Choosing an ob-gyn is a sensitive decision for many women and girls. This is a justified feeling and you have every right to be selective when it comes to picking an ob-gyn. The following pointers might help you in picking an ob-gyn best suited to your needs:
• Start from your family doctor and acquaintances – the first step to finding an ob-gyn for you is to talk with your family doctor. Get a list of referrals from your family doctor as a starting point; you can use this list to ask around your acquaintances – family, friends, co-workers, etc. – about which doctors they recommend personally. Use the recommendations from your acquaintances to narrow down your list of referrals to a few names at most.
• Research the background – Once you have narrowed down your list of potential candidates, it is time to make some earnest background check on the ob-gyns. To check their past conduct – that is, whether they have a past of malpractices and the like or not – as well as to make sure that they have the proper credentials and the insurance schemes to have an established practice, you can make use of the state websites administrated by your state and those maintained by the national medical community.
• See what they specialize in – ob-gyns stand for obstetricians and gynaecologists. The former deals with pregnancies, childbirth and any related diseases or complications that can arise from it, whereas the latter deals with diseases and disorders particular to girls and women, which are mostly related to the reproductive system. All ob-gyns will have a certain degree of experience in both fields, however, every ob-gyn will be more inclined to one field than the other. Depending on the reasons you want to seek the medical assistance of an ob-gyn (i.e. whether it is for pregnancy related reasons, or to get treatment for a disease of your reproductive system) you will have better results by picking an ob-gyn that specializes in the field you require assistance from.
• Experience – regardless of whether you are seeking a Norwest private obstetrician or a gynaecologist, experience should play an important role in your decision. This is especially so if you have been diagnosed with a rare disease which will require a complex surgery or rehabilitation to cure, or if your pregnancy is a troubled one which could have several implications on both you and the baby. In such cases, it is best to stick to experienced doctors.
• Does gender matter to you? – a very important question you need to tackle when picking an ob-gyn is whether gender matters to you. There are certain ladies who might feel uncomfortable with a male ob-gyn, and in the case of younger adults and teenagers, it is definitely better to rely on the assistance of a female practitioner. However, make sure that if you have serious implications or a disease, gender won’t make a part in your decision, but that experience will.
