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 1,879 practicing obstetricians & gynecologists. Broken out by city, obstetrics & gynecology doctor density in Alton is 14, in Aurora is 50, in Batavia is 5, in Belleville is 17, in Belvidere is 1, in Berwyn is 13, in Bloomington is 31, in Blue Island is 7, in Breese is 5, in Burbank is 5, in Calumet City is 3, in Canton is 2, in Carbondale is 16, in Carthage is 1, in Casey is 1, in Centralia is 6, in Champaign is 19, in Charleston is 2, in Chicago is 631, in Chicago Heights is 11, in Cicero is 13, in Clinton is 1, in Collinsville is 2, in Crystal Lake is 28, in Danville is 19, in Decatur is 14, in Dekalb is 7, in Des Plaines is 14, in Du Quoin is 4, in East Moline is 2, in East Peoria is 3, in Edwardsville is 2, in Effingham is 7, in Elgin is 32, in Elmhurst is 25, in Evanston is 64, in Fairfield is 2, in Freeport is 4, in Galesburg is 8, in Geneseo is 1, in Geneva is 23, in Granite City is 10, in Greenville is 1, in Hamilton is 1, in Harvard is 7, in Harvey is 9, in Henry is 1, in Herrin is 9, in Highland Park is 13, in Jacksonville is 5, in Jerseyville is 7, in Joliet is 32, in Kankakee is 9, in Kewanee is 3, in Lake Forest is 23, in Macomb is 4, in Marion is 6, in Mascoutah is 2, in Mattoon is 10, in Mchenry is 9, in Mendota is 2, in Moline is 22, in Momence is 2, in Monmouth is 2, in Morris is 8, in Mount Vernon is 5, in Naperville is 59, in Nashville is 1, in Normal is 10, in North Chicago is 4, in Oak Forest is 3, in Oakbrook Terrace is 10, in Ottawa is 5, in Palos Heights is 17, in Palos Hills is 1, in Park Ridge is 43, in Pekin is 6, in Peoria is 44, in Peru is 7, in Pontiac is 3, in Princeton is 2, in Quincy is 8, in Robinson is 4, in Rock Island is 6, in Rockford is 54, in Sandwich is 3, in Silvis is 4, in Spring Valley is 4, in Springfield is 57, in Streator is 4, in Sycamore is 6, in Urbana is 17, in Waterloo is 3, in Waukegan is 16, in West Frankfort is 3, in Wheaton is 25, in Wood Dale is 3, in Woodstock is 15, in Yorkville is 14, 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.