MedFet: Everything You Need to Know about Medical Fetishes

MedFet, or medical fetishism, is an umbrella term that refers to any number of medical procedures or situations that are reenacted in a sexual or erotic context. A medical fetish, at its simplest, is a grown-up version of “playing doctor.” Medical fetish enthusiasts may engage in at-home medical procedures like pelvic or prostate exams, enemas, dental play, or role play like sexy nurse or horny intern. Like most sexual activity, MedFet can involve a myriad things depending on who you ask.

But first, let’s review the difference between a kink and a fetish:

A “kink” can refer to any sexual or erotic activity that’s considered outside the mainstream. Common kinks include wearing leather or latex, crossdressing, bondage, spanking, and other powerplays. Kinks can also involve specific objects like shoes or floggers, or may place intense focus on a part of the body not generally considered erotic - like noses or feet.A ”fetish” might include any of these. But the big difference is a fetish is required in order for a sexual experience to be successful or fulfilling. A fetishist without their fetish may not be able to achieve orgasm or arousal. Fetishes differ from kinks in that kinks are things we can do occasionally, or once or twice and then never again. For fetishists, their specific fetish is a necessary part of the process and may even become an entire lifestyle.

What are the most common types of medical fetishes?

When most people hear about medical fetishes, ‘playing doctor’ is the first thing that comes to mind. This can include full body examinations that may or may not include the genitals or anus. Here are some other options.

“Complete” Physicals

General physicals are considered introductory to most hardcore MedFet practitioners. Mary (not her real name) is a married woman who had merely indulged her husband’s talk of medical kinks before becoming an enthusiastic participant. She started simply with a sexy nurse costume from a Halloween store and trying role plays involving blood pressure or temperature checks. Once the initial awkwardness wore off, Mary became more comfortable exploring.

“Once I got over feeling like we were doing something sick or sinful, it was fun. Thinking of it like a game that ends in great sex helped me. We started with a doctor playset for children and have since upgraded a lot. I don’t even want to tell you what we’ve spent on scrubs and medical gear. Those black leather doctor bags aren’t cheap!”

While it didn’t work out this way for Mary, kinks for nurses and nurses uniforms can also be part of Femdom culture that references everything from barely legal candy stripers to evil Nurse Ratched types.

Read: 3 Scenes for a Beginner Femdom to Try

Prostate or Pelvic Exams

These type of intimate exams are typically done with gloved fingers, or may include the use of small flashlights or speculums. Fans of this type of play often mimic actual exams, but with additional caressing and dirty talk; unlike the real deal, these exams are often a prelude to sex.

Speculums, by the way, come in anal and vaginal varieties and you absolutely want to ensure that you’re using the correct one for the situation. “Tina” indulged a one-time boyfriend who wanted to use a speculum while role playing an erotic gynaecological exam.

“It just felt uncomfortable. I was nervous and he was really trying to make it a good experience. The idea of a sexy speculum felt icky. I think he could tell I wasn’t into it. When we moved on to breast exams, then it got sexy again.” Not every kink works for every person - and that's OK.

Dental

There’s a fetish specifically related to teeth: Odontophilia. This might include stuff like biting or tooth-licking. Some think this kink is an offshoot of Freud and his ‘oral fixation’ nonsense ... I mean theory. Or in the case of “Bob,” a single business executive who pretended to be a dentist long enough to have a dental chair and spit-sink installed in his basement. I asked about the expense of such an elaborate setup.

“Some guys invest in cars or sneakers or whatever. I dunno, it’s the same thing except I’m not showing it off, driving it down the street. It’s for me and whoever I invite. That’s it.”

Some dental kinks revolve around procedure, others around pain. The Marquis de Sade first wrote about pulling teeth for pleasure - though he wasn’t specific as to whether the puller or the pullee was being pleasured. If Bill Murray in "Little Shop of Horrors" is to be believed, there’s plenty of pleasure to be had while getting a “long, slow root canal.” We recommend written contracts between partners before making any alterations to their bite print.

