Whether you’re expecting your first child, you want assistance with a woman’s issue or you just want to connect with a provider who can provide some more personalized advice and care, you should consider connecting with a women’s care clinic and an OBGYN.
An obstetrician can assist with things like fertility issues, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, while a gynecologist can help with pelvic health issues and conditions that affect your reproductive organs. If you’ve never been to an OBGYN, it’s time for you to find a provider that can help navigate the next steps of your life. But how can you choose a provider who is right for you? In today’s blog, we share some tips for finding your first OBGYN or switching to a different OBGYN.
Tips For Choosing An OBGYN
If you’re hoping to find your first women’s care provider or you’re looking to find a new provider, keep these five tips in mind:
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Check Your Insurance – First and foremost, make sure that the clinic you’re considering accepts your insurance. We’re happy to tell you which insurance plans we accept, or you can reach out to your insurance provider to get a list of the women’s care clinics that are in your network.
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Crowdsource Recommendations – Odds are you have some women in your life with a women’s care provider that they trust and would recommend to anyone looking for an OBGYN. Ask your friends or family if they have any recommendations or if they’ve had any less than stellar experiences with certain clinics. Oftentimes you can get some more honest feedback by asking for recommendations from your friends and family than by checking for testimonials on a provider’s website.
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Check Reviews – Even though we mentioned that your friends and family may provide some more honest feedback, that doesn’t mean you should completely ignore online reviews. Just make sure that you read reviews from sources that can’t be controlled by the business. Testimonials you read on a provider’s site can be insightful, but know that they control what goes on their website. Instead, see how the clinic or a specific provider is rated on Google, social media sites or healthcare review sites like HeathGrades or RateMDs.
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Figure Out What’s Important To You – Before you choose your provider, take a moment to reflect on what’s important to you. Do you have any underlying health issues or a family history of any specific women’s care issues that you want your provider to specialize in? Do you want a provider who is more serious, or someone who can lighten the mood a bit with conversation during your prenatal appointments? Consider what’s most important to you so that you can see how well your needs match up with what the provider has to offer at your initial appointment.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Switch – Finally, don’t be afraid to switch providers if you’re just not connecting like you’d hope with your doctor. It’s impossible to know how well the conversation and the care will go until after your first appointment, and if things just don’t feel right, know that you can keep searching for the person you’ll call your OBGYN. Because your women’s care provider will discuss some intimate and potentially emotionally charged topics, it’s important that you have the utmost trust and respect for your women’s care professional. At the end of the day, the doctor is there to serve you, and if it’s not the right fit, keep on searching.
We believe that we can check all these boxes for you, and we hope you’ll put us to the test if you are looking for a women’s care provider! For more information, or to set up your first appointment, reach out to the team at MetroPartners OBGYN today at (651) 770-3320.