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GYNECOLOGY Women's Health Practice sees walk-in patients on a limited basis and initially seen by our nurse practitioner. The best times are 8-9 AM, 12 noon to 1 PM, and 3:30-4:45 PM. Annual care is focused on your personal needs. Young women should get annual Pap smear, sexually transmitted disease prevention information, and contraception directed testing. As women pass into their 30s, issues of breast disease, gallbladder disease, and cardiovascular disease prevention become more of our focus. For women who are over 40 annual care may involve more thorough cancer screening, blood testing, and osteoporosis screening. After menopause, urologic and pulmonary diseases become more important. Ultimately, annual care will evolve over the years that we care for you. We encourage you to keep track of your concerns so we have time to address them. Intravenous Infusion Capabilities Intravenous infusion capabilities for new intravenous medications such as the osteoporosis medications Reclast and Boniva, and treatment for anemia as well as treatments for other conditions. Evaluation of Gynecologic Problems We are capable of doing medical and surgical evaluations of gynecological disease. We encourage you to have a copy of any previous records or treatments with you so we can avoid unnecessary test duplication. For many women, this may take several appointments. Women who have had symptoms with no firm diagnosis and no firm evaluation plan are encouraged to make an appointment for a consultation. Surgical or Therapy Second Opinions Most insurance companies no longer require second opinions, but Women's Health Practice feels strongly in extensive education before pursuing a surgical alternative. Often this means providing you with literature, references, or diagrams of the surgery you plan to undertake. Some women may feel pain daily, which affects their daily lifestyle. When pain has been persistent, it can affect your mental and physical health. You should seek the cause of this ongoing pain. Your physician may ask you questions about the pain, its effect on your life, and your emotions. The tissue that normally lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows somewhere else in the body, which may cause pelvic pain. The pain can range from mild to severe and may also be linked to infertility. Endometriosis symptoms can present as repeated, increasing discomfort/pain or a sharp deep pain, or some women experience no symptoms at all. Medical and surgical treatments will usually help patients with symptoms of endometriosis. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) Silent PID was one of the worst epidemics of the 20th century. Most women still do not know they were at risk. Many women with pelvic discomfort may be suffering from a variety of other conditions, such as endometriosis, chronic infections, ovarian cysts, or uterine fibroids. Most patients with PID have not had enough work-up to determine the accuracy of their diagnosis, and many women with prior PID treatment have not had adequate follow-up testing to make sure their problem has resolved. Vaginitis/Vaginal Yeast Infections Vaginitis is common in women of all ages. Vaginitis affects approximately 1/3 of women at sometime throughout their lives. Possible causes of vaginitis include infection, medication, irritating chemicals, systemic health problems (e.g. diabetes mellitus) or change in hormone balance. Women with vaginitis have abnormal discharge, itching, burning, foul odor, pain or irritation with intercourse or urination. Your doctor may examine a sample of the discharge under a microscope or culture the vaginal discharge. Treatment works best when matched with the cause of vaginitis. Treatment will consist of an appropriate antibacterial or antifungal medication. X-ray Testing of the Fallopian Tubes Special x-ray procedure, called hysterosalpingogram, in which a small amount of fluid is injected into the uterus and fallopian tubes to detect abnormal changes in their size and shape or to determine whether the tubes are blocked. It is unusual for patients to need vulvar or vaginal procedures strictly for cosmetic purposes. More typical patients will need repair for specific anatomic defects. Women with these disorders may complain of a sensation of heaviness, discomfort with intercourse, or vaginal symptoms during the day. Therapy and Alternate Solutions We use some aromatherapies and do follow some of the recent scientific assessments of herbal therapies. We encourage patients to discuss their ideas, and we want to seek the least invasive and most natural solution to any problem. It is our job to inform you of possible drug and herb interactions, and to advise which herbal solutions are safest for each woman's health issue. Additional Gynecology Services Medical Evaluation For more information about the abortion pill go to the abortion page of our website and click the Morning After Pill link at the right side of the page. |
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