Gynecology

Frisco Women's Health | Gynecology

In the 12 years since I left Galveston to start practicing medicine there have been some remarkable innovations in the treatment of female medical problems. Recent advancements in Gynecological services and procedures are all designed to eliminate the need for major surgeries. New medications, in office procedures and a better understanding of various disease processes have made it possible for people to function in a stress filled society, take care of debilitating and often embarrassing medical conditions and allow people to work without the inconveniences caused by the female reproductive system.

Adolescent Gynecology

How about better methods to prevent teen pregnancies, as the step-dad of an 18 year old I can tell you first hand, remembering to take a pill every day is an act of G-d. Depo-Provera is no longer an option; it has a black box warning for causing osteoporosis. I have diagnosed osteoporosis in a 27 year old and 34 year old who were receiving this medication from Planned Parenthood or other medical personnel not keeping up with the latest medical recommendations. Read more about adolescent gynecology here.

Contraception and Birth Control

For the last 2 years I have been using Implanon, a subdermal contraceptive implant which requires special training, takes 1 minute to insert and provides 3 years of contraception. I find it to be very useful for patients with menstrual migraines, cyclical pelvic pain or just cannot take or remember to take estrogen containing birth control.

Heavy bleeding, sometimes coming monthly, often unexpectedly with debilitating fatigue and anemia, now can be eliminated with Endometrial Ablation using the Novasure or Thermachoice devices. In the old days it could take an hour to do an ablation with a good chance of either a poor outcome or uterine perforation. Now 90 seconds in the office can stop your bleeding.

Menstrual cramps can now often be eliminated with a combination of medications with minimal side effects. One of the best treatments for cramps is the Mirena intrauterine device, also a great long term form of birth control.

Adiana: Permanent Birth Control

What about Tubal Ligation, which used to be common place? Now it’s performed few and far between, in fact the only time you should be having that procedure is during a Cesarean Section when your tubes are easily accessible. The reason is, Adiana, an office procedure that gets the same results, takes 10 minutes, requires no incisions, no general anesthesia and is often covered by an office co-pay. That means no risk of damage to anything in the abdomen, no hospital or anesthesia charges, home in an hour, then back to work in the morning. Of course, the safest form of permanent sterilization is vasectomy; I always try to get the husband to step up to the plate. Heck I had one and worked the next day. For those of you more familiar with a similar procedure, Essure read my blog on Adiana vs. Essure, to see why this would not be my first choice.

Hysterectomy

Gone are the days of doing hysterectomies just because women have finished child bearing. Normally a hysterectomy is with or without removal of the ovaries the most and is the most common elective gynecology procedure. It is definitely a valuable option in the treatment of certain female problems. For years I did 80% vaginal hysterectomies, no incisions to be seen and like magic you could take out a uterus and go home the next day. The evolution of hysterectomy surgery is the da Vinci robot. The daVinci is an innovation in laparoscopy, allowing me to perform precise, delicate surgical procedures using very small incisions. The high definition 3-D camera allows you to see the smallest of blood vessels and visualize the smallest of adhesions. The articulating instruments allow you to perform surgery previously requiring a large incision with healing times from 6-8 weeks.

With women often being a large, sometimes sole contributor, to the finances of many families the ability to return to work in as little as one week after what used to be an incapacitating operation is a remarkable advance in the care of women.

More about Frisco Women's Health

There are many other services our office performs mainly to prevent illness, from vaccinations, to advice on living a healthier life and planning for a healthy pregnancy. We take care of adolescents, to help prevent pregnancy, deal with the emotional rollercoaster of being a teenager, help with acne and just allow them to have someone to talk with other than parents about life, peer pressures and sexual responsibility. Feel free to explore the website for details on other services provided, my office staff and I are here to help. I currently see patients from all over the metroplex including Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Little Elm and Prosper.