Understanding obstetrics and gynaecology

I’m so glad you got to read our welcome message and learn a little more about me and the vision of this platform. Let’s keep the conversation going! Thank you for all your feedback on the topics you’d like us to discuss.it’s so encouraging to see how optimistic and eager you are to be part of this journey.

As I reflected on where to begin, I felt it was pivotal to first understand the core components of the field.

 Obstetrics is the branch of medicine focused on pregnancy and childbirth, including the preconception period and the postpartum phase.

Gynaecology is the area of medicine that focuses on conditions affecting the female reproductive system. This includes reproductive health, infertility, oncology (cancers), and urogynaecology, which deals with the pelvic floor.

So, my dear EPIFEM QUEEN, remember this:

– When it’s about pregnancy, you say you’re going to see your obstetrician.

-When it’s anything outside of pregnancy, you’re going to see your gynaecologist.

(And yes, please share this fun fact in your spaces,Ha ha.)

Here in South Africa, the two are not separated, which is why we say OBGYN.

For interest’s sake,have you ever wondered what it takes to become an OBGYN in South Africa?

It takes a total of 14 years of training and studying before one can be fully registered. I know, right?  This includes:

• 6 years of undergraduate medical studies
• 3 years of internship and community service
• 5 years of a master’s program in obstetrics and gynaecology

While OBGYN services are becoming more accessible across the country and have empowered so many women, we do acknowledge that some areas still experience gaps. Even so, I truly believe we are privileged as a generation  to have come this far.

friend!, Tell me, with all the information now available online and through women’s health apps, do you feel well-informed and confident about your own health?

And why do you think many women still find it difficult to open up about the symptoms they experience? What barriers do you think stand in the way?

To commemorate my dear aunt, our next newsletter will focus on cervical cancer. She was one of the many women who struggled to open up about her symptoms. I had all the information, yet I never had the chance to share it with her and that leaves me with deep sadness.

But in honoring her memory, I want us to break the silence together. May this space empower every EPIFEM QUEEN to speak up, to seek help early, and to know that knowledge shared can save lives.

Thanks again for choosing to journey with me in conversations .

HEALTH IS WEALTH 

Love

Dr Nshali