Stirrups (not the horse kind)

[slemslempike]

When you go for a smear test (or similar), are there stirrups?

I've usually heard Americans talking about stirrups for such incidents, while I'm under the impression that I've only heard British women refer to them for ante-natal use. When I go, I just have to do that frogs' legs thing (which is awkward if the table is against the wall on one side).

I was watching Jo Brand on Live at the Apollo, and she talked about stirrups as if they would of course be used for a smear. Have I just always had lo-tech medical care? I don't feel like I have had a particularly sheltered outlook, at least four medical professionals have investigated my nethers.

Comments

[the-local-echo.livejournal.com]

There is a whole article about this here:

http://nhsblogdoc.blogspot.com/2006/07/pelvic-examinations-are-you-sitting.html

Conclusion:
“Women feel less vulnerable and experience less discomfort when the examination is carried out without stirrups.”

American doctors use stirrups routinely and all doctors (not just Americans!) can be pretty set in their ways. Perhaps it is time for a change.

A woman in the UK may well get through the whole of her gynaecological and obstetric life without seeing a pair of examination stirrups.

For once, we may have got it right.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

That's a really interesting article - thanks for the link!

Now my question has mostly changed to "why does Jo Brand think women in the UK routinely use stirrups?"

[cangetmad.livejournal.com]

Perhaps she doesn't, but agrees with me that "stirrup" is an inherently funny word.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking of Peter in The Thuggery Affair misquoting "How they brought the good news from Ghent to Aix", and Patrick inserting "stirrup" in pained parentheses.