Medical Exam

glad you didn't take any offense. different social workers have different attitudes. Your best bet is to as directly and make it clear that this is your daughter's choice and does not affect medical care for any kids in your care. good luck.

I just went through the paperwork to become a foster parent myself - my daughter is 18. Everyone in my family had to get a physical. That does not include a pap smear. Those are two totally different animals. At no time during our processing was a pelvic exam EVER mentioned. Good luck !Pebbles

What state do you live in? Our med exam ( in MIchigan) consisted of a TB test, listening to heart, lungs, checking ears, eyes, blood pressure. No big deal.

Well I hope it will be that easy. Our medical form has a box that needs to be checked for pelvic exam and breast exam. I am going to try to get out of those two myself as well. These boxes are also on my dhs form too. So maybe it is not as serious as it looks. The plan is to get our physicals and tell the doctor not to do those exams right now. We will have them done by our ob later if need be. Then we hope the sw will just not require it. Another problem is that our family small town doctor that we have had for years is not in practice anymore. He has been arrested for molesting 2 of his dds. Gee I am glad he won't be doing our pelvics. So having a new doctor will not be as easy. I think the doc will be able to declare us healthy without it. I am gonna try and make sure she does. I think the less I make an issue of it the better off we will be. So what do ya all think?

Hey! We are from MI too! We are going through Bethany. It is a private though so maybe that is the difference?

I adopted my son with one of their homestudies and they supervised placement...they did have the most comperehensive physical way more detailed that any other of the 4 adoption agencies I have used....they did not state pelvic and breast exam on my form back in 2000, but did require HIV testing, full blood count, and a drug screen....

Wowo, I live in california, and we only had to have a exam. Same as the one in MI. I'm sure if you asked the sw if this is really required, she would probobley omit it if it even has to be done. I'm very courios now, so please let us know, I know a few fp's some county like me, some through agency, none have had to have anything more then rutine exam, blood work, tb,and such. Keep us posted

Diane Beth,I can totally relate. When I started out, my agency required a FULL, comprehensive phsyical - which apparently is another word for sticking dr's hands in EVERY CRACK and CREVICE in someone's body......and I mean EVERY.....front and BACK - now I know what guys feel like! OUCH!!!!!!!Let alone totally humiliating - and the whole time I'm telling the doctor......are you sure I really need to do this just to adopt kids????????? I think it was WAAAAYYYYY above and beyond what is necessary to have a dr. proclaim you with a clean bill of health........and not something I wanted to experience in my 20s, frankly, or ever!!!!! (I could not sit down for HOURS :eek: :eek: :eek: ) Stick to your guns. Don't let them do a pelvic on your daughter. That's totally unreasonable. As a virgin myself, I was QUITE in shock when I had my first one, it was NOT what I expected and somewhat painful. I'm glad you're not letting them bowl you over with these ridiculous rules!!!! Sandy

Well!! I never!! (My grandma used to say that):) Wow I can't believe they put you through all that!! My dh just got back from a short trip to NC, and he said "no way!" Not even for me! So it looks like either they wave the pelvics or we find another agency. Yikes! I will keep you all posted. Thanks so much~diane

Well I just got off the phone with sw. She gave us a routine call about the paper work, asking if we recieved it and is everything ok? Well I just had to come out with it. I told her everything was ok except for one thing. She said that wasn't a problem at all as long as the Dr will sign it without the pelvic. So I guess everything is ok now, I feel like I just made a huge mountain out of a mole hill:) Well this has been quite educational to say the least and I feel alot better. Thanx a bunch ~diane

My husband and I both needed physicals for approval for foster care. He went in and had to disrobe and have his cracks and crevices examined. I went in a couple days later and told the doctor that I just needed this form filled out, and didn't need a complete physical. He checked eyes, ears, breathing, blood pressure, asked a few questions and then filled out the form and signed it. DH was kind of peeved that he had to go through it all. My advice is just find a doctor who will sign the forms and act knowledgeable. All the agency wants is the form.

