Community Chat

[Dragonflyveb]

I had a wonderful male OB/GYN. He actually liked "his ladies" and was very caring. After that, I went to a female doctor. She got tired of the insurance merry-go-round and went to the concierge model. Of course, that excluded Medicare.
For eye doc, it doesn't matter to me. Same for dentists.

What I found is that age can play a part in their attitude. A couple doctors I used to see were nearing retirement age and they had heard it all, seen it all, and were just done with the whole system. They just went through the motions to get one day closer to their retirement. Some of the younger doctors aren't quite so jaded yet.

[september]

It does to me.  I've had far too many arrogant male physicians in the past.  

All of my present docs are females, with the exception of my podiatrist.  

[bikerbabe]

Doesn’t matter at all.

Ironically, the worst doctor I ever had was a woman and the best was a man.

At work, I see more of a difference with age not gender. 😉 Certain specialties also seem to have personality types.

[Marrone]

I wouldn't even consider gender for a dentist. For a doctor, maybe if it related to some private areas or a sexual malady, but otherwise I don't really care. 

[RainyDayGal]

I have had both male and female doctors that I adored.  I absolutely loved my gyn who was male and it was sad when he retired. 

For the most part I don't care, all of my care providers are excellent and I wouldn't trade them.  I think the only one I would want to be female would be the gyn, but fortunately my doc is a nurse practitioner so I see her for just about everything.

[BlueFinch]

I could care less about gender. I care about knowledge base, skill level and behaviors. I've had male and female Gyn docs, as well as PCP's.

I found that the males in both these specialties far outweighed the females in caring, compassion and genuine interest in my issues. I currently love my male PCP and he's young enough that I hope he's in practice for the rest of my days. 

In contrast, I have a male cardiologist that has the worst chair side, bedside manner, I've ever seen. He recommended a med change that I knew was not right for me. I voiced relevant, knowledgeable concerns that this change could be dangerous for me, and why.

Recognizing his narcissist behaviors, I was polite, but he discounted my knowledge about this med and became overtly angry. I'm not going back to him again and my PCP agrees with my concerns about the med change, not advising it, either. 

So, I rest my case, that it's not the gender that's the most important. There are excellent, good, and bad in both genders. It just pays to shop around for the perfect fit. Your life can depend on it, in the wrong hands. 

[Effie54]

Hmmm..... that's a great question. I have a female OB/GYN, a female dermatologist and a female naturopath/functional medicine doctor. My dentist is a male, but he's compassionate and funny. Really, gender does not matter. I choose by experience, education, and competency. 

[CatsyCline]

i would not have a male GYN again.  i had to have a procedure, a NOVAsure and i had moved and with my insurance  couldn't wait 6 months for a female doctor.  so the male GYN was available. He was a personable doctor and  the procedure went fine but as a couple years went by he became increasingly creepy. he would make icky remarks about my body and some of his exams bordered on kinky.

i have a female NP now and  recently looked on Health Vitals for reviews and came across reviews for this male GYN. one reviewer wrote she was Dx'd with a serious health condition that he had just shrugged off and one had filed a police report with the Town Police!

[Jordan2]

It depends, I wouldn't feel comfortable with a male gynecologist but otherwise it doesn't matter to me. 

[GenXmuse]

I prefer to see a female PA or NP. I get much more time and attention and willingness to try different things and discuss treatment options. They also answer my messages much more quickly. As far as MD's it doesn't matter so much nor with dentists.