Let’s answer a more honest question first,
What should you look for in your Gynecologist?
Trust and comfort.
Once you have shortlisted a few doctors you would like to meet, schedule an appointment with them to help you decide which one to stick with.
Over the course of your nine months, you will form a bond with your gynecologist. Even if the relationship ends with the delivery, most mums remember the doctor who helped deliver their baby with fondness. You need to be able to trust your gynecologist to take the right decisions for you at short notice during birth and to give you the necessary information and advice to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.
This trust might grow as you progress in your pregnancy but you can already decide a lot in your first meeting. When you go for your first appointment, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the gynecologist answer your questions willingly?
- Is she friendly and responsive?
- Do you feel comfortable asking her personal medical questions?
- Does she seem up-to-date in her knowledge?
- Is she listening to your concerns and answering accordingly?
- Is she gentle during her check up?
- Does she seem to care about your comfort?
If you don’t feel comfortable with this doctor at your first meeting, try another one.
Many women prefer female gynecologists. But keep an open mind: you may also find a male gynecologist who is understanding and helpful. Make your decision after you’ve had a chance to speak with several doctors.
There is a reason that a woman’s intuition is so revered, it is often right! So do your research, check background information and the practicalities of consulting a particular doctor, but in the end trust your gut.
Often family members have a common gynecologist because it is easier to see someone known, tried and tested than to look for a new doctor. Do not feel bad about wanting someone else if for some reason you are not comfortable with the gynecologists that your other family members have been happy with. It is about your health and your body so you have to be satisfied.
Difference Between a Gynecologist and Obstetrician
Technically, obstetricians and gynecologists are two separate specialties. Gynecologists are doctors or physicians who have specialized in women’s reproductive care. Obstetricians are the one delivering babies and providing pregnancy care. Now the two fields are largely interwoven and that is why in India, we have about 90% doctors who are a hybrid of the two, nicknamed as “ob-gyns” who would both take care of reproductive health problems while also delivering babies.
Happy pregnancy and happy womanhood!
Key points in helping you decide your Gynecologist
- Reference:You cannot visit every doctor in town to pick the right one for you. So you do the next best thing. Ask people! Ask family, friends, colleagues, your partner’s colleagues and neighbors for recommendations. Remember that you might not share your personality with these advisers, so what worked for them might not work for you. However, this step will definitely help you to narrow down your list. Or even create a list, if you have not already done so. You can also look online for feedback – but as usual, take them all with a pinch of salt.
- Reputation:Look for the doctor’s credentials. Start from the hospitals that the doctor has been with, and do take into consideration the educational degrees. More often than not, it is difficult for laymen to understand any acronym beyond MBBS and MD that follows the doctor’s name. However, once you have shortlisted the doctors, you could use credentials and number of years of experience as a selection criteria
- Specialization:Find out if your gynecologist is also an obstetrician (see the end of this article for details). If not, you would need an obstetrician at the time of your delivery. Also depending on your pregnancy, you might want to pick a gynecologist who is specialized in high-risk pregnancies. This option should be explored if you have an underlying medical problem, have had miscarriages before or if you are having multiples. For example, if you have been a patient of blood pressure or epilepsy, you will need to consider whether your doctor has handled patients with such conditions. In this reference, you will need to consider the hospital’s credibility as well
- Availability: How easy is to get an appointment with the doctor? What is the waiting period like? Unfortunately, better the doctor is, more busy he/she would be. In most cases, with good advanced planning, you can block the doctor’s calendar for your monthly check-ups. That said, here are few things you need to clarify:
- Will the doctor be available on phone or SMS to answer your non-emergency queries?
- How long do you need to wait to get a non-routine appointment?
- How does he/she deal with emergency calls? How soon will he/she be able to meet or attend you?
- Time Spent: This is sometimes the most important criteria, especially for first-time parents-to-be. You need a gynecologist who is not rushing from one appointment to other without pausing. You need someone who is relaxed no matter how many more patients are waiting after you. You need someone patient enough to answer all your questions, no matter how minor it might sound
Dr.Ruchi Tandon, is a Gynecologist practicing in South Delhi for the last 13 years, she is available at leading hospitals including Max Smart super speciality hospital, saket, Apollo Spectra , kailash colony, Apollo cradle Royale , Nehru place , Delhi. She is well versed in the various subspecialties of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Trained laparoscopic surgeon and Cosmetic Gynecologist makes her an ideal choice. Her humbleness and approachable nature make her patient-friendly.
She is versed in cases of fibroids, pregnancy management, PCOD, endometriosis, menopause management, ovarian cyst, abnormal bleeding, recurrent UTI and PID.