Understanding The Differences Between A Fertility Specialist And OB/GYN

Overview

To understand the differences between an OB/GYN and a Fertility Specialist, you should have proper knowledge about their working role and treatment area.

An OB/GYN is a doctor who specialises in obstetrics and gynaecology and provides appropriate treatment for gynaecological problems. Obstetricians specialise in providing helpful guidelines to pregnant women from conception through delivery.

A gynaecologist treats women’s reproductive organs related to irregular periods, urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and many more medical conditions concerned with reproductive organs.

While a fertility doctor is specialised in diagnosing infertility issues in both males and females and developing treatment plans with medications, and providing In vitro fertilisation; if you have a conceiving problem, then you should go to a fertility doctor; they can suggest you proper treatment and solve your problems with various medical treatments.

Lets understand about obstetrics, Gynaecology and fertility in detail.

– Obstetrics

Obstetrics is a part of medical science that is concerned with the issues of human reproduction. This branch of medical science focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, and the period after childbirth. Doctors who specialise in Obstetrics are known as Obstetricians.

They have specialised qualifications in delivering babies and providing proper medical care and diagnosis to women during pregnancy and postnatal care. They are well skilled in dealing with high-risk pregnancy and delivery problems.

An obstetrician gives guidelines to the women during the postpartum period and looks after the health of the mother and the baby. Obstetrics manage the complications of pregnancy, such as ectopic pregnancies, placenta issues, high blood pressure, and fetal distress.

During the first month of pregnancy, obstetricians do some tests, including a complete blood count, blood type testing, and a urinalysis. They also supervise labour and Cesarean delivery and ensure the proper care and safety of the newborn baby. Obstetric services also deal with recovery after childbirth, lactation consultation and Postpartum care.

– Gynaecology

Gynaecology is the field of medical science that deals with diseases related to women’s reproductive health. A gynaecologist treats women’s reproductive and sexual health issues, including pelvic exams, Pap tests, cancer screenings, and testing and treatment for vaginal infections.

Gynaecology is concerned with both medicine and surgical fields. Gynaecology deals with several women’s reproductive organ problems that are mentioned below.

• Ultrasound examination of the reproductive organs
• Diagnose the sexually transmitted infections and  treatment of urinary incontinence
• Diagnose the problems with menstruation like absence, heavy bleeding, irregular or no-onset of menstruation etc.
• Take routine Pap smears from the cervix to diagnose and detect cervix cancer
• They diagnose and remove cysts and infections from the ovaries and fallopian tubes through laparoscopy.
• They perform surgery on the uterus, fallopian tube or ovary to treat any problem arising in them.

– Fertility Specialist:

A fertility specialist is a medical professional who diagnoses and treats fertility issues for both males and females. 

Fertility specialists deal with several common and critical fertility problems, including ovulation problems, hormonal disorders, weight or age-related infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome,  endometriosis, fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes, and abnormal sperm production, as well as fertility-related to certain genetic conditions. 

Fertility specialists perform their tasks efficiently and provide the best treatment to their patients. They provide various services that are given below. 

• Pre-pregnancy screening tests
• Fertility assessments
• Fertility treatment planning and treatments include Ovulation cycle tracking, ovulation induction, fertility surgery, vitro fertilisation treatment, Intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment, Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, fertility preservation and time-lapse imaging.
  
• Assisted reproductive treatments such as surrogacy, and egg, sperm or embryo donation
• Ultrasound scans and blood tests

Fertility specialists thoroughly evaluate a patient to determine the cause of infertility through laboratory tests, and these test results help determine whether a patient is in the normal range.

It would be best to have suggestions from  A fertility doctor when you face the following situations. 

• A sexually transmitted disease
• Trouble getting pregnant after trying for one year, if under 35
• A history of multiple miscarriages
• Trouble conceiving after trying for six months, if 35 or over
• A diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome that leads to infertility.

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Fertility Specialist or Ob/Gyn: Which Is Right for You?

Before choosing who is right for your treatment, you need to know about the roles and understand their differences based on their working areas. Fertility Specialist or Ob/Gyn: Which Is Right for You? It depends on what type of reproductive organ related issues you have if you should consult an OB/GYN if you have the following reproductive organ related issues.

• Period related problems such as  missed or heavy periods
• Vaginal discharge and sexual issues 
• Any sexually transmitted diseases you  have faced
• Advice on Birth control methods if you are sexually active.
  

If you have infertility issues, you should go to a fertility specialist who can provide you with specialised treatment. A fertility doctor can help determine the causes of infertility and provide the appropriate treatment once an evaluation has been completed. 

Several medical conditions cause infertility, such as Polycystic ovary syndrome, Endometriosis, Primary ovarian insufficiency, and a thyroid condition. Besides these, if you have had multiple miscarriages and have been diagnosed with cancer, you will suffer from fertility issues and reproductive problems. 

From the above discussion, We hope that the differences between Fertility Specialists and Ob/Gyn are clear. But who is the right choice for you is completely based on the health issues you have and what types of health problems you had before that led to infertility or many other related reproductive organs problems.