Female urologists have steadily increased in the urology workplace, representing 10.3% of the workforce in 2020.¹ Urology has long been a male-dominated specialty. With the greater demands from female patients to be treated by the same gender and greater interest from females to enter this field, we can see a change in the numbers of female urologists.

However, where does the Middle East region stand in regard to female urologists? There is an evident lag behind other countries, although the need for female urologists is high.

Culturally, female patients are reluctant to seek help from male doctors and even more so if it pertains to any urological issue. To discuss symptoms or be examined by a male doctor is difficult. That is the main reason why many women do not seek medical attention for urinary incontinence or even urinary infections. Religious and cultural restrictions play a major role, so they suffer in silence.

Breaking the barriers to change a male-dominated department is difficult in Arab countries. There are several obstacles to overcome. I draw from my own experience, where I had several opposing peers and training faculty who continually tried to change my mind about my career choice. And still to this day, I tackle being undermined for the mere fact that I am female although I am a senior consultant in my respected field of Endourology & Urogynecology.

However, even with these obstacles, women such as myself have overcome these issues and entered into this specialty. Although there may be unsupportive colleagues, there are those who encourage the expansion of female urologists, such as my mentor, Professor Durazi, andrology consultant. With his guidance, I achieved my urology board qualification and became the first female urologist in Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf.

This step has encouraged other countries nearby to follow suit. After contacting the ministries of health of each country, the countries with the most female urologists were Iran, Turkey and Egypt. However, there are many countries such as Oman, UAE and Qatar who still have small numbers, comparatively, to their female population (see table).

In Bahrain, we have been fortunate to have 2 other female urology candidates after I had completed my qualification. This indicates a change in policy and views in our department. However, we all still face daily obstacles as female doctors in a Muslim community, where males are reluctant to be treated by females if dealing with sexual dysfunction or the basic urological examination.

With the number of female urologists growing in this region, we need to collaborate and form a community together. I believe a unified group would enhance the patient care in the region, provide better training for residents and encourage more females to choose this specialty.