A pregnant woman went viral online after revealing that a nurse at her OB/GYN office called her piercing "trashy" and told her to consider removing it because she is going to be a mom.
The anonymous woman, known only as u/HumanPortal, posted about the nurse on Reddit's popular "Am I The A**hole" forum where it received more than 12,300 upvotes and 1,750 comments from users flaming the nurse for being "unprofessional."
In the post titled "AITA for having a 'trashy' piercing while pregnant?" u/HumanPortal explained that she is pregnant with her first baby and that her usual OB/GYN was on vacation but that she had a question about her clitoral hood piercing (CHP).
Many OB/GYNs will recommend that pregnant patients avoid receiving genital, naval and nipple piercings when pregnant or trying to conceive. This is because, during pregnancy, the pelvic area swells and the abdomen stretches which can affect the piercing.
Medical professionals also advise against receiving piercings when pregnant because the bodily changes during pregnancy and labor can cause the piercing to get infected and even lead to tearing in the area.
When u/HumanPortal got to the clinic, a nurse she does not recall ever meeting performed the check-up. Afterward, the woman asked if she could speak to the on-call doctor but the nurse said probably not because they were running behind.
The nurse then asked what the problem was and said she would see if u/HumanPortal truly needed to speak with the doctor or if she could answer her question.
The woman asked the nurse what she should do about her CHP which she said she has had for over six years. She said the nurse looked at her "blankly" so she elaborated.
"She then kind of rolled her eyes and told me that she wasn't getting the on call doc to ask about that and I would need to figure out what to do with my body jewelry on my own," the woman wrote.
u/HumanPortal said she told the nurse she really wanted to get the doctor's opinion.
The nurse went on the computer and typed a little before saying she needed to take out the piercing because "that's what the clinic protocol said."
"I asked her if I could put a retainer in to keep it safe to replace it after birth and she told me I should take the opportunity to 'let go of trashy piercings and leave it since I was becoming a mom,'" the post read. "I was SHOCKED."
After telling her friends about the incident, she said most of them were also shocked. However, she said one of her friends who is studying to become a nurse said she was "rude" for making the nurse "uncomfortable."
The friend also said it would be "wrong" to report the nurse because "it's not her job to have to listen to unsolicited information about 'kinky stuff.'"
She also told u/HumanPortal she violated the nurse's consent in the conversation which is "something that happens too often to medical workers."
"With that context I started wondering if I was the asshole, should I have called my piercer instead," the post read. "Was I out of line asking her such a personal question and pressing for an answer when she clearly didn't approve?"
But quickly, hundreds of users flocked to the comments section, with many criticizing the nurse's reaction and reassuring u/HumanPortal that her question was completely valid.
"The nurse works at an OBGYN and can't handle a vagina question???" one user asked. "She seems judgmental. NTA"
"Umm. That's not how any of this works. If you don't want to hear about body parts, don't work in the medical field? NTA," one user commented. "Your question was totally reasonable. And she sucks for implying that a piercing is somehow 'inappropriate' for a mother to have."
"That was kind of my thought, like I guess it feels there is implied consent to talk about vaginas at the vagina doctors!" u/HumanPortal replied to the commenter.
Other users shared their personal experiences with being pregnant and having a genital piercing. One user even recalled her nurse being super helpful during the removal process of the piercing.
"I've had the same piercing. Kept it in until I was in labour," one user shared. "My nurse asked my family in the room to leave to place a catheter. Told me I would need to remove it in case of surgery if something went wrong."
The user said the nurse handed her a container to place the piercing in and even helped her remove it because she wasn't able to. She then put the piercing back the day after giving birth.
"FILE A COMPLAINT OR REPORT THE NURSE YOU HAD!" the user suggested.
Newsweek reached out to u/HumanPortal for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
