Obstetricians are professionals who are devoted to the provision of care from preconception to pregnancy, childbirth, and post-delivery in the early weeks. They focus on addressing health-related issues that have to do with pregnancy, making sure the expectant parent and the baby are both healthy.
Obstetricians will provide prenatal care systematically in the pregnancy stage to the expecting person, which means meaningful monitoring and care during that period. Additionally, obstetricians diagnose and treat complications during gestation that protect the health of the pregnant person and the baby.
What conditions do obstetricians treat?
Obstetricians are not only concerned about your general health condition during a pregnancy but also check for a complications or diseases associated with the pregnancy. They monitor the development of your baby inside your womb through fundal height measurements or ultrasounds.
Some of the conditions obstetricians treat include to the following:
- High blood pressure or preeclampsia
- Ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages
- Placental problems, including placental abruption
- Morning sickness or nausea.
- Gestational diabetes
- Infections
- Muscle aches and pains
- Genetic disorders.
Some obstetricians have subspecialized knowledge in managing high-risk pregnancies, which inherently have a higher risk of complication. If the risks associated with the pregnancy are too high for the knowledge of the obstetrician they would be advised to seek additional care with a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist.
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Role and Responsibilities of Obstetricians:
Prenatal Care:
- Routine Checkups: Monitor the health of the mother and fetus through regular appointments, including physical exams, blood tests, and ultrasounds.
- Education: Provide information about pregnancy, childbirth, nutrition, and lifestyle choices that affect fetal development.
- Screening and Testing: Conduct necessary tests to identify potential complications or genetic disorders, such as blood tests, glucose tolerance tests for gestational diabetes, and ultrasounds to monitor fetal growth.
Management of Complications:
- High-Risk Pregnancies: Identify and manage conditions that may complicate pregnancy, such as hypertension, diabetes, multiple pregnancies (twins or more), or preexisting medical conditions.
- Fetal Monitoring: Use techniques like non-stress tests (NST) and biophysical profiles (BPP) to monitor the well-being of the fetus, particularly in high-risk situations.
Labor and Delivery:
- Assisting in Labor: Monitor labor progress, manage pain relief options (like epidurals), and provide guidance on labor techniques.
- Delivery: Perform vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections (C-sections) as needed, ensuring the safety and health of both mother and baby during the process.
- Emergency Interventions: Respond to complications during labor, such as fetal distress or maternal bleeding, and take appropriate action to ensure safety.
Postpartum Care:
- Recovery Support: Provide care and support for the mother during recovery after childbirth, addressing issues like postpartum depression, physical recovery, and breastfeeding.
- Follow-up Appointments: Conduct postpartum checkups to ensure the mother’s health and address any concerns related to recovery or infant care.
Family Planning:
- Contraception Counseling: Discuss and provide options for family planning and contraception following childbirth, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), hormonal methods, and permanent solutions.
Education and Advocacy:
- Patient Education: Educate patients about reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care.
- Advocacy: Advocate for maternal and infant health, working to improve healthcare policies and practices related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Qualifications and Training:
- Education: Obstetricians typically complete a bachelor’s degree, followed by a medical degree (MD and DO).
- Residency: After medical school, they undergo a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology, which typically lasts four years and provides training in both areas.
- Board Certification: Most obstetricians become board-certified by passing examinations conducted by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) or equivalent bodies in other countries.
Subspecialties in Obstetrics:
Some obstetricians may choose to specialize further in specific areas, such as:
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine: Focuses on high-risk pregnancies and managing complications.
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility: Addresses issues related to fertility and hormonal disorders.
- Gynecologic Oncology: Specializes in cancers of the female reproductive system, although this is more related to gynecology.
- Urogynecology: Focuses on pelvic floor disorders affecting women, including urinary incontinence.
When would I need to see an obstetrician?
It is essential to book an appointment with a obstetrician the moment you confirm that you have a pregnancy. Obstetricians offer comprehensive care to you and your baby before and even after delivery for several weeks.
Typically, you first see an obstetrician at seven or eight weeks from your last menstrual period, and appointments are then kept more frequent – monthly and then biweekly, weekly leading up to your due date. Practices typically also plan a postpartum follow-up around six weeks after delivery to check for complications that may have lingered.
During prenatal care, you pay regular visits to the office, undergo various examinations, and some laboratory tests are conducted on you with the objective of detecting potential complications. Your prenatal checkup may involve several screenings, exams, and routine lab tests, such as:
- Blood count completely (CBC) and other blood panels.
- Pap smear.
- Urinalysis.
- Assessment for sexually transmitted infections.
- Ultrasound to assess the placenta or the uterus.
- Group B Streptococcus assessment.
- Glucose tolerance test to check for a gestational diabetes.
- Quad screening blood test for congenital disabilities.
- Ultrasound and Doppler transducer for a fetal assessment.