Gynecologists Can Treat Men for STIs and Anal Cancer, Says Board
Gynecologists can treat men, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology said in a reversal Tuesday. The professional group that certifies obstetricians and gynecologists had stated in September that men should turn to other physicians for specific types of care in an effort to limit non-gynecological work across the field.
Gynecologists have treated men in the past for STIs and screened men for anal cancer, which is caused by HPV. Incidences of anal cancer have increased, especially for men and women diagnosed with HIV. However, the board initially said they wanted to preserve obstetrics and gynecology for women's issues.
Gynecologists are doctors that "possess special knowledge, skills and professional capability in the medical and surgical care of the female reproductive system and associated disorders, such that it distinguishes them from other physicians and enables them to serve as consultants to non-obstetrician-gynecologist physicians and as primary physicians for women," they explained.
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The ABOG also claimed that some physicians in the field were using "moneymaking sidelines, like testosterone therapy for men and liposuction and other cosmetic procedures for both women and men."
This caused various OBGYNs to drop male patients, many of which had been there for years. Some physicians had trouble finding care for their dropped patients as well.
It took an outcry from doctors who specialized in anal cancer and a letter-writing campaign to get the board to reconsider their position and compromise. Now gynecologists will not be restricted from treating men for STIs and screening for anal cancer, but "the care of male patients is prohibited" other than for about 10 exceptions.
"Having canceled all the men out of my clinic, I now have to un-cancel them." Dr. Elizabeth Stier, a gynecologist at Boston Medical Center, told The New York Times. "They'll be very happy."
