If you are an adult female, you will probably have to see an Obgyn regularly. That is the doctor who specializes in female reproductive health.

If you are preparing to look for an Obgyn, here are some more information regarding them, their academic background and clinical practice.

Who Can Become an Obgyn doctor?

Those who are thinking of going to med school soon may want to weigh their prospects for specializing in female reproductive health. The formal term for this kind of doctor is obstetrician gynecologist, commonly referred to as Obgyn. Many female doctors try to become an Obgyn for their specialization after graduation since they can empathize with their female patients. The best Obgyn NYC can help women with their preparation to get pregnant and treat any diseases or disorders with regards to pregnancies.

The formal terms for this area of medicine is Obstetrics and Gynecology. The reason there are two terms is that there are minor differences between these two fields. Obstetrics is basically the field about caring for a woman’s ability to bear children. This covers the time before, during and after a woman delivers a baby. It also deals with the surgical expertise of a doctor if a female’s reproductive system requires it. On the other hand, gynecology is about caring for a woman’s reproductive health. As you can see, there are overlaps in the coverage of these two fields so most of the time the field is just called Obgyn.

What Are the Minor Areas of Subspecialty Within the Obgyn Field?

• Maternal-Fetal Medicine – This cover patients with high-risk pregnancies.
• Gynecologic Oncology – This field treats women who have cancer of the female reproductive system.
• Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility – In this area, doctors check the various components of the endocrine system. In relation, they also determine the causes of infertility.
• Female Pelvic Medicine and Reproductive Surgery – The disorders of the pelvic floor, urinary tract system and the female reproductive system are studied in this field.

How Does One Study to Become an Obgyn?

To become an Obgyn, you must earn your bachelor’s degree in human biology first. You may take courses like anatomy, biology and chemistry. After you have graduated, you need to clear the MCAT examination to enter the medical school.  Here you’ll be studying for another 4 years. When you have earned your med school requirements, you may then apply for Residency. Residency is the term for graduate-level training. You may opt to study Obstetrics and Gynecology for your residency training. You will have to train under a certified doctor during your residency then study for another three years, depending on what is the area of interest for specialization.

When all that studying and training is completed, you can then take the Medicine Licensing Exam depending on the country and region of degree. Take note that your score in the Board Exam is very important since you cannot get into a reputable hospital or clinic, or even practice Medicine in your own clinic without it. Once you have hurdled the Board Exam successfully, you are a licensed obgyn doctor and are allowed to practice it professionally.

What Are the Risks Faced by an Obgyn?

As in all medical practice, an Obgyn’s biggest risk is that the patient may have complications related to their pregnancy while under the care of the Obgyn. Pregnant women are in a very sensitive phase of their life when they consult an Obgyn, as the doctor must care for both the pregnant women and the fetus in their wombs. If the complications are severe enough, the patient may even suffer a miscarriage. The worst-case scenario is that both the mother-to-be and the child in her womb may die during the pregnancy, or in childbirth.

Therefore, an Obgyn has to go through rigorous training. It is not surprising that many Obgyn specialists keep up with the trends in reproductive health research as each day new studies and advances are made in the field for the benefit of patients. For example, Obgyn doctors will have to learn about the effects of HPV or human papilloma virus (a sexually transmitted disease) on a pregnant patient. There are other diseases or disorders that can threaten pregnancy and prevent carrying a fetus to full term.

Final Takeaway

An Obgyn has a big responsibility when a female patient submits herself for a physical exam. The Obgyn must make sure that the patient will be able to conceive a child and carry it to full term, with minimal risk to both mother and child. This doctor would also have to make sure that the mother and child are stable, after delivery of the baby. Although there are many risks, becoming an Obgyn is an honourable profession since the lives of vulnerable mothers are put in the skilled hands of a competent Obgyn.