It’s shocking how little some men know about our biology.
The shock
When I was pregnant, my husband couldn’t wait to see the first ultrasound photo since he couldn’t come with me. When I gave him the three pictures, he turned pale and looked like he was about to faint. I didn’t understand because the fetus was just a tiny dot in the photos, so I asked what was wrong. He thought we were having triplets because of the three images.
Recycled ideas
My fiancé was convinced the placenta stays inside a woman’s body after birth. When I explained it doesn’t, he said, “so the next baby can use it.” (He also thought the umbilical cord stays inside and connects to the next baby.)
Wishful thinking
After our third child, I had my tubes tied by mutual decision. After the surgery, my husband was thrilled that we could have sex anytime without worrying about “red-letter days.” I had to break it to him that I’d still have my period, and he was pretty disappointed.
Confused
My boyfriend had a side pain. He googled his symptoms and seriously told me he thought he had endometriosis. I laughed, but the next day he said he booked an appointment with an endocrinologist. When I checked the confirmation email, I saw he actually booked with a neurologist. I thought, well, that’s not bad—he might as well go.
The stones
I told my husband I had a kidney stone, and he said women can’t have kidney stones because only men have kidneys. Where did this guy skip biology class?!
The advice
When I complained about my menstrual cramps, my 17-year-old nephew told me to check my prostate because one of his friend’s moms had the same problem. He seriously thought I had a prostate!
The passages
I work in a hospital and once shared a funny story at a party about a young woman who had pushed two ping pong balls inside herself, which we had to remove. Two men in the group doubted it and asked, “why couldn’t she just pee them out?” I had to explain women don’t pee from there, and all the guys were stunned.
Generalizing
I showed my boyfriend a bad rash and he told me to see a gynecologist. I asked if he meant a dermatologist. He said no, a gynecologist. Turns out he thought gynecologists are women’s general doctors who handle any complaint or illness…
Honey…
I came home to my husband panicking, saying I needed to go to the hospital immediately. I asked what was wrong, and he said his blood pressure was high, so he looked up his symptoms online (in English) and found out he had “preeclampsia,” which is very serious! Thanks to Meghan Markle, I knew what it was and reassured him it’s a pregnancy-related complication that happens after birth.
Washed away
My ex didn’t understand why I suffered from a urinary tract infection for “so long.” He thought it would go away if I just showered and “washed myself well down there.”
Splatter
My aunt spoke frankly about menopause symptoms at a family lunch. My husband asked if she wasn’t worried about having a “public splatter.” We didn’t understand what he meant, so I asked him to explain. He thought women’s wombs fall out during menopause. “Splatter.”
