Everyone needs a primary care provider to manage health and well-being. This provider treats unexpected illnesses, performs wellness exams, and helps you stay well.
Women also need gynecology care for similar reasons, though its focus is on reproductive health. But you may not have the time to see two doctors every year to manage your general health.
At Obstetricians & Gynecologists, PC, in Hastings and Grand Island, Nebraska, we understand how lack of time keeps many people from getting the wellness exams they need. That’s why our team offers primary care services and gynecology care.
Here are some of the advantages of getting primary care services from your OB/GYN.
Primary care is the general contractor for your health, overseeing, maintaining, and treating issues as they come up. Your primary care provider can manage most health issues but makes sure you get specialized care when necessary — for example, referring you to an OB/GYN when you have abnormal periods.
OB/GYN is an area of medicine that specializes in women’s health, overseeing, maintaining, and treating health issues specific to women, usually in connection with the reproductive organs.
Primary care and OB/GYN doctors provide similar services. However, OB/GYNs offer more specialized care that center around women’s health. Though reproductive health is the primary focus for OB/GYNs, they can manage overall health and wellness, too.
Many primary care providers perform well-woman exams. If you’re in good overall health and don’t have any gynecological concerns, this may work for you. However, having an OB/GYN as your primary care provider offers many advantages for women’s health.
First, you can expect a more thorough well-woman exam from an OB/GYN than your primary care provider. We perform a physical, breast, and pelvic exam, and because we’re trained in women’s health, we can spot issues other providers may overlook.
We’re also better at differentiating between gynecological problems and other pelvic area health issues. Pelvic pain is a symptom of many conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), endometriosis, fibroids, and urinary tract infections (UTIs).
A primary care doctor may not perform the diagnostic tests to rule out various health conditions before landing on a diagnosis. We know endometriosis and IBS have similar symptoms, but require very different treatments.
In addition, we provide help with family planning, talking to you about your birth control options, offering prescriptions, inserting intrauterine devices (IUDs), or performing tubal ligations.
One of the biggest advantages of getting primary care from OB/GYN is time. Instead of having to make two wellness appointments each year, you only need one. It also improves continuity of care, leading to better health outcomes.
At Obstetricians & Gynecologists, PC, we also provide Medicare annual wellness visits, creating and updating your preventive health plan.
Primary care from your OB/GYN is comprehensive and personal. Letting us take care of all of your health needs improves our patient-doctor relationship and trust, making it easier for you to open up and discuss any health concerns you have, even the more sensitive ones.
Getting primary care from your OB/GYN saves you time and money and benefits your health. If you’re in need of a primary care provider, contact us today by calling the office closest to you or requesting an appointment online.
