Doctor checking private parts of teen

amother

OP ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 2:18 pm

Hi. I just took my son for a well visit. He's in his early teens. The (male) doctor was insisting that its important to check his private parts but he refused. Is this really necessary? If so, what options do I have if he's dead set against it? Anyone have experience with this? Thank you.

amother

Cerise ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 2:22 pm

If your son is a teenager, maybe you should go out of the room- right outside- if a doctor wants to check his private parts because he might be embarrassed in front of his mother...

amother

Beige ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 2:29 pm

It's very important, so the doctor knows how far along he is in puberty. It's also important to check for possible anomalies. That said, ultimately your son does have the right to refuse. But you should at least make sure the doctor explains why it's an important part of the examination. My son hates it too by the way. But he agrees to it in exchange for a slurpee afterwards. It takes less than 30 seconds and only happens once a year.

amother

DarkGray

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 4:14 pm

amother Cerise wrote:

If your son is a teenager, maybe you should go out of the room- right outside- if a doctor wants to check his private parts because he might be embarrassed in front of his mother...

Ive been in the room when dr examined DS, it was done veey quickly with him on the exam table, so I couldnt see anything anyway

amother

↑ Cerise

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 4:18 pm

amother DarkGray wrote:

Ive been in the room when dr examined DS, it was done veey quickly with him on the exam table, so I couldnt see anything anyway

Either way, if the dr thinks it's impt, he should/will communicate that directly to your son.

amother

Junglegreen ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 4:19 pm

amother Stone wrote:

Yeah they need to check the balls dropped correctly. It’s important.

Why can't that be self reported?

amother

↑ Stone ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 4:21 pm

amother Junglegreen wrote:

Why can't that be self reported?

They can't tell. It's about the parts inside. Many boys do need surgery for correction it is absolutely not worth not doing. Why risk their fertility?

momomany ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 5:52 pm

they are also checking for varicoceles. very important. if they do have it, it is very correctable. left uncorrected it can lead to infertility

amother

Marigold

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 6:15 pm

amother Stone wrote:

They can't tell. It's about the parts inside. Many boys do need surgery for correction it is absolutely not worth not doing. Why risk their fertility?

Many men need surgery?? That seems like an over exaggeration

amother

↑ Stone ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 6:20 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

Many men need surgery?? That seems like an over exaggeration

Didn’t say men said boys. And yes it’s not so uncommon to need to correct things. Ask your pediatrician about it. It’s why they check it.

amother

Sienna

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:13 pm

My 9 year old son needed to have his balls pulled down at one visit since it was not in right place. Doctor said if it's not in roght place it's not in right temperature and can cause fertility issues

amother

Brass ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:30 pm

amother Sienna wrote:

I have never heard of this, wow. (the pulling down part, I mean. I have definitely heard of t*esticles being too close to the body causing infertility, as the body heat can injure the sperm. Just didn't know there was a procedure for it)

Also instead of using the word, shouldn't we be spelling it incorrectly, like "b@lls", so that this doesn't get flagged as inappropriate?

amother

Garnet ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:35 pm

amother Sienna wrote:

Why does it matter when he's 9??
Never heard of a Dr checking private parts

amother

Dandelion

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:40 pm

amother Brass wrote:

Wait, is this why people don't spell out certain words? I thought it was just a sensitivity thing

amother

↑ Brass ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:42 pm

amother Dandelion wrote:

Wait, is this why people don't spell out certain words? I thought it was just a sensitivity thing

Oh! I really don't know. I assumed it was because the site has restrictions on certain words, but I am not 100% sure

amother

↑ Junglegreen

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:43 pm

Some words are auto-censored on this site.

private part
backside
aiver

I typed out the real words and it's showing the censored versions.

Sometimes people also do it for filters.

But things don't get flagged as inappropriate on this site for the use of a word, but for breaking the actual site rules. One of the reasons for the auto-censor is that on the public facing forums, people shouldn't get to this site by Googling things like "hasidic woman ****."

↑ momomany ↓

Wed, Oct 09 2024, 7:48 pm

3 of my sons had varicoceles - these are dilated/varicose veins in the scrotum. The extra blood flow in the dilated veins raises the temperature in the scrotum
which can affect teste maturation (thats why these are followed by the pediatrician from adolescence thru young adulthood) and eventual sperm production.
2 of my sons had surgery. 1 of them had mild enough varicoceles that they did not need treatment-we just checked them yearly and he was seen by a urologist. Of the 2 that had surgery, one had uneven teste growth that evened up after the surgery. It was done when he was about 12-13 I think. The other son was about 15, with no teste issue, but the varicoceles were very large so the doctors felt they should be repaired (removed?). The surgeries were done the same day, outpatient. BH they all had children within a year of their weddings.