Okay - I may get flamed for this, but I think there are two separate issues going on here? One - it should not be a requirement for a woman to have a pelvic exam in order to be considered "healthy" enough to parent a child. As one poster already said, STD's can be found through simple blood tests. Its' not as if the state isn't invasive enough in the information that they request (credit history, financial status, in-person interviews and references out the wazoo!) without forcing families to go through inordinate measures to be declared "healthy". (Where is the statute that says birth families have to be "healthy" in order to conceive these children?) In having my physical done, I went through the standard height, weight, listen to chest, check eyes, ears, nose, etc., filled out a questionaire with other "health issues" to discuss and consented to two vials of blood being drawn for such testing as HIV, STD's, high cholesterol, etc. If you have a family physician that you see on a regular basis, they traditionally will give you the "short" version of a physical and sign off on the form, trusting that you will bring up any health issues you think important. Although, I do think its a good idea for everyone (hubby's included) to have a complete physical such as this every two years - particularly if they avoid doctors in-between... That being said - I am wondering why such a big issue about having a pelvic for the first time? I grew up in an extremely fundamental (religious) home with quite devout parents, and my mother still had me in the OB's office at 16 for a full pelvic and "the talk". So I completely understand the shock and discomfort to young women that comes from these exams... but on the other hand, this is a really important issue for women's health, too! From a medical standpoint, your daughter is not going to "loose her virginity" to a PAP smear, nor should she be examined by a solitary male (if the examing Dr. is male, then by law there must be a female nurse present in the room at all times the doctor is). There are just so many health issues tied up with a woman's reproductive health... if having a PAP smear seems painful now, what would happen if your daughter got married only to find out that she has the beginnings of endometreosis and intercourse for her is too painful to even bear? How will she feel in ten years when she tries to conceive, only to learn that cannot due to some undiscovered condition? In my own experience, I have a girlfriend (her father was our pastor) who in high school who suffered from undiagnosed and untreated ovarian cysts - well, guess what - she is now in her 30's and is a survivor of ovarian cancer and unable to bear her own children due to total hysterectomy...which might have been prevented if her history of ovarian cysts had been discovered earlier. Now, I know this is the extreme scenario, but at least consider scheduling your daughter her first appointment with a qualified OB (that you are comfortable with) before she is out of high school... Just my two cents worth...

Well I was hoping this would not turn into a pap smear debate. I don't usually like to debate over things. It usually ends up in arguments and the end of good friendships. Sometimes I think we as a society don't question anything. We just go along and do what everyone else does and expects us to do. Have you ever thought of really looking into what a papsmear test really is? What type of cancer is so prevelent, and what causes that type of cervical cancer that they look for? When we can understand these things a little clearer then we can make decisions as to wether we want to take the infection risk of such tests and also the expense of paying the doctor and the lab every year. Not to mention having to spread your legs in front of a doctor and letting him/her put things inside of such an intimate area of your body that belongs to you and your husband. My husband and I have made this choice. I haven't had a pap smear in about 8 years and I do not plan on having one for the rest of my life. I will not expose myself in this way unless it is a life or death situation. Some of you may think that it is life or death and for a good number of us it is. This is my opinion so please study for yourself before you change your mind about it. I left out alot of the details so maybe you will. ~diane

I am glad this subject came up because I was a bit disturbed by the physical paperwork that we had to have completed. This is the state of GA, it plainly stated (among all of the other required testing, bloodwork, physical, tb test, drug test) If female: Pap smear. I didnt understand why the female foster parents were being singled out for pap smear but my husband didnt even have to take his pants off. Kathy

Doesn't seem right to me either. Prostrate cancer is very high in men so why don't they have to have complete physicals for everthing just as we do. Women can't go on hardly any medication without having this exam every year. I am very glad that we don't have to have them to be fp in Mi. But I will say that I am not sure this is over yet. Not until the Dr signs the form.~diane