is it a law.......?

I am a nurse. It's not a law. You may experience that your ob/gyn is a male and he feels more comfortable with a female nurse in the room, just to protect himself. However, if you do not feel comfortable with a male ob/gyn, then you have the right to ask for a female. The nurse may be able to perform the pap with the doctor observing also.

It's not a law but it's often done to avoid lawsuits. If there's a nurse there, generally they aren't there for the patient but to have the doctor's back and be a witness if the patient believes something wrong has happened to her. While a lot of times they tell you that the nurse is there to offer support to the patient, after talking to some nurse friends I've learned that they just say that to help the patient feel more secure.

I don't know if it's a law, but maybe a professional requirement for the ins. companies so they don't get sued? I know when I was a teenager and had my first breast exam a female nurse was present. That was like 10 years ago.

It's not a law, but it is common practice so that the patient can not say the the dr did anything to them or that they did anything to the dr..it's considered standards in practicing.

no not true, I think only in certain areas for minors. But not for adults

not law, but protocol