Dr. Beverly M. Towne, MD

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.