More invasive for boys?

[vivihershun]

I'm going to preface this by saying that I am not a nurse (just a mom), but I figured that this website was the best place to ask this:

The pediatrician I take my son and daughter to does check-ups differently for the two of them.

For my daughter (14), she has her take off everything but her bra and panties and then put a gown on, then she doesn't look at her breasts/genitals at all. Up until 3ish years ago (when she got her period), the doctor had her pull her waistband out so she could check how much hair there was, but once she got her period, that stopped and now there's no check at all.

For my son (12), she has him take off everything but his underwear, then doesn't give him a gown. At the end of the examine she has him pull his underwear all the way down and she checks if he's started growing hair yet, feels each testicle, and attempts to retract his foreskin.

Is this common?

Why is the exam more invasive for boys?

[springchick1, ADN, RN]

Have you asked the doctor this question? She is the one who can answer it.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hello,

This really is something that you need to ask the Pediatrician, like the previous poster said. This is in the realm of providing medical advice and per our Terms of Service, we cannot help you.

We will go ahead and close this thread.