Obstetrician-gynecologists, or OB/GYNs, diagnose, treat, and provide care for a wide range of conditions and milestones. While paired together, the two specialties have distinct differences; obstetrics is the specialization of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, whereas gynecology is the specialization of the female reproductive system, breast disease, family planning, and contraceptive options, infertility, and more. Together, the two fields create a cohesive plan of care for women of all ages and backgrounds.
OB/GYNs receive special training in both obstetrics and gynecology to provide the best possible care to patients. After completing medical school, they must then complete a minimum of four years of resident education in obstetrics and gynecology focused on reproductive and primary health care for women. To become board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, these medical doctors must complete extensive exams from the American Board of Obstetrics/Gynecology (ABOG). To further their specialization and education, OB/GYNs are able to complete additional training and become a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Most OB/GYNs are generalists. They treat a variety of medical conditions in office, provide examinations, discuss birth control and family planning options, perform surgery, and manage labor and delivery. Typical procedures that obstetrician-gynecologists perform include pap smears, hormone replacement therapy, diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy, laparoscopic hysterectomy, colposcopies, Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), and surgical treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. Obstetrical procedures may include cesarean section and circumcision. Other common conditions treated by an OB/GYN are abnormal bleeding, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, hormonal disorders, and infertility.
TPMG Obstetrics & Gynecology has four convenient locations throughout the Peninsula in Newport News, Williamsburg, Hampton, and TPMG Middle Peninsula Women’s Care & Family Medicine in Gloucester.
