I’ve lived in Greenville South Carolina for 28, almost 29, years and I’ve had a uterus for the entire time I’ve lived here. I’ve needed care for this part of my body for quite some time as well. I went to my first gynecologist well over a decade ago and I struggled for years to find one who was able and willing to provide me with the services I‘ve wanted for right at two decades now. Over the years I’ve been lied to, coerced, and talked down to repeatedly by these medical professionals. The first time I had an issue was actually with my primary care doctor who stated that while they believed I had thought it through and would be an ideal candidate for this procedure due to my age I was unlikely to get this procedure done. I was then referred to my first gynecologist. My first gynecologist was someone I’d known for my entire life as they were a family friend. I had no issues with them in particular but I did have issues with the establishment they worked for. Certain religious healthcare providers have guidelines for what services they will and won’t allow in their practice. This particular group would not provide the services I wanted regardless of my doctor agreeing that I would be a perfect candidate for it. The next gynecologist I went to told me they would consider it only if I met an arbitrary age requirement I was a decade away from and got treatment for an unrelated mental health condition I’d already been treating for two decades at that point. In the one interaction I had with them they proceeded to inform me that it was illegal to perform this procedure on me due to my age and other mitigating factors, which is a lie. They coerced me into allowing them to perform a pap-smear which they made unnecessarily painful and did not properly explain or prepare me for, and they made me cry something that is rather difficult to do. The third doctor, whom I found shortly after this, was very kind and admittedly also made me cry but in a much happier context because this was the first time I had a gynecologist say the words “It’s your body, it’s your choice”. I didn’t go to this doctor long enough to get the procedure due to finally beginning my transition and switching to a reproductive endocrinologist who also happens to run the gender clinic in Greenville. This final doctor is well-versed in trauma-informed care, they are very kind and gentle, they talk me through every step of every procedure they preform. This should be the care everyone receives. It should not be above and beyond my expectations to be talked through what a doctor is doing to my body. With the likelihood that a gynecologist is going to see someone who has experienced trauma either in the form of sexual assault or other less kind medical professionals why are they all not trained in trauma informed care? Why should my medical decisions be in the hands of anyone other than myself and my provider? Why have I and so many others had to fight for the hope to be treated with respect and dignity when looking for medical care that around half of the population requires?
