I'm so glad you asked. Let's go over it.

I have to admit that before I became a business owner and started my own practice, I really did not pay too much attention to all these insurance nuances. But I have learned a whole lot since. Let’s go over the terms IN and OUT-of-network.

One of the most common frustrations for patients is that they are unable to schedule surgery in a timely manner. Women with gynecologic issues sometimes need to go to the operating room. They are in pain, they're frustrated, and their doctor's office tells them that it's a two to three month wait before getting surgery. This is very, very frustrating to the patient and reduces their quality of life.

Ovarian cysts are very common. Many women get them. One of the biggest questions is, “well, do I take it out? How do I know if I should take it out?”

The hormone estrogen is known to be a hormone that increases your risk of clots. That's why we often don't give it to patients who have medical conditions that increase the risk of clots and stroke, like diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity. So you put two things together that both increase your risk of clots or estrogen, and then blood disturbances in your blood vessels that also increase your risk of clot and stroke.

In general, Headaches are a really common thing that are experienced by both men and women. Women are affected at higher rates however. The most common type of headache that we experience are tension headaches. These are headaches that come like a band over our forehead, sometimes our shoulders, our neck. When we're really stressed, we tend to tighten up our shoulders, our jaws. So these are headaches that are experienced on both sides. You can take Motrin and Tylenol for it and this type of headache typically goes away within a few hours.

Now, this is just a fancy way of saying that your blood pressure is high when you go to the doctor's office. The idea being, when you go and see the white coat, boom, your blood pressure goes up. It is thought to be because patients are nervous. They're anxious when they go to the doctor. They don't know what kind of news they're getting, or perhaps they rushed to get there. Whatever the case, they are often anxious or nervous.

Maintaining normal blood pressure is so important for our health, including our gynecologic health. However, as we age we are more prone to develop high blood pressure. Genetics can also play a role in increasing your risk.

Osteoporosis primarily affects women, especially after menopause due to the decline in estrogen levels. However, men can also develop the condition. Family history, age, genetics, and certain lifestyle factors such as smoking and prolonged use of oral steroids contribute to the risk of osteoporosis.

When we think about smoking, we think about lung disease, chronic cough, lung cancer, which is the leading cause of death in the United States from cancer. But what does all of this have to do with gynecology?

Our body is our engine, and without it working properly we can't accomplish everything we set out to do. When it comes to taking care of your health, here are the top 5 things that I am paying attention to this year and I offer the same to you!

You have fibroids, or a large ovarian cyst, or heavy bleeding and you want a hysterectomy….how should the surgery be accomplished? Are your fibroids too many or your uterus too large? Do you need an open incision (like a C-section) or can it be done through a few small holes with the robot?

When it comes to healthcare, what do patients really want? Through my first month in practice at Lamorinda Gynecology & Surgery, I discovered what patients really want is: access, a doctor who cares, and to be heard. Read more about my first month in practice and what the future holds.