How To Choose a Gynecologist:
Specialty Care for Changing Needs

A woman's need for specialized health care begins in her teens and continues throughout life, and the obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) is the physician to whom we take our most intimate problems and concerns. Finding the right doctor for this important role can be challenging, especially because our requirements for a GYN provider change as we mature.

What do women want?

Every savvy consumer of health care services knows that we want our specialists to be board-certified and to have admitting privileges at our preferred hospital. And, of course, we want them to be part of our insurance plan.

But what more do women want specifically in their gynecologists? Research studies and anecdotal evidence show that women value an OB-GYN who has a caring manner, knows about new developments in his or her field, explains diagnoses and procedures clearly and directly, listens patiently, and treats the patient as a partner in health care decisions.

Another factor to consider is the physician's subspecialty within the field of gynecology. The most caring, most accomplished obstetrician in the region may have delivered your three children, but he or she may not be the best doctor to help you manage menopausal discomforts. You may need referral to a GYN subspecialist.

Which is the right gynecologist?

Let's follow a healthy young woman we'll call her Sara through her phases of GYN health care, beginning when she becomes sexually active or reaches age 18, whichever comes first. Until she's ready to start a family, Sara won't need an obstetrician. She could use the services of her primary care physician for basic GYN care, such as birth control, annual pelvic exams, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Naturally, if she is not comfortable discussing those topics with her family physician, she needs to find a gynecologic specialist.

When Sara decides it's time to plan for pregnancy, she needs an OB-GYN. In addition to diagnosing and treating menstrual problems, infectious diseases, abnormal Pap smears, benign pelvic tumors, and a host of other conditions, the OB-GYN provides patients with maternity care from pre-conception counseling through the full course of pregnancy and childbirth.
If there are difficulties in Sara's pregnancy, her general OB-GYN can refer her to a specialist in complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Physicians who specialize

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