Written By: Hajar
Can we liken a vaginal exam to obstetric rape?
Although the two pictures are completely different, what if the examination was accompanied by a deep humiliation that affected the mother, a sense of violation of her body, great pain and distress?
But before digging deep into this issue, what is a vaginal examination (PV) in the first place?
A vaginal examination is an examination that is performed by a health care provider during labor. It measures the progression of the mother's birth and is done by inserting two fingers into the vagina to measure the extent of the dilatation and effacement of the cervix and the position of the baby's head.
Although this examination is a routine intervention during birth and it can be necessary in some cases, the way it is performed by the care provider, can have a significant psychological impact on the mother and impact her entire birth experience. While the birth team leaves the hospital completely satisfied with the result of a healthy mom and a healthy baby, the mother leaves the hospital with a psychological wound whose intensity cannot be known.
Therefore, there are some important tips that must be taken into account by the provider performing a vaginal exam, to avoid its negative impact:
- It should be done with the permission of the mother, after the benefits for her condition, risks and alternatives are presented to her.
- The mother should be encouraged to breathe deeply and relax in order to calm down, and should be given time to be mentally prepared for it. Performing a vaginal exam while she is anxious can make it more difficult for the care provider and more painful for her.
- It can be uneasy but doesn't have to be painful. If the mother feels pain, she must inform the care provider to stop.
- It is recommended to be done only once every four hours unless a concern arises.
- The mother should be reassured if few drops of blood came out with the examination, or if the water bag is ruptured by mistake.
Finally, let's remember that this examination is practiced with the intention of protecting the mother and her child from expected complications, it is not acceptable for the protector to turn into an aggressor, and become the cause of her unhappiness instead of her happiness.
Well said
Its very important to know that VP
Is kind of violation if its done without mother’s permission..
Yes, and they should know it is not a must. For some woman, they feel it as horrible
Great informations thank you dr.hajar
Much needed information
Jazaki Allah kheer Hajar, moms need to know their rights!
Allāhumma barik lahu Dr.Hajar! Such a great piece of information. JazakiAllahu khairan for sharing
Nicely written JazakAllah Khair!
JazakumAllaahu khayran for writing this! It is also important for the provider to accept if a mother makes an informed refusal and doesn’t intentionally or inadvertently coerce the mother into an exam by the not respecting her right to refuse interventions especially if not medically necessary.
Important points included, and much more room for discussion amongst Mother’s, Healthcare Providers, and Birthworkers.
Loving the title! And coming from a doctor, that’s an amazing read!
Vety true ,, it is not a measure of qalification to do it every half an hour fir mom in labor
This perspective should be known to all. care providers and mothers so each would be able to make informed decisions in their own places.
Informed consent and communication, in this case, is so important in things such as vaginal exams. great post!
JazakumAllah Khair for speaking about such an important topic. We don’t realize how a simple PV can turn into a traumatic, violent experience.
It is not uncommon that mother end up going of c section just to avoid these exams. How heartbreaking
I hope every mother knows her rights when it comes to consenting to vaginal exams. And she should never feel bad for saying no.
Be informed, and just because it is done ‘routine’ doesn’t mean it is necessary.
I love the title! 🙂 Yes too many times, women are forced to have the examinations. Sadly, I have seen how awful women are to each other. Why as a female doctor can you not be compassionate and gentle, when dealing with a woman who is in labor? Why examine her during a contraction? Why force and push her legs apart? For any woman who has been a victim of rape or any type of sexual assault, this is extremely triggering, and will do great harm to her mental health as well as her labor progression.
I love the title. 🙂 This is an excellent topic that can be expounded. It is so unfortunate that female doctors do this to their own gender. Female doctors should be kind, compassionate and understanding especially if they have already experienced birth before. But to my utter dismay, these doctors seem to relish the opportunity to continue this abusive and traumatic cycle of invasive and mostly quite painful vaginal exams. They conduct themselves harshly; inserting their hand even during a contraction, while forcing the woman’s legs apart and telling the mother she needs to grow up, even while the husband is telling the doctor to give her a chance! I have seen all of these horrible things, and most of the those doctors were old enough to be the patient’s mother! These type of doctors are an absolutely disgrace to their profession and simply doing a power play to show the mother who is the boss.
This type of behavior which is already traumatic, can be further triggering and full of horrors for women who were victims of rape and sexual abuse.
It’s heart breaking and I hope with a lot of ground work things would be better some day