Your First GYN Visit: What to Expect?

As young women mature, it is important they have their first GYN visit and learn to make good choices for their overall health. A woman’s first women’s health visit can cause feelings of nervousness and apprehension. In many cases, it may be appropriate for a first visit to simply consist of speaking with the physician regarding what to expect and getting to know one another.

During these first appointments, physicians will ask a variety of questions regarding your menstrual cycle, sexual activity and family health history. Giving honest answers to the questions asked is imperative to receiving accurate care from your physician. Remember, your doctor is there to answer any questions you may have.

At your first visit, depending on your age, there are several types of exams that may be performed. These include: general physical exam, breast exam, pelvic exam, pap test and past due vaccinations.   During a physical exam, items such as height, weight and blood pressure will be recorded. When a breast exam is performed, your doctor may check your breasts for abnormal growths or lumps. This is carried out by simple moving their fingers around the breast in a pattern and applying slight pressure.

In many cases, at a first appointment, your doctor will not perform a pelvic exam. However, if this is necessary (you have engaged in sexual intercourse or have certain issues) your doctor will look at the vulva, internal organs (through the use of a gloved hand) and use a device known as a speculum to view the vagina and take a small sample to test for STDs. This process allows the doctor to check for and detect possible abnormalities. This procedure may cause brief discomfort, but not pain. If needed, a Pap Test may be performed during the pelvic exam which consists of taking a small sample of cells from the cervix using a swab. After removed, these cells are examined under a microscope for abnormalities.

Finally, your physician will want to review simple tips for staying strong and healthy and review that your vaccinations are up to date so you are adequately protected from viruses and disease. Please know that we understand this first visit can be a nerve-wracking experience. We want to ensure the experience is as easy and painless for you as possible, so we encourage you to ask questions throughout the appointment or even meet with us beforehand to gather information about what to expect!

Rep. Rigell Visits The Group for Women

Rep-Rigell-visits-The-Group-for-WomenOn October 31, Dr. Holly Puritz and her colleagues at Mid-Atlantic Women’s Care hosted Representative Scott Rigell (R-VA) in Norfolk, VA. Congressman Rigell was pleased to see his constituents doing what they do best. Dr. Puritz thanked him for signing the Flores-Maffei SGR Repeal Congressional Sign-on Letter and spoke to him about the next steps and need for his support. She provided him background on how long ACOG has been lobbying for SGR reform and the cost of another SGR patch, rather than a full fix. He learned about private medical practice and the difficulty of being a small business owner as Rep-Rigell-visits-The-Group-for-Women2well as a healthcare provider. They also discussed other important issues, including graduate medical education funding and the Affordable Care Act, and their effects on small private practices. After the visit, Representative Rigell said “What a pleasure it was to meet Dr. Puritz and her colleagues at Mid-Atlantic Women’s Care. From the moment we were greeted I was impressed by their warmth, professionalism and concern for their patients. We left with an even deeper understanding of why prenatal care is so critically important, and with practical ideas to help address the challenges facing OBGYN’s.”

Congratulations Dr. Holly Puritz for Winning the Medical Society of Virginia’s “Salute to Service Award”

HSP-awardhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zXrryphGedw

Congratulations to Dr. Puritz, the winner of “The MSV Salute to Service Award”.

This award was given to Dr. Puritz for her work on safety and quality improvement to reduce early elective induction statewide. The work was done in collaboration with ACOG, MSV, Virginia Hospital Association and MARCH OF DIMES.

The Marriage of Mental Health and Medicine: Practice Success

by Barbara L. Kersey, Ph.D. 

The year was 1986. I had earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1984 and was in my first post-graduate position, “in the trenches” of a local mental health agency. I was ready for a change, having become rundown and somewhat disheartened about the difficulties of agency work. I received a call from Jon Crockford, an OB/GYN physician, asking if I would be interested in coming to work in a medical setting.  I was more than interested and couldn’t wait to talk with him.

We chatted for a few minutes and made an appointment to speak face to face in Dr. Crockford’s office.  After that meeting, he arranged for me to meet with all the physicians (at that time, six males) at one of their 7am Thursday meetings. We discussed the possibilities; I knew it made intuitive sense. Women who are seen by their OB/GYN and are in need of mental health care for depression, postpartum issues, marital problems, premenstrual distress, infertility, or hormonal challenges would be much more likely to follow up with a referral to an in-house therapist than to seek help in a psychiatric practice elsewhere. And a practice that specializes in addressing the needs of women would be well served to address their mental health needs as well.

We started off with a series of free seminars informing the public and our patients about our new counseling services. On four separate occasions, one of the physicians and I offered loss, women and relationships, and depression.

One of the groups of patients we wanted to reach was those who experience pregnancy loss. In addition to our free seminar, I drafted a letter of condolence that went out to patients who experience loss, expressing our concern and letting them know that the practice had expanded its services to include counseling. In addition, I sent a booklet on grief that let patients and their husbands and families know what to expect emotionally in the weeks and months following loss. These booklets have now become routine and a part of the medical protocol.

Our counseling services were well received. Within six months of coming on board, I was busy fulltime.  Now, 18 years later the practice includes nine physicians (with four females). The counseling services have been expanded to include a sub-specialty in work with infertile couples and a consulting relationship with both the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine and the New Hope Center for Reproductive Medicine. My caseload remains full and now is only open to physician referral. The marriage of mental health care in this medical setting has been a practice success. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to do this exciting work.

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