Pelvic exam during recovery??

[mara16jade]

Is this true? Do doctors do a pelvic exam or use a speculum to look at your cervix during your recovery at the hospital after childbirth?

Someone told me they might, and that sounds so scary and painful!

 

[tristansmum]

I've never heard this. Certainly not for me or any woman I've known to give birth. There would be no reason it plus that area should be left to recover and heal on its own x

 

[mara16jade]

Thank you!!

 

[Kess]

Just a reminder that even if something is standard practice, you can decline anyway. No-one, even a Dr or nurse or MW, has the right to do anything to your body you don't like the sound of.

 

[mara16jade]

Yes, very true!

 

[gidge]

The only things they did to me after was check inside straight after to see if I needed stitches and make me wee - they don´t give catheters here with an epidural so they stick something inside you to press on the bladder and then press on your tummy to empty it.

 

[Blizzard]

No, nobody checked me internally at all once the birth was done

 

[noon_child]

Not here in the UK but I know USA is very different. I have no idea why they would need to though. Unless you have had a very traumatic birth there is no reason everything wouldn't be normal.

 

[Timewaster]

They never checked me down there after giving birth.

The only time they looked down was 40 days postpartum to make sure everything was healing fine.

 

[QuBe]

Hello.

I didn't have a pelvic exam until 6 weeks post partum. This was to check to make sure I was healing well, place my IUD and do a pap smear.

 

[MindUtopia]

That does sound scary and painful! You're in the U.S., so very well may be different (when I lived in the U.S., someone had to look at my cervix to give me birth control, which is pretty ridiculous). But here, I never had a pelvic exam my whole pregnancy, only had one check in labour (that I shouldn't even have consented to and won't next time), and only just had a pelvic exam last week (16 months pp) for a routine cervical smear test. Anyway, even if they do ask to do an exam, you can just say no. There's no medical need to check you and it certainly would hurt like hell.

 

[Perseids]

I've never heard of this either. When I was in the hospital the only thing they did was pull my underwear back a pit to take a peak at my lady parts and check to see if there were any clots the day after I gave birth. No touching or anything. I didn't tear or have any stitches though. I didn't get a pelvic exam until the 6 week post partum appointment as well.

 

[Srrme]

Nope, not here. Thankfully! Ouch.