Read: How to Make a BDSM Contract

Breast Exams and Mammograms

As a cis chick, I find the idea of a sexy mammogram pretty cringe. But while breast exams aren’t necessarily sexy to many of us, there are plenty of boob-connoisseurs who beg to differ. Breast exams can be a fun part of foreplay for MedFet fans, but we don’t recommend using mammogram machines as a toy - at least until Fisher Price decides to make one.

I did speak to a woman who was reluctant to be touched, even by her longtime fiancé. When her doctor recommended monthly breast exams, she decided to enlist his assistance.

“Because it was for my health, I felt more calm about opening my shirt and taking off my bra. He was gentle and sweet, but still professional about doing the breast exam properly. Eventually I was able to relax more around him in general. While we still don’t do it with the lights on or anything, feeling comfortable while being touched and naked was a huge step for us.”

Kinks aren’t just weird for weird’s sake. Exploring alternative forms of intimacy can be healing as well as fun.

Caregivers / “Sexy Nurse”

This common MedFet trope sometimes finds its way to the sex lives of couples who consider themselves pretty vanilla. As “Ted” a 50-something married man tells it, “I didn’t think of it as kinky. Lots of mature men like nurses or sexy librarians, cops, that sort of thing. For the power play. It’s not sick or anything, it’s totally normal.”

We also support the normalizing of unusual sexual practices among consenting adults. It would be awesome for society to get to a point where we can spend less time worried about whether we’re kinky or bad, and more time figuring out how to get more pleasure out of life.

Ted, like many sexy-nurse enthusiasts, enjoys sponge baths. But he and his partner also use slings, a plastic cast to restrict movement, and even bedpans for a ‘full service’ nursing experience.

Why would someone have a medical fetish?

It might be easy to presume that having a medical fetish is as simple as having a crush on a doctor or nurse, thus making the whole experience seem erotic. In fact, this is rarely the case for those with medical fetishes.

The truth is the reasons anyone might have a medical fetish are as varied as human sexuality itself. There is some science suggesting that some fetishes, like eroticism around feet, exist because of a misfire during puberty impacting the somatosensory cortex. If true, this could mean that this type of misfire might lead a person to associate any number of non-sexual touches with arousal and sex. One study suggests that fetishes develop during puberty because of decreased function in the temporal lobe of the brain.

University of Oxford Psychologist, Barbara Santini, explains the appeal of MedFet to those who love it.

“In the realm of medical fetishes, individuals often find a heightened sense of vulnerability and control that can be intensely arousing. The exchange of power dynamics, the touch of latex or metal, and the clinical precision can contribute to an immersive and deeply satisfying experience for those exploring this particular avenue of sexual expression.”

Still, the reasons why someone might pursue medical kinks make up a rich tapestry of experiences, fixations and psychiatric makeup.

Bob, our dental fetishist, has an idea of where his kink originated.

“I was about 12 and kept having wet dreams about the dental assistant who cleaned my teeth. She’d lean way over and I could see her tits down her shirt. I dated a girl who reminded me of her in high school, and she played along with it. Pretending to examine my teeth and stuff. The more I did it the better it was.”

Medical kinks may intrigue adults because “playing doctor” is, for many people, our earliest introduction to exploration of someone else’s body. It seems normal and natural that tweens or teens who gave pretend physicals to their crushes would grow up to eroticize doctor visits, nursing care, or any number of procedures that involve touching and tools.

Medical Fetish Toys and Tools

Wait...medical fetishists use tools? Oh my, yes! There are a lot of different accoutrements that a MedFet fan might invest in. Here are some of the most common.

Costumery Scrubs

Scrubs are great costuming for medical play. Whether you’re a wannabe doctor or a playful nurse, scrubs are available in a zillion colors and come in sizes that fit literally everyone. Not sexy enough for ya? Sexy doctor and nurse costumes can be had where most Halloween gear is sold. Or, you can go all the way like Mary and her husband with leather bags, long white coats, and all those leftover COVID masks we all seem to have now.

