Women's Health Providers - Palo Alto, CA

What is Women's Health?

Women's health is a field of medicine that provides care for women of all ages and encompasses all obstetric and gynecologic services. Women's health specialists diagnose, treat, and help prevent conditions which may impair female wellness. Women's health specialists are physicians trained in an area of women's medical care, such as gynecologists, OB-GYNs, female urologists, urogynecologists, and pelvic reconstructive surgeons. A women's health team may be composed of these women's health specialists as well as auxiliary medical professionals such as nurse practitioners, doulas, nurse midwives, and others. Women's health can be divided into the following parts, or subspecialties, including:

Preventative care, such as pelvic exams, immunizations, and breast cancer screenings
Breast care, such as mammographies, breast biopsy, radiation and chemotherapy, genetic risk testing, and mastectomy procedures
Urinary and pelvic health, such as treatment for urinary tract infections (UTI) and pelvic floor disorders
Sexual health, such as birth control, family planning, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment
Gynecology and reproductive health, such as diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis, irregular menstrual cycles, menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Obstetrics, such as pregnancy (prenatal, delivery, and postpartum) care and breastfeeding training
Infertility, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo cryopreservation, and ovulation medicines
Oncology (cancer), diagnosis, prevention, and treatment for gynecologic and breast cancers

Patients are frequently referred to a women's health specialist by their primary care physician or other doctor. While women's health specialists treat females of all ages, most patients visit a women's health specialist during their first pregnancy or as an adult.