What Is Prenatal Care?

Before becoming pregnant, you may have adopted good health habits to prepare for your baby. But if you didn’t, start today. One of the first steps is learning how to take care of yourself. Call us as soon as you think you may be pregnant. Then, continue prenatal care throughout your pregnancy.

Prenatal Care Helps You Have a Healthy Baby

During prenatal care:

• We will assesses the health of your pregnancy. A “due date” is determined. This is when your doctor predicts you will deliver your baby.
• The progress of your pregnancy is checked. This includes your baby’s growth, changes in your weight, and your overall health and comfort.
• We may find new concerns and manage existing ones before problems occur.

© 2000-2012 Krames StayWell, 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional’s instructions.

After a Vaginal Birth

After having a baby, your body may be very tired. It can take time to recover from a vaginal delivery. You may stay in the hospital or birth center from 1 to 4 days. Or, you may only need to stay overnight. In some cases, you may be able to go home the same day .

Postnatal Follow-Up

A postnatal follow-up exam is typically 6 weeks after your baby is born, depending on the severity of your delivery . During this exam, your uterus and vaginal area will be checked. Contact us if you think you or your baby are having any problems.

© 2000-2012 Krames StayWell, 780 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional’s instructions.

Birth Control Options

Birth control keeps you from getting pregnant during sex. There are many types of birth control. Some of the most common types are described below. New types are being tested all the time. We can help you decide which type of birth control is best for you. But no matter which type you choose, you and your partner must use it the right way each time.

Prenatal Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a common prenatal procedure used even in low-risk pregnancies to confirm your due date or assess your baby’s health. If there are any concerns that your baby may be at risk, ultrasound can help provide the information your doctor needs to give you the best possible prenatal care.

Using Sound to See Your Baby

During ultrasound, high-frequency sound waves pass through your body and your baby. You can’t hear the sound waves, but the ultrasound equipment can. It converts them to a visual image on a monitor, allowing you and your doctor to “see” the baby inside your uterus.

During Abdominal Ultrasound

While you lie down on the examination table, a layer of gel or oil is applied to your abdomen so the sound waves more easily reach your baby. Then the transducer is slowly moved back and forth over your abdomen. The procedure is painless and takes less than half an hour.

During Vaginal Ultrasound

The transducer is covered with a condom or other sterile latex shield. Then it is inserted, like a tampon, into your vagina. You should have little discomfort during the test, which usually takes less than half an hour to complete.

Colposcopy

Colposcopy is a procedure that gives us a magnified view of the cervix. It is done using a lighted microscope called a colposcope. In most cases, a sample of cervical cells is taken during a biopsy. The sample can then be studied in a lab. If any problems are found, we can discuss treatment options. It usually takes less than30 minutes, and you can often go back to your normal routine right away.

Reasons for the Procedure

Colposcopy is usually done as a follow-up exam to help find the cause of an abnormal Pap test. Abnormal Pap tests are often due to an HPV (human papilloma virus) infection. HPV is a large family of viruses. HPV can cause genital warts. It can also cause changes in cervical cells. Colposcopy is also used to assess other problems. These include pain or bleeding during sexual intercourse, or a lesion on the vulva or vagina.

Call us if you have:

• Heavy vaginal bleeding (more than a pad an hour for 2 hours).
• Severe or increasing pelvic pain.
• A fever over101°F.
• Foul-smelling or unusual vaginal discharge.

Gynecologic Robotic Surgery

Gynecologic surgery refers to surgery performed on the female reproductive organs. It is performed for cancer as well as a range of non-cancerous (benign) gynecologic conditions. When lifestyle changes, medication or other less invasive treatments do not help your condition, surgery is often recommended. If your doctor suggests surgery, learning about all available treatment options can help you to make the best decision for your situation and ease any anxiety you may feel about surgery. You may also want to find a doctor who specializes in the procedure and approach for your specific condition.All surgeries carry risk, but traditional open surgery with a large incision has significant drawbacks such as pain, trauma, a long recovery and risk of infection. Fortunately, less invasive surgical options are often available. The most common is conventional laparoscopic surgery. With this approach, your surgeon uses small incisions to insert long-shafted instruments to operate on the targeted organ or tissue. Laparoscopy is effective for many routine procedures, but has limits when the procedure, patient’s anatomy or condition is challenging or complex.

If you need surgery to treat your gynecologic condition(s), you may be a candidate for da Vinci Surgery — a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure. Using the most advanced technology available today, the da Vinci Surgical System allows your doctor to perform delicate and complex operations through a few tiny incisions with increased vision, precision, dexterity and control.

For more information click here.

Hysteroscopy

Hysteroscopy is a procedure that is done to see inside your uterus. It can help find the cause of problems in the uterus. This helps us decide on the best treatment. In some cases, it can be used to perform treatment. Hysteroscopy may be done in our office or in the hospital.

Why Is It Done?

Hysteroscopy may be done based on the results of other tests. It can help find the cause of problems. These can include:

• Unusually heavy or long menstrual periods
• Bleeding between periods
• Postmenopausal bleeding
• Trouble becoming pregnant (infertility) or carrying a pregnancy to term

Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is a technique for surgery that can be used on the female reproductive tract. It uses a special tool called a laparoscope (scope). The scope is a thin, lighted tube with a camera on the end. The surgery is done through a few small incisions in the abdomen. The scope is put through one of the incisions. It sends pictures from the inside the body to a video screen.