Gloves

Be aware of any allergies you or your partner may have - including to the glove materials and any powder they may contain. Ensure that your gloves are compatible with any lubricant(s) you’ll be using. You certainly don’t want to wind up in a real ER getting bits of disintegrated glove removed from your bits.

Read: The Best Kind of Lube for Every Sexual Scenario

Pinwheel (AKA Wartenberg Wheel)

This instrument is a common part of physicals and is used to test sensation in different body parts. The fun comes in how and where one uses it. Start someplace innocuous, or ticklish if you like, and adjust the pressure to make it teasing or even a little scary. (Only scare your partner with consent -more on that later.)

Read: This Inexpensive Sex Toy Is My Go-To Foreplay Tool

Speculum

Leveling up to a speculum may be a big step for MedFet noobs. Vaginal and anal speculums are used to open and stretch the vagina or anus. Couples use them for hand-on or simulated examinations, often combined with oral or digital contact. Speculums can do real damage if misused and should only be used by those knowledgeable in their safe use. So study up. Yes, this includes “pussy clamps” which are not generally considered medical, but are popular among fans of MedFet.

Furniture

Sex furniture is not limited to any specific kink. There’s a whole world of ramps that fold out into portable beds (or exam tables if that’s what you want). We don’t necessarily recommend spending thousands on a home dental set-up like Bob did. But investing in medical gear you know you’ll use can be done on most budgets with a little planning.

Catheters and Bedpans

Scat play, golden showers and the like are a very specific kink that can find its way into medical play. These can be purchased discretely from any medical supplier or major online retailer.

Other Examination Tools

Couples vary in the types of medical tools they use in their MedFet play. Blood pressure cuffs, Taylor reflex hammers, thermometers, stethoscopes, and even needles can be used in medical roleplays. Many of these are available in medical grade versions that are affordable on Amazon.

It’s common to explore medical kinks with inexpensive “toy” medical tools. After all, the real ones can be very expensive. Keep in mind, though, that toys made for children are not safe for intensive or adult usage. Many plastics deemed safe for child’s play are far less safe in sexual scenarios. Invest in proper medical tools when you can, or look for high-quality vendors who specialize in MedFet gear.

You may think that buying medical-style gear from any sex toy, bondage, or fetish store might be perfectly safe. I’m sure some of the hundreds of ER visitors with sex-related injuries thought the same thing.

Truthfully, most items marketed and sold as sex toys do not have the same safety standards applied to medical devices—even those marketed to be used internally. This includes materials like rubber, jelly rubber, and plastic. You don’t want to buy cheap gloves, speculums, stethoscopes, or any insertable items unless you know they’re made of safe materials and will withstand whatever it is you plan to put them through. Safety first!

MedFet Safety Tips

Like any sexual activity, MedFet begins with informed consent. Playing around with medical equipment is not for times when you are unsure, intoxicated, very tired, ambivalent, or otherwise not fully into it.

Medical kink also involves having intimate knowledge (pun intended) of how your various tools and toys work.

Mishandling a speculum or catheter can really hurt someone. Or, as Mary’s partner found out the hard way (again, pun intended) that automatic blood pressure cuffs should not be applied to anyone’s penis. Ouch!

Before engaging in medical fetish play, participants should always discuss scenarios, preferences and limitations. Partners should never be surprised by anything unless that’s what they’ve agreed to.

And, of course, have an agreed-upon safeword that can be used if the action becomes too intense, painful, or in any way unpleasant for either party.

Rules regarding restraint apply in MedFet as well. Even if someone really, really likes being gagged and strapped to a table, there has to be an agreed upon signal in case the action needs to stop. Be mindful that circulation isn’t being cut off (unless that’s your play-style, in which case follow all guidelines about timing and intensity) and that your partner is as comfortable as they want to be.

Santini explains, “Embracing the uniqueness of our desires, including those related to medical fetishes, can lead to a more enriched and satisfying intimate life. As with any exploration, approach with respect, good communication, and a willingness to understand both yourself and your partner’s needs. The journey of sexual discovery is a personal one, and it’s essential to navigate it with empathy and care."