Underwear Mandatory at Pediatricians

Growing up, did anyone else have to automatically strip down to their undies when visiting the pediatrician? I remember as a kid, no matter what my mom had taken me there for (strep throat, ear infection, stomach flu, etc) always being told by the nurse to take off everything but my underwear when she led me into the exam room. I was always shivering in my tighty whities on the exam table with my mom reading her magazine nearby and feeling horrible if I were sick. Was this standard protocol at anyone else's doctor?

The only time I can remember not undressing in all my first sixteen years was when I had to get my allergy prescription changed one time.

I compare that to now as an adult and unless I'm there for a physical, I never have to remove any clothes to be seen. I went to two pediatricians over the course of my childhood and both had the exact same rules. I've always wondered about the disparate treatment between kids and grownups when it comes to seeing the doctor.

Until upper-elementary school, I had to strip to my panties. That was actually good--when I was preschool age, I didn't even get to keep those on. By the time I was around 9 or so I got a gown of some sort. And I kept my panties on under it. I was really pleased when we changed from the pediatrician (who was supposed to be really good, but who gave me the creeps) to a GP our neighbors recommended. From about 13 on I got to keep clothes on unless a full physical.

My daughter was born in 1995. By the time she was a toddler, she got to keep all her clothes on at the pediatrician. I don't know when that changed or what others did at the time, but I thought that was a good way to do it.

Every time went to asthma clinic I had to but my own doc no only took off what had to be for exam

When I was young - under 13 - and living in the US (50's-60's), we often traveled back to my mother's country. Back then, various vaccinations were required for travel, especially a smallpox vaccination which I quite dreaded, with all the multiple needle pricks.

But related to this post, when I got these injections and inoculations, it was indeed done at the pediatrician's office, but I never had to undress to any degree except either roll up my sleeve for simple injections in the arm, or else remove shirt and undershirt for the smallpox vaccination so the doctor could access my upper arm/lower shoulder area.

Meaning that, no, I was not invariably told to strip down no matter what the procedure or what I was taken in for.

As best as I can remember back that far, appointments with my pediatrician at the medical office meant stripping to white briefs, and usually with my brother sharing the appointment. He made house calls, lived nearby, so when sick at home, I would be in pajamas. With adults, as noted by a post elsewhere, when that person shows up for a diabetes appointment, it's timed and locked as a talk, numbers check, nothing more. In fact here, physicals are only allowed once a year, so undressing would probably be forbidden as well under billing. Foot hurt? Show me just your foot.

I might add that kids, growing up, are having all sorts of things happening to their bodies. By always having a boy or girl undressed, an appointment for X could pick up on unnoticed Y. With adults, the assumption seems to be otherwise.

That was standard procedure when I was little. And sometimes the wait was really long and I about froze to death.

You got to wear underwear at the pediatrician's office for a physical? What a novel idea.

No such nuisance clothing was allowed at my pediatrician's office in the 1960's.

It was standard when I was a kid that any doctor visit for illness or a physical involved having to strip to underpants only. Not sure why that was required when ill except that rectal temps were also standard when I was a kid and maybe it made it easier to do that if we were already stripped down. That changed when I was a teen to taking off my shirt only when ill so doctor could listen to my chest and only oral temps after age 11 or 12. Docs probably thought it was easier to have a kid undressed for anything as it took a minute to undress and no modesty in those days. If I was sick enough to be taken to the doctor, I had a fever and felt really bad so being undressed was not a big deal. Like others here, I remember being cold sitting on an the exam table waiting in my underpants but those were the rules.

As a young boy sometimes the doctor would usually ask me to strip to my briefs if I was there for a general check up. If I was there for illness or shots usually I just had to strip to the waist leaving on my trousers.

As a teenager at school I had to strip to my underwear every year for exams with the school doctor. For other visits to see him I usually remainded dressed until he told me to take off certain items of clothing. Usually my shirt would come off so he could check my BP and then my chest with his stethoscope even if I was there for something unrelated.

Everytime, it don't matter the reason my pediatrian always had me strip down to only underware. Once in the exam room, the nurse would wait and talk to my mom and sister as I undressed. Depending on the nurse, she said "now strip to your skivvies" the younger nurse always "everything off except for your underpants" . After I stripped, the nurse checked my height, weight and vitals. Beginning when I was 15, I got to undress and physical in private.

That was SOP when I was a kid. It wasn't that underwear was 'mandatory,' it was that underwear was standard.

As best as I can remember physical exams as a pre-teen were in just panties and paper like gowns as I got older.

I had to strip to just underpants and socks and until about age 8 underpants came down for rectal temp.

As far as I remember, I always had to strip down to my underwear at the beginning of the exam but they always had to be removed later on. So I nearly always have been naked at the pediatrician.

In the late 70's and early 80's the nurse would bring me into the exam room prior to the doctor arriving. I was told to remove my clothes just leaving my undies. The nurse would weigh me and take my height and then I would hop onto the exam table and she would take my blood pressure and temperature. Back then they took your temp. via the anus (anal thermometer).

Then after the nurse was finished, I would have to wait for the doctor to enter the room and once he arrived, the exam started.

