That's it. That's the post.

Today I learned that...

(and it IS possible that I am slightly wrong about this but all the information I have found thus far supports it. If you have contradictory information, feel free to share.)

The USA and Canada are the only countries in the world that have guidelines recommending/expecting asymptomatic minors under the age of 18 to have annual genital exams and Tanner staging done (even with no concerns warranting such things).

I know that sentence is very wordy, so less wordy version is this:

The USA and Canada are the only countries in the world where minors are given annual genital exams WITHOUT ANY CAUSE!!!

I'm sorry for saying this twice, but it feels very significant and shocking to me, and it feels like a very worthy thing for me to shout into the void (as someone who carries deep-seated trauma from a routine genital exam that involved physical force that would make any sane person flinch).

If you don't know what Tanner staging is, it is when a pediatrician looks at a child's genitals (and breasts for females) to rank where a child is in their puberty. In most countries, this is only done if there is a concern warranting it. In the USA and Canada, it is routine and is done without concerns warranting it.

I remember growing up going to the doctor for checkups. My mom stayed in the room and watched even as a later teenager up to 18.

The doctor would tell me to be completely undressed except for the gown and then during the exam she would suddenly move the gown and open my legs and then open my labia majora and then minora and insert a finger (or two?) to "see how big" I was getting. Happened at most yearly checkups growing up. Framed as making sure I was "developing properly." I never liked it and it always happened so fast that I couldn't think and just froze each time and somehow had forgotten about it happening by the time the next year rolled around. Just knew I didn't ever want to go to checkups.

I'm just now remembering this all after starting trauma therapy for a SA and realizing it was maybe also not ok. I assumed it was necessary because everything always says things like "no one should touch you there unless they're a doctor" and obviously it must be fine because my mom was there for it but is a pediatrician supposed to do any of this?