Some respondents used much stronger words to register their distaste. Its use, especially in print, runs the risk of making the whole message unacceptable. That's the only, although frequently repeated, objection to this phrase. No term, however anatomically accurate, is precise to a reader or listener who does not know what it means. Here we are concerned with urination, but if the patient has pain with defecation, her doctor still needs to know about it.
Learners have the last word.
In formative research for the third edition of Beginnings , we asked 10 pregnant women who visited a public health clinic in Idaho what word they would use. None would say the P-word. A second round of interviews starts later this month. Results will be posted here in April. Respondents may not be representative of medical or healthcare professionals.