Women Providers, Women Patients
Men and women are built differently and can have different health care needs and concerns. For example, many autoimmune diseases are more common among women than men, and women are more likely to develop osteoporosis. Abdominal aortic aneurysms effect far more men than women and color blindness is widespread among men compared with women. Four specialists from Keck Medicine of USC who practice at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital share their insights into the specific needs of their female patients.
Podiatry
A lot of women love shoes that don’t love their feet. High heels or shoes that are narrow in the front can cause deformities such as bunions or hammer toes, which are much more common problems for women than for men. Flip flops, if worn too frequently, can cause stress fractures over time. The wrong shoes can lead to neuroma and nerve damage.
The team of podiatrists at Keck Medicine of USC have an array of solutions for women who have any of these common problems. “We provide a lot of education in this regard,” notes Laura Shin, MD. “We can do full evaluations and recommend a number of options.”
Some patients may get relief by changing the types of shoes they wear, some may need physical therapy, and the podiatrists can also make specialized orthotics. The team at Keck Medicine also provides a full suite of surgical options if other measures fail.
Pelvic and Reconstructive Medicine
About one-third of women deal with pelvic floor disorders and, while these disorders are extremely common, it is also common for women to avoid treatment for these issues. “They aren’t life threatening so a lot of women don’t bring them up with their doctors,” notes Aldene Zeno, MD. “But they can really be a major quality of life issue.”
Pelvic floor disorders often come about after pregnancy or menopause and can lead to bladder leak, fecal incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. In some women, these conditions interfere tremendously with social lives, work, sex lives and self-image.
Women who have sought help from doctors who specialize in pelvic floor disorders have found that there are many simple ways to treat these conditions and dramatically improve their lives. Treatments include physical therapy, medication, devices or surgery, depending on the type of disorder and severity. Many of the treatments are minimally invasive and can really change people’s lives, notes Zeno.
Family Medicine
Certainly, most women know that their family medicine doctors provide annual exams and help manage chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Fewer, however, know their family medicine doctor might also provide general obstetrics and gynecologic care.
Family medicine specialists, notes Isabel Edge, MD, also receive training in general obstetrics and gynecology and so while many patients may think they need to see an OB/Gyn specialist in addition to a family medicine doctor, that may not be the case.
“We do Pap tests, prescribe birth control, do IUD placements,” says Edge. “We can also provide prenatal care and deliver babies.”
Gastroenterology
Both bloating and constipation are common problems for women and a typical response is to examine one’s diet or reach for an over-the-counter medication. Many women who have chronic gastrointestinal problems do not know that their problem may result from a dysfunction in the gastrointestinal tract.
Irritable bowel syndrome, which is the most common functional disorder in the GI tract, is common among women and can dramatically impact their quality of life. “It is important to have a proper evaluation,” says Sonia Taneja, MD, “because getting to the root cause of the problem is the first step in finding a solution.”
There are a range of treatment options for functional problems that includes medication, dietary changes, physical therapy, stress management or psychotherapy.
USC-VHH has been serving the Crescenta Valley and Foothill communities of Southern California for almost 50 years. For more information, visit USCVHH.org.