Care Beyond the Stirrups

Women are twice as likely as men to go for routine or preventive doctor visits. Despite the increased prevalence of women in a primary care setting, their symptoms are often overlooked or simply not asked about. Need proof? Women live 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. OB-GYNs have stepped in as the only consistent point of care for many women, placing them in an important position to address broader health concerns beyond reproductive care. But is this really the OB-GYNs role? By integrating women’s health more fully into primary care settings by routinely asking about periods, hormonal changes, pelvic pain, sleep issues and more, clinicians can catch early signs of chronic conditions, mental health challenges, and hormonal imbalances. Women’s health is more than reproductive health, so let’s intervene earlier and give more healthy years back to half our population.