If a Man Needs a Gynecologist, Will He Be Able to Find One?
Authors: Jeremy R. Simon, Elizabeth A. Stier
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Ideas and Opinions15 April 2014If a Man Needs a Gynecologist, Will He Be Able to Find One?Jeremy R. Simon, MD, PhD and Elizabeth A. Stier, MDJeremy R. Simon, MD, PhDFrom Columbia University, New York, New York, and Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author and Elizabeth A. Stier, MDFrom Columbia University, New York, New York, and Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M13-2990 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In September 2013, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) revised its definition of “obstetrician-gynecologist.” With few exceptions, gynecologists risked losing their board certification if they treated men. Anoscopy (on men) and vasectomy were explicitly prohibited (1). Pressure from the public and media (1), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and private letter-writing campaigns (2) resulted in the ABOG's reversing its stance step by step until it fully reversed itself in January 2014 (2–4).Although it may seem that restricting specialists in women's medicine to treating only women should create neither hardship nor protest, it is in fact a problem. ...References1. Grady D. Gynecologists run afoul of panel when patient is male. New York Times. 23 November 2013:A18. Google Scholar2. Grady D. Gynecologists may treat men, board says in switch. New York Times. 27 November 2013:A14. Google Scholar3. Grady D. Gynecology's gender question. New York Times. 24 December 2013:D1. Google Scholar4. Grady D. Responding to critics, gynecology board reverses ban on treating male patients. New York Times. 31 January 2014:A20. Google Scholar5. Shiels MS, Pfeiffer RM, Chaturvedi AK, Kreimer AR, Engels EA. Impact of the HIV epidemic on the incidence rates of anal cancer in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012;104:1591-8. [PMID: 23042932] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Eisenberg ML, Henderson JT, Amory JK, Smith JF, Walsh TJ. Racial differences in vasectomy utilization in the United States: data from the national survey of family growth. Urology. 2009;74:1020-4. [PMID: 19773036] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. ARHP letter to the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Association of Reproductive Health Professionals; 2013. Accessed at www.arhp.org/policy-and-advocacy/arhp-letters/arhp-letter-to-the-american-board-of-obstetricians-and-gynecologists on 18 December 2013. Google Scholar8. Grady D. Men with pelvic pain find a path to treatment blocked by a gynecology board. New York Times. 11 December 2013:A17. Google Scholar9. American Medical Association. Code of Medical Ethics: Current Opinions with Annotations 2012-2013. Chicago: American Med Assoc; 2012. Google Scholar10. Hill v. Medlantic Health Care Group, 933 A.2d 314 (D.C. 2007). Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Jeremy R. Simon, MD, PhD; Elizabeth A. Stier, MDAffiliations: From Columbia University, New York, New York, and Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Disclosures: None. Forms can be viewed atwww.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M13-2990.Corresponding Author: Elizabeth A. Stier, MD, Boston University Medical Center, 85 East Concord Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02118; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Simon: 622 West 168th Street, VC 2-230, New York, NY 10032.Dr. Stier: Boston University Medical Center, 85 East Concord Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02118.Author Contributions: Conception and design: J.R. Simon, E.A. Stier.Drafting of the article: J.R. Simon, E.A. Stier.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: J.R. Simon, E.A. Stier.Final approval of the article: J.R. Simon, E.A. Stier.Collection and assembly of data: J.R. Simon.This article was published online first at www.annals.org on 25 February 2014. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byAddressing Barriers to Clinical Trial Participation for Transgender People With Cancer to Improve Access and Generate DataRethinking sex-assigned-at-birth questionsOffering the full range of contraceptive options: a survey of interest in vasectomy training in the US family planning community 15 April 2014Volume 160, Issue 8Page: 570-571KeywordsAnal cancerHormonesMale male sexual contactObstetrics and gynecologyPatientsResearch fundingRural areasSexual identityTestosteroneVasectomy ePublished: 15 April 2014 Issue Published: 15 April 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...