Women: Do you prefer a male or female primary care doctor?

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

I'm in the market for a new primary.

I'm thinking a female may take me and any of my concerns more serious?
But I feel like a male would take action faster when they think something is wrong?

I've had both and have had mixed experiences so idk.

Of course the female I was looking into is not taking patients.

Now I'm between this other female and a male.
The male would be the same one my dad just started going to and him and my mom say he seems pretty good.

Edit to add:
Follow up question... Would you go with an MD or a DO.
I've only ever seen MD's but I'm not opposed to seeing a DO if they don't just tell me that a neck adjustment and an anti-inflammatory diet will fix all my problems when they may arise.

 

[firefly_ris]

A lot of people have a preference but I don't personally care. I just want to have a good rapport. My gyn is male and never had a problem either.

 

[Marrila]

I only see female providers. My choice, and I am much happier with my care.

(And yes, obviously I understand in an emergency you get who you get.)

 

[georgina]

I'm in the market for a new primary.

I'm thinking a female may take me and any of my concerns more serious?
But I feel like a male would take action faster when they think something is wrong?

I've had both and have had mixed experiences so idk.

Of course the female I was looking into is not taking patients.

Now I'm between this other female and a male.
The male would be the same one my dad just started going to and him and my mom say he seems pretty good.

You really can't stereotype by gender. You have to look at the individual, which is usually hard to do ahead of time, until you get a chance to try them out. I have had good and bad primary care drs of each gender. The worst one was a woman who ignored my symptoms until they landed me in the hospital. My current male dr is quite proactive.

 

[easyas123]

You really can't stereotype by gender.

I agree. I'm a female, age 52. I much prefer to choose my Dr. based on rapport, location, education/certification(s), recommendations and bedside manner (in no particular order).

 

[LuvOrlando]

One of my favorite specialist Dr's is female and my GP- DO is male and I'd follow both anywhere - still I have been through a ton of Dr's and the Law of averages for my achy self dictates DO and male. This is mostly because a dismissive male Dr usually means a mansplaining bully which makes them far easier to spot than a passive dismissive female who can take a really long time to uncover.

When I pick a Dr it is easiest to go with multiple second opinions which I think all insurance allows, you just have to define it as a second opinion then pick who you like.

 

[kaleopp09]

I’ve had both male and female primary care doctors, and honestly, it just depends on the person. My female doctor was super attentive and always made sure to listen to my concerns, while the male doctor I saw was really good at jumping into action when something was wrong. As for MD vs DO, I’ve been to both too, and it’s really about finding someone who clicks with you. I’ve seen a DO who was focused on holistic treatments, but he still treated things seriously when needed, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that unless you’re specifically looking for someone who’ll focus on that.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

OP here.. Just wanted to chime in and say that I have several specialist doctors who are male and I do like them.
My gyn is female because I feel more comfortable with that.
I had a male dermatologist who did not seem to understand female anatomy when dealing with acne... and that's really where I got the problem with males. If I have a "womanly" question or concern I want someone that actually gets it.
But I have found females to do the whole gaslighting and its anxiety dismissive whining woman thing which makes me unsure about a female.
And I'm not someone that's going to go around trying multiple doctors because that kind of thing "follows" you and they think you're nuts or difficult.

 

[barkley]

makes no difference to me-it's the individual doctor. these days it seems like you get to spend so little (if any) time with your primary care provider b/c they have physician assistants (which I love-so reminiscent of old school doctors who had more time to spend/interact with patients) so I would be more inclined to dig a little deeper into a potential medical practice to see the makeup of the supportive staff if I preferred a particular gender practioner.

 

[piglet1979]

I have had both male and female doctors and it really depends. There are good and bad with each. My DD has had several doctors but prefers female where my DS prefers males. DD has tons of medical issues that have been dismissed by several male, female, MD and DO's and nurse practitioners. She is 17 and has a great group of doctors (all female and a mix of MD and DO's) and we finally have a diagnosis. She has low antibodies that caused her to be sick a lot and our first pediatrician just treated her like any other case of a sick kid. We finally left when she was a freshman in high school and her new one is the one that has really helped to figure everything out.

I am more partial to DO's as I feel like they look more at the whole picture not just the symptom. They also seem more caring and listen more.

 

[kymom99]

I prefer male. My gynecologist was a male until he retired. Now I see a nurse midwife who is great. She’s a female. My primary care and gastro doctors are male.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have a female MD, and I do like that she can really say "I've been there" for certain questions, but I wouldn't count out a male doc that you've heard good things about (especially as he sees a family member and could maybe spot patterns someone else wouldn't realize) if you can get into the practice quicker.

I had to look up "DO" and that would not turn me off at all. It actually sounds like an approach I'd like!

 

[NannyBeBe]

I really have no preference. At my age, my main concern is to have a doctor who doesn't treat me any differently because of my age.

 

[Minnesota!]

Only female. I've been assaulted by 2 male MDs, so never again...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I have no preference. It all comes down to bedside manner. I've had doctors of both genders that I've liked and disliked. It all really boils down to who will really listen to me, work with me and take proper actions when needed. It doesn't even matter their specialty. I have a female OBGYN but periodically work with a male urologist. They both have to get a bit up close and personal with more private areas, but they are really good at what they do.

 

[Pooh2]

I am also in a search for new PCP as my previous one no longer is in-network.
My preference would be a female DO.
I was put on several waitlists.
One called back today who said they will accept me as a patient but they put me in with an female PA instead of the doc.
It's been a struggle to find anyone accepting new patients.

 

[nene0182]

I used to be strictly female and my primary is female. However, in the past year I’ve had a male oncologist, general surgeon and plastic surgeon and all 3 of them were fabulous. While my primary doctor is OK, I don’t really click with her so I’m looking at switching to the same doctor as my husband who is male.

 

[longboard55]

I have had both, the one thing I will say is the older doctors seem a lot better than the younger ones. The problem is you get to like one and they retire

 

[disneychrista]

I currently see a female nurse practitioner for my primary care but don't have a preference for this. But I do have a preference to see a female woman's health doctor.

 

[focusondisney]

We moved to a new physician 3 years ago but I’ve only seen the 3 PAs. The physician is male, the 1st 2 PAs were female. Both of them have left the office. My annual check up last week was with the male PA my husband sees. The female PAs were very sweet, caring, compassionate. Last year, I mentioned some vague symptoms I was having & was reassured this was just normal aging. My husband had told me the male PA didn’t seem to have much of a personality, that he is pretty cut & dry, so I was a bit nervous to meet him. But he has an excellent resume & has been with the physician for years. When I met him he was very business like, no real bedside manner. The symptoms I was having have gotten worse, especially the last several months, so I mentioned it to him. I almost didn’t, thinking it was just me getting older & needing to lose a few pounds. I was surprised when he said it could be a sign of a serious issue, we need to rule that out first. He ordered a diagnostic test which does point to the issue he said. I’m having a more definitive test next week.

So right now, I found the male provider took my symptoms more seriously & the female just comforted me that it was just part of aging & didn’t investigate for a cause. The other PAs were certainly competent & were on top of more common medical problems I have. I just think they were trying to be kind & reassuring. I hope either 1 would have reacted differently this year when I said the symptoms were worse. I really do think it depends on the individual provider & not their gender.