Gynecologists Cleared to Treat Men

The name of the profession comes from the Greek for "the study of women," but gynecologists have been cleared to treat male patients without fear of sanctions. The board that oversees obstetrician-gynecologists has eased a rule that threatened to pull certification from any gynecologists that treated men, reports the New York Times.

The reversal came after pressure from patient advocates and experts in anal cancer, which is usually caused by sexually transmitted HPV infections and is screened for with tests developed from those used to screen for cervical cancer. When the rule was introduced, gynecologists complained that they had been forced to drop male patients they had treated for years. (More gynecologist stories.)