coloco la gorra en mi cabeza.

"listo, pondré está sábana desechable debajo de ti, mira, es una sábana con material de pañal, es por si llegas a orinar durante la cirugía, si eso sucede, no te preocupes, es muy normal"

la enfermera tomo mis piernas y las subió a los retenedores haciendo que quedarán abiertas y mi vagina estaba expuesta, levanté mi pelvis y ella acomodo debajo de mi la sábana desechable.

"veo que has olvidado rasurarte, pero no hay problema, puedo ayudarte con eso"

sentí como la enfermera colocaba sobre mi vagina crema de afeitar y con un rastrillo cuidadosamente comenzaba a retirar todo el vello púbico que había en mi pelvis, mi vagina y parte de mi ano.

después conecto un par de cables y agujas a mi pecho y mi pelvis, haciendo que diversas máquinas comenzarán a sonar con pitidos que zumbaban en todo el quirófano.

"ahora colocaré ésta máscara en tu nariz para dormirte y contarás del 10 al 1 ¿de acuerdo"

ella puso la mascarilla sobre mi rostro y al sentirla comencé a contar"

"diez, nueve, och-o sie-e-e-..." finalmente caí sedada.

la enfermera retiró la máscara y procedió a encintar mis ojos con una gasa y cinta médica, después pude sentir como un tubo era introducido por mi boca, una vez que fui intubada, la enfermera salió a avisar a la ginecóloga que estaba lista para la operación.

"listo doctora, la paciente ya está rasurada, acomodada, conectada, intubada y sedada, puede comenzar ya con la cirugía"

desconozco todo lo que la ginecóloga ha hecho en mi vagina pues la anestesia no ha dejado que sienta nada.

al salir de la cirugía, paso más o menos una hora para que la anestesia dejara de hacer efecto en mi y pudiera despertar.

lo primero que vi, fue a la ginecóloga entrar por la puerta de mi habitación y pararse a un lado de mi camilla.

"hola jean, bueno, tengo malas noticias para ti"

la doctora retiro la sábana de mi cuerpo dejandolo expuesto, pero solo podía ver mis senos y los pezones erizados por la ráfaga de aire, después se puso atrás de mi camilla y la acomodó en 'L" una vez sentada, pude ver lo que mis senos me impedían, mi pelvis era cubierta por un enorme pero cómodo pañal blanco de adulto, y de el salía un catéter que pude sentir estaba conectado a mi vagina.

"cómo te advertí, tu piso pélvico es muy bajo, por lo que las complicaciones fueron inevitables, ahora tienes una vagina pequeña y sensible como querías, sin embargo, te ha costado padecer incontinencia, pérdidas de orina al reírse, toser o hacer ejercicio, necesidad urgente o frecuente de orinar y no controlarlo, dolor al orinar, Pérdidas de materia fecal y dificultad para controlar los gases, por lo que tendrás que usar pañales por el resto de tu vida"

mi mano tocó el pañal haciéndolo sonar en toda la habitación, mi vagina sintió el tacto del material grueso del pañal y se erizo, por lo que no me desagradaba, al contrario, estaba muy emocionada por volver a sentir placer sexual y no me importaba tener que usar estos enorme pañales ni tener incontinencia o perdida de control en mis funciones fecales por lo que me restara de vida.

This group that I’m so proud to be a part of is called Speak, Move, Change and we curate two virtual series’ to address the crisis in reproductive health in the United States. As part of our collective work, Speak, Move, Change hosts virtual events during Black Maternal Health Week in April and we curate a week-long virtual series for an initiative that we launched in 2023 called the National Postpartum Awareness Week for BIPOC birthing people. The National Postpartum Awareness Week (PAW) was created by our collective and is designed to heighten awareness for stakeholders around the country so that comprehensive, equitable, trauma and culturally relevant care are provided to BIPOC mothers, birthing people, their babies and partners during the 4th Trimester. We believe that “postpartum is forever” and that everyone deserves to receive care that honors their humanity

Me: Hey, one last question. I used to be on prescription dose Naproxen for cramps, but I stopped cuz they improved for a while, but now they're pretty bad again--

Gynecologist (Who Stopped Listening to Me 30 Min. Prior and Has Decided I'm Just Crazy): Oh, that's just Aleve!

Me: ... yeah, I know but it's in a higher concentration and dose for--

Her: Just take one Aleve in the morning and one at night!

Me: ... I've been taking six Aleve and triple dosing on Midol and I am still vomiting with pain.

Her: Nooo, don't do that! Just take one Aleve in the morning, one and night, and Tylenol in between!

Me: Ok, but--

Her: (fully leaves the room and doesn't come back)

Don’t worry guys my gynecologist says that once I lose a bit of weight all my problems will be solved!

tws ahead of time: venting, discussion of medical examinations of sex organs (pap smear), masturbation mention

so i am. very asexual. sex ambivalent but i’m really just not interested overall. i’m also afab. which means when i’m 21 i’m gonna have to get a pap smear. which is gonna SUCK

being trans makes this twice as bad. i’m low dysphoria but the idea of ANYTHING entering my body like that makes me want to cry. like i get panic attacks at the thought of having to put in a tampon (i’m a pads person) it’s like. bad. technically i’d be able to handle it (had a short period of time before realizing i was ace + trans where i thought i HAD to masturbate bc “everyone did it” (my parents gave good sex ed but normalized masturbation a bit too much lmao)) but i’d hate every minute of it

so the idea of a pap smear horrifies me. first off- i have to let a doctor see me half-naked. this part doesn’t bug me too much because . it’s a doctor and it’s completely non-sexual but i still don’t like the idea of anyone seeing . that

then i’d have to just fucking sit there while they put a fucking giant cold metal tool in my body so they can reach my fucking CERVIX???? and THEN they’d have to brush cells OFF of said cervix??? no. no no NO that gives me such bad anxiety it’s fucking insane.

i’m also terrified it’ll hurt because. i’m not gonna be sexually active and i don’t even fucking use tampons. and i KNOW that if i go to a good gyn then they will find ways to help me be less scared or feel it less but i still hate the idea of sharing that vulnerability. i’m a crier and i do not want to cry in front of a doctor because i’m scared of such a normal procedure. it’s less a fear of judgement and more just a pride thing i think. i know they deal with it frequently i’m just kinda horrified. the idea of coming out as ace to someone who has control over my health is also actually terrifying esp bc i live in texas

if i could i’d just get my whole uterus removed and solve the problem but apparently it “produces important hormones” that i don’t want to throw off balance so. guess i’m stuck

idk i need to talk to my mom about it (she gives good advice) or maybe my aunt (similar feelings towards sex as me) but god it just sounds so scary. i’m incredibly scared for it.

that being said if you have a cervix and are 21+ (25 if ur british) then you do need to get a pap smear once every three years. it may be horrifying but cervical cancer is way scarier. i’m sorry it sucks for us but it’s like life-or-death important. can’t really afford to skip out on it unfortunately :(

if anyone else has similar worries and/or has had a pap smear i’d love to hear about it in the notes. no pressure of course privacy n all but it’d make me feel less alone so if you’re comfy sharing. hope everyone’s having a good [time of day]