When I reached puberty and entered my teenage years, my Mother would take my clothes and fold them and hold onto them as the Doctor examined me. If there was a chair nearby, she would just place my clothes on the chair as she watched my exam and answered the doctors questions.

Almost always in my tighty whities. Ugh, how I hated that.

Like others I was always undressed to my briefs for exams at the pediatrician. My sister told me she was also stripped down to her panties.

Pedi exam was always done with me being bare. Once I became a teen I got a gown

Yes, I think this was a standard protocol because I had same thing done--undress to underpants only, place clothes on chair in room, sit on high exam table which was well out of reach of clothes and so high my feet couldn't touch the floor. During exam with doctor when underwear came off completely towards end it also went on chair well out of reach. As a kid I was SO concerned about this because the doctor would often leave the exam room for something or a nurse would open and stand in the door way to ask the doctor something with me laying naked there high on that table completely out of reach of any clothes. People in the open area outside the door could see in.

First male doctor I had had me undress down to underwear but was always given a gown so never naked. But this was only for when I went in for annual sports physicals. When I went in for a cold, etc, I was not asked to undress.

Second doctor I had, female, had me always undress completely (including underwear) for the sports physical I had every year.

On couple of visits, the nurse will tell me to "take off everything and sit on the table." before the doctor would come in, but I decided to keep my underwear on. But as soon as the doctor came in, she told me to take off my briefs so we can get started with the exam.

It didnt matter if I was there for physical, injury, or cold, I always ended up completely undressed.

I think that was just standard procedure. Even now our own son usually has to strip down to his underwear when seeing his Ped, sometimes bare

Being stripped down to underpants only at the doctor's office always happened when I was a kid, even when sick. I remember one time really well when I was around 12 and had a high fever. Mom had taken me to the doctor. Told to strip to my underpants and I felt so bad that I could barely get undressed without her help. Was told to sit on the exam table to wait for the doc but ended up laying down to wait.

Got a rectal temp because my fever was so high that the nurse wanted to get it right. Doc came in and checked me out. Didn't have a full exam. Doc ordered a penicillin shot so I got that in the butt from the nurse while bent over the table with my underpants down. Penicillin really stings and then put a knot in my butt where the shot went in. Hard to sit down in the car going home so I laid down in the back seat. When we got home, I undressed to my briefs and went to bed and slept on my stomach for a few hours.

Felt much better the next day but I walked with a limp for a couple of days after that due to the soreness from the shot in my butt. Still, it was worth it not to have the high fever and feeling bad. Even though I was 12 and becoming more self conscious, I felt so bad in the doctor's office that even the rectal temp and butt injection didn't embarrass me that much.

The doctor I went to would have me in my underwear for physicals.

Yup, as a kid every doctor visit meant stripping to my whitey tighties and sit cold and shivering on the exam table. Up through age 7, underpants came down for a rectal temp. I learned what happened next was critical. If the nurse said I could pull up my underpants, it meant I wasn't scheduled for a shot (but the doctor might feel differently). If the nurse pulled my underpants all the way off, I knew I shot was coming. I hated those times where I was now sitting naked on the exam table and watching as the nurse prepared the injection. A wheeled tray with the syringe would then be moved over beside the exam table while we waited for the doctor. I hated staring at the syringe knowing it would soon be plunged into my butt. Sometimes there were two!

Never thought about it, but it was standard protocol. Instructed to undress to shorts upon entering the exam room, and then the nurse would come in and lower them for a rectal temp during my younger years. One time, I think it was my 10th Birthday physical, mom and I had a spat and she pulled my shorts down for a spanking before the nurse came in. I was so embarrassed to show my red bottom!

This was also case for me when I was younger.

Well, as at least one other has mentioned, I was instructed to remove all my clothing. I can still remember one particular occasion. I guess I had just gotten old enough to really think about what was taking place. My mom was in the room, a very attractive nurse was in the room, I removed all my clothing and next thing I was up on the table laying on my front side on that smooth strange feeling paper. Before I knew it, I saw the nurse lubing up the thermometer and soon it was inserted in my bottom. Wow, what an experience. I have to be honest, I do have fantasies about it. I would love to experience it again. As I got older I always had thoughts about what it would have been like if I had received an enema. Seeing the nurse preparing it, knowing my mom was in the room, feeling the nozzle enter me, feeling my tummy getting full and crampy. Wow.

OH YES!

When I was in the early grades, my younger sister and I went together. I would be in my briefs and she would be in her panties with her little tee shirt on with the pink bow on the front.

She and I are 3.5 years apart. And when the doctor would finish, we always dreaded hearing ok Mom, don't get em dressed yet,... because we KNEW what was coming next,...

At the pediatrician -when it is the time of the physical examination- he always started asking me to undress completely. No underpants, no socks were allowed. Not sure why that was required also during weight, height and back examinations. The second part of the examination always took place with me laying on the table for the auscultation, examination of limbs, stomach then penis and testicles. I think he make me remove underpants at the beginning because when on the table and on the paper it would be much difficult.

I did not have to get completely undressed when I went to my doctor unless I was going for a physical.

I do remember going to him when I had a really bad respiratory infection when I was 11 years old. He did have me take my shirt off so he could examine my lungs. That was a shock.