What is an obstetrician?

An obstetrician is a doctor who provides medical and surgical care before, during and after pregnancy.

Obstetrics and gynecology

Obstetricians are also gynecologists, which involves providing care for all women's health problems. These two fields together constitute the title of OB/GYN and are considered as a major.

The medical department of obstetrics /GYN needs to complete the medical college and resident program. Some obstetricians /GYN will gain further knowledge in the fields of maternal and fetal medicine, gynecological oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, female pelvic medicine and reconstruction surgery.

To be certified by the board of directors, you must take and pass the American Obstetrics and Gynecology Certification Examination. 1?

Doctors can choose to practice obstetrics /GYN only partially. For example, they can focus on obstetrics and only look at patients related to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. Doctors who specialize in obstetrics can deliver babies.

If doctors provide services as gynecologists, they will treat all problems related to women's health, including the female reproductive system. Although gynecologists can provide care for pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy, many people advise their patients to turn to obstetrics /GYN.

Obstetricians can also specialize in maternal and fetal medicine (MFM). MFM specialists focus on chronic health conditions or abnormal problems during pregnancy. If you have a high risk of pregnancy, you may see MFM. Some doctors will work in these two fields at the same time to provide services for obstetrics and gynecology.

Similarly, some obstetrics/gyns specialize in medical genetics and genomics (MGG). These clinical geneticists (sometimes referred to as "clinical geneticists") provide diagnosis, management and genetic counseling services for parents who have or may have genetic-related health problems. In order to obtain MGG certification, doctors have to complete a two-year training program after completing the obstetrics /GYN residency training. 2?

Some obstetricians/gyns mainly focus on intensive care (CC), mainly providing care for critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) environment of hospitals. These doctors received additional training to enable them to cooperate with other doctors in the ICU team. 3?

Another obstetrician /GYN found in the hospital environment is the laborers who work strictly in the hospital environment. They help women cope with the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth. These doctors can treat patients, provide first aid services, and manage childbirth and childbirth.

Generally speaking, obstetrics /GYN can perform major and minor operations. According to the American Medical Association, examples of major surgery include hysterectomy, laparoscopic surgery (sometimes assisted by robots), hysteroscopy or laparotomy of pelvic organs. four

Clinic procedures include amniocentesis, umbilical vein sampling, endoscopy, abortion, cervical conization, hysteroscopy and saline injection ultrasound.

Information, causes and detection of high-risk pregnancy

What's the difference between an obstetrician and other doctors?

An obstetrician can be your primary care doctor. But it is more likely that you will regard them as the main providers only if they provide services other than pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, delivery and postpartum.

They have specific knowledge and skills in internal medicine and surgical care of female reproductive system, which makes them different from other doctors. This enables them to serve as consultants to other doctors and female attending doctors. 1?

In addition to primary care doctors, many patients choose obstetricians to solve pregnancy-related problems. If you have other medical problems before and after pregnancy, you may need to consider seeing a family clinic or other doctors who can provide comprehensive medical care.

A study found that primary care doctors are more likely than obstetricians and gynecologists to solve concurrent medical problems during preventive gynecological visits. 5?

Find an obstetrician

Talk to your primary care provider: The doctor you may have seen at present can help you find an obstetrician in your area.

Check the coverage of your insurance plan: consult your insurance company. They may only provide benefits for doctors in the network. In this case, if you find that obstetricians are not in their plan, you will need to work according to the list or ask for out-of-network coverage.

Ask friends or family for advice: You can always ask someone you trust for help and give you advice.

Online search: You can view the research provider's resume, certificate, patient comments, board certification and hospital recommendation online.

What are you looking for?

Please refer to the list of providers of your insurance company before you decide to provide care by an obstetrician. You may want to start with a list of obstetricians they call network providers.

The second step in finding an obstetrician is related to your health history. If you have any health conditions in the past that may affect your pregnancy, you will need to consider obstetricians who have received additional training in high-risk pregnancy, such as maternal and fetal medicine experts.

Another consideration is the hospital or delivery center that obstetricians will use. Is it for your online insurance benefits, or do you have to pay extra out-of-pocket expenses, which may be the high birth rate? In addition, the level of NICU care provided by medical institutions should also be considered.

Other considerations are the proportion of cesarean section, the type of pain management they like, whether they are allowed to play music during childbirth, whether they can accept VBAC (Delivery after Cesarean Section), and whether they can ask questions during unconventional visits.

If your pregnancy risk is high, you may need to see an obstetrician. They received extra training to deal with complications during pregnancy. If you are pregnant with multiple births, have chronic health conditions, or have a history of abortion, cesarean section or premature delivery, please be sure to ask questions related to these issues.

Other questions to be asked or obstetricians' skills include the experience of complications such as preeclampsia, placental abruption, ectopic pregnancy, uterine rupture, umbilical cord prolapse and fetal distress.

Even though you may never encounter these situations or complications, you may want to find an obstetrician who has extensive training and rich experience in these high-risk problems and situations.

What is the reason why you should call the doctor during pregnancy?

How do obstetricians participate in your pregnancy?

Obstetricians play a vital role in your pregnancy. If you want to get pregnant, you may have been seeing an obstetrician; Otherwise, you can make an appointment after you confirm your pregnancy.

prenatal examination

During the pre-pregnancy period, obstetricians can carry out pre-pregnancy health care examination for you. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the purpose of this appointment is to determine any factors that may affect your pregnancy. 6?

You can discuss your medical history, diet and lifestyle, medicines, previous pregnancies and other health-related diseases that may affect your pregnancy, such as diabetes, hypertension and thyroid diseases.

Once the home pregnancy test is positive, it's time to make an appointment with an obstetrician. Generally speaking, they suggest that you make an appointment about eight weeks after your last menstruation. The first appointment will enable your obstetrician to confirm your pregnancy and make a schedule for your prenatal examination. 7?

During the routine prenatal examination, you can expect your doctor to follow your progress, measure your weight gain, check your blood pressure, measure your abdomen to monitor your baby's growth, check your baby's heart rate and answer any questions you may encounter.

Obstetricians have also been trained in prenatal screening for depression and anxiety. These appointments are usually made once a month during pregnancy.

routine examination

Your obstetrician can perform ultrasound examination and laboratory examination as needed. If high-risk pregnancy requires amniocentesis, they will participate. During delivery, obstetricians can perform * * * delivery, cesarean section, episiotomy, cervical cerclage, forceps, negative pressure delivery and curettage.

postpartum care

Their role in your pregnancy is not limited to childbirth. During the postpartum period, you will see an obstetrician at least once more. This is usually a follow-up appointment after six weeks to assess the healing situation, solve any problems you encounter during pregnancy or childbirth, explore postpartum mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression, and answer any questions about birth control options, such as intrauterine devices or contraceptives.

Very will's words

Choosing an obstetrician to supervise your pregnancy and delivery is a major decision. Take time, ask many questions and seek advice from trusted friends and family. Make sure they meet your criteria and specific needs, especially if you are pregnant at high risk. Remember, if you feel uncomfortable, you can change suppliers at any time.