::considers how House would be as a gynecologist::

:: shudders ::

I should say that looking at more sources, the "regret" numbers do vary - understandably, with something so difficult to measure and that may mean different things to different people. And I don't think a doctor should necessarily be all "whoot! tubal ligation!!!eleventy!" But this doctor seems particularly reluctant to give his patient the credit of understanding her own situation and being able to make a decision.

And you know, lots of things carry the potential for regret. That doesn't make them bad decisions. It certainly doesn't make them anyone else's decision.

I am aware of the consequences.

I think that some patients are not aware of the consequences when they ask for procedures, or drugs they see advertised on TV, etc. We're a well informed group here, with access to resources and information. Doctors, I'm sure, see plenty of patients who haven't tried to get their hands on unbiased information, don't ask questions, or, frankly, are just not particularly intelligent.

Which isn't to say I didn't have the Hulk Smash reaction -- but I was thinking, "if I was this doc's patient...".

It certainly doesn't make them anyone else's decision.

Very true. I agree 100%. Probably more %. In the end though, he did the tubal ligation. He did what she wanted.

But c'mon - how many of us always made smart decisions in our early twenties? It's about women's reproduction, which touches a lot fo buttons, I know. I truly believe it was more her age than her gender that made him want to make sure she got it.

I'd be equally puzzled if a doctor asked if I was really sure that I wanted to have a kid, given the risks and the financial burden I'd be taking on if I went forward with birth, FWIW.

I think anytime someone is considering elective surgeries they need to know all the ramifications - and I don't think the doctor should do the elctive surgery if they have doubts about the suitability for the paitent. But the doctor's arguements were based on " women before 30/women after 30", not on the individual . Not on the fact that she had three children and felt that she could not reasonable care/raise/afford a 4th. it sounds like the final decsion was based on the individual, but the doctor wanted to be led by statistics. That's where it felt like bad care.

If House were a GYN everyone could always get birth control, so idiots don't breed.

I'd be pissed at the doctor if he knew a significant number of patients regretted the surgery after the fact, and didn't talk to me about it.

I'd be pissed at the doctor if he refused me the surgery.

I don't think that doctor did anything worth getting pissed off about. I think a surgeon needs to get into the pros and cons of any procedure (whether or not it involves the reproductive system), but particularly elective procedures.

That NYT article prompted me to write a short, ascerbic letter to the editor. (I realize, of course, that the odds that it will even be *read,* let alone printed, are infinitessimal, but it made me feel marginally better.)

Yeah, I think I'm going to go with "obnoxious paternalistic bastard", myself.

That about sums it up.

Personally, my experience is that men are always assumed to know what they want.

t loves erika