When Medics Are Idiots
By Michelle at 18 July, 2008, 12:38 pm
A writer over on the Feministing community blogs went on a trip to the gyno for one of her Gardasil shots and ended up getting a nice lesson in Even People Who Are Supposed to be Experts in Their Fields are Idiots 101 by her nurse.
“The HPV Vaccine prevents four types of HPV.” He lists them, tells me how they cause most cases of cervical cancer and genital warts. “But do you know how many types of HPV there actually are?” I respond with 30-40, having just read the Gardasil brochure in the waiting room. But he disagrees: “Nope. There are actually over 100. So, even though this vaccine prevents four, you have to watch out for ninety-six other ones.” Except, wait, no the brochure is right. According to the American Cancer Society , there are over 100 types, but sixty cause warts on non-genital skin, leaving forty affecting the anal and genital area. Why, then, would he so subtly imply that when engaging in sexual activity I should beware of 96 types of HPV?
Then he basically tells her that condoms are ineffective against preventing STDs… too bad the International Conference on AIDS and the National Institutes of Health, and every major national health organization pretty much refute that. But then there’s this doozie:
After some more discussion (although by this point, while he was talking, I was mostly just staring at him in shock), after he had led me to the natural conclusion that there’s no real way to be safe from STDs, he told me this: “Women shouldn’t have sex like men. You’re in college, you know what some women are doing….If he’s not Mr. Right, then why are you with him anyways?”
Either he’s some right-wing lunatic posing as a medical guy, or he’s trying to be the sassy gay friend, giving advice, but not actually good advice…
Anyways, read the rest of AJohnson’s story at My Gynecology Nurse Lied
Well… I know condoms can’t always protect against herpes or HPV, because the viruses are on the skin and not necessarily in the fluids.
But that sexism has got to go!
Granted, I guess that’s true that condoms can’t 100% protect against anything, and that rings true for surface std’s such as the herps. But, all in all, the nurse is an idiot.