Obstetrics and gynecology deals with disorders of a woman’s reproductive system. An obstetrician/gynecologist is sometimes a primary physician for women. The gynecologist treats women and their reproductive systems, but is also concerned with women’s menstrual problems, disorders of pelvic organs, infertility, or cancer of the reproductive organs. Some tests a gynecologist will order or administer are blood tests, a vaginal swab, or X-rays or ultrasound of the pelvic region. An obstetrician can be a gynecologist, and the two practices are closely related.

The obstetrician deals with problems of the woman and fetus during pregnancy and childbirth, and can act as a consultant to other physicians regarding the care of a patient. An obstetrician will see a pregnant woman regularly to check on her health and progress of her pregnancy. Risk factors in a pregnancy include the mother’s diabetes, a previous pregnancy complication, high blood pressure, or heart disease, and will require an obstetrician to check on a woman’s condition more often.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Illinois has 2,104 practicing obstetricians & gynecologists. Broken out by city, obstetrics & gynecology doctor density in Alton is 20, in Aurora is 46, in Batavia is 8, in Belleville is 19, in Belvidere is 1, in Berwyn is 13, in Bloomington is 33, in Blue Island is 11, in Breese is 4, in Burbank is 5, in Calumet City is 3, in Canton is 2, in Carbondale is 18, in Carmi is 1, in Carthage is 1, in Casey is 1, in Centralia is 6, in Champaign is 23, in Charleston is 3, in Chicago is 730, in Chicago Heights is 17, in Cicero is 14, in Clinton is 1, in Collinsville is 2, in Crystal Lake is 30, in Danville is 23, in Decatur is 15, in Dekalb is 6, in Des Plaines is 16, in Du Quoin is 3, in East Moline is 2, in East Peoria is 4, in Edwardsville is 3, in Effingham is 8, in Elgin is 34, in Elmhurst is 31, in Evanston is 85, in Fairfield is 3, in Freeport is 9, in Galesburg is 12, in Geneseo is 1, in Geneva is 23, in Granite City is 9, in Greenville is 1, in Hamilton is 1, in Harvard is 8, in Harvey is 14, in Henry is 1, in Herrin is 10, in Highland Park is 18, in Jacksonville is 6, in Jerseyville is 9, in Joliet is 40, in Kankakee is 10, in Kewanee is 1, in Lake Forest is 29, in Marion is 6, in Mascoutah is 3, in Mattoon is 12, in Mchenry is 10, in Mendota is 2, in Moline is 28, in Momence is 2, in Monmouth is 1, in Morris is 9, in Mount Vernon is 5, in Naperville is 67, in Nashville is 1, in Normal is 11, in North Chicago is 2, in Oak Forest is 3, in Oakbrook Terrace is 8, in Ottawa is 7, in Palos Heights is 18, in Palos Hills is 1, in Park Ridge is 48, in Pekin is 7, in Peoria is 38, in Peru is 6, in Pontiac is 4, in Princeton is 2, in Quincy is 9, in Robinson is 3, in Rock Island is 8, in Rockford is 54, in Sandwich is 2, in Silvis is 6, in Spring Valley is 5, in Springfield is 48, in Streator is 5, in Sycamore is 6, in Urbana is 23, in Waterloo is 5, in Waukegan is 12, in West Frankfort is 3, in Wheaton is 21, in Wood Dale is 4, in Woodstock is 17, in Yorkville is 13, and in Zion is 1.

Most people think that Chicago, because of its size and popularity, is Illinois’ capital city, but that distinction belongs to Springfield, home of the Abraham Lincoln Museum. Illinois has hundreds of museums, numerous yearly art and ethnic festivals, a lakeshore bordering Lake Michigan, and the many national forests and parks that offers visitors camping, horseback riding, biking, kayaking, and fishing. Chicago is home to the Sears Tower, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other cultural opportunities and restaurants in the Navy Pier area.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Illinois has a population of 12,763,371. Of this population, 3,172,677 are under the age of 18 and 1,523,937 are at or above the age of 65.