Sexual Health and Wellness… from a feminist perspective

At Spectrum you can be sure your provider always stands in support of your autonomy and respects your choices and control of your reproductive anatomy- and all of your anatomy. Feminist health care serves patients of all genders and sexual identities and  core beliefs center symmetry in provider-patient relationships, access to information, shared decision-making, and social change.

We know that women’s healthcare outcomes improve when they get treatment from clinicians that trust them. Patients even have better surgical outcomes when they get surgeries from women surgeons. “Evidence has suggested that female surgeons are more likely to use patient-centered decision-making, more willing to collaborate, and more carefully select patients for surgery.” It’s not much of a leap, to expect that these data trends apply in the clinic environment as well. 

Feminist Healthcare Providers

As a nurse practitioner trained in the United States healthcare system, I was trained in an inherently paternalistic approach. I’m responsible for continuing to examine my bias and unlearn. Discussions and treatment involving gender and sexuality require a provider’s awareness of race, power, privilege and identity, and acknowledging how the medical system has historically perpetuated systemic racism and sexism.

I enjoy gynecology care, women’s health, sexual medicine and menopause care because I enjoy validating patients and empowering patients with up to date knowledge. It’s my responsibility to educate on options and your responsibility to weigh them, and make the best choice for you. 

If you leave wellness visits, gynecology visits, pelvic exams or other sexual health visits feeling emotional, unheard, stressed and exhausted maybe you just need a different provider. As a provider that also specializes in serving the LGBTQI communities, when we talk about options, we’re relating them to your experience and specific risks. Many of my trans male patients with vulvas prefer options for pelvic exams that involve self examination, self swabs or just longer conversations about risks and guidelines and how they relate to them. Many patients have experienced what I call “surprise pap smears” where a patient will be expected to undergo a pelvic exam or pap smear to establish care or receive treatment or as part of wellness visits. In this model, consent should never be coerced, conditional, or assumed, and consent can be fluid if a patient changes his or her mind, or has stipulations like only allowing external examination. I have patients that take several visits to feel comfortable with intimate exams, or who never opt in for an intimate exam. 

Practicing as a feminist provider also means we’re discussing how other guidelines relate to you, since all of the wellness guidelines we have aren’t necessarily created with evidence and guidelines from women’s data.  

I feel accomplished when patients feel empowered at the end of a visit, comfortable asking questions, and heard!