Sonogram images of your little one make life-lasting memories for moms-to-be and their families.  Because we know this is your special time, we offer all of our obstetrical patients a FREE 3D/4D Pregnancy Ultrasound a few weeks prior to your delivery.  The photos and DVD images make great keepsakes for a lifetime of memories!

Moms-to-be and their families want choices for expert medical and nursing care  for both mom and the baby at and after delivery.

Our offices are centrally located.  We are close to Metropolitan Methodist Hospital Women’s Pavillion, Downtown Baptist Hospital and Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.

Your physician and our health care team will discuss your delivery options so you can make the best informed choice for you, your family and your baby.

Every pregnant woman wants a peek at her little one as early as possible in her pregnancy.  Pregnancy Ultrasounds are a very helpful part of prenatal care.  That’s why our physicians perform pregnancy ultrasounds at every woman’s very first prenatal visit.  At your first OB visit with the physician, you will get a sonogram photo to show everyone and to place in your baby book as “the first photo of your little one.”

In most cases, our physician will repeat your pregnancy ultrasound at least one more time during your pregnancy.

We know how special the memories of your baby’s sonogram are for you, so we offer FREE 3D/4D Pregnancy Sonograms for our obstetrical patients a few weeks prior to your delivery.

After we run the test, a member of our health care team will discuss the results with you in a private setting.

Women should seek pregnancy care as early as possible.  We encourage you to start care and treatment as soon as you know or suspect you are pregnant.  That is why we offer Free Pregnancy Tests and accept same day appointments.  We accept most insurance plans and Medicaid.  Call us 210.222.0351.

On your first OB pregnancy visit, the physician will perform a medical evaluation and exam and a pregnancy ultrasound – you get to keep a sonogram photo!

Our experienced health care team will provide you with information and discuss your pregnancy care plan with you.

And because our patients are special, we will offer you a FREE 3D/4D Pregnancy Sonogram a few weeks prior to your delivery.

Menopause Treatments
The effects of menopause can have wide-ranging effects on many parts of a woman’s body. It can affect your urinary tract, heart, blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin and portions of the brain. So healthcare is very important during menopause.

Menopause is the permanent end of a woman’s monthly period. A woman has reached menopause when she has stopped menstruating for one year. Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.

As a woman’s hormone levels decline, she may begin to notice changes in her body due to fluctuating hormone levels. Common symptoms are hot flashes, night sweats, erratic monthly periods, vaginal dryness and an increase in facial hair and thinning hair on the scalp.

If you are struggling with symptoms or health problems that you believe may be associated with menopause, please contact us. Our Physicians have extensive experience treating menopause and its symptoms. Besides the consultation and examination, additional tests may be required to treat the effects of menopause.

1 in every 5 couples is infertile. A couple is considered infertile if the woman does not conceive a child after a year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse. Our Physicians advise patients to have an exam and start prenatal vitamins before trying to conceive and to have sexual relations 3 to 4 times a week. An infertility work-up is a step-by-step process that can take several months. We will obtain medical histories, perform diagnostic testing, refer semen for analysis, and teach you how to monitor for ovulation. Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe medications, such as “fertility drugs,” to induce ovulation if you are not ovulating.

A Woman’s Choice screens and treats both males and females for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). We recommend annual STD Testing for:

• Men and women of any age who are sexually active and do not regularly use condoms or have several partners
• All men and women under the age of 30

More frequent testing may be necessary under certain circumstances, such as if symptoms reappear. A Woman’s Choice follows the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The CDC recommends first testing for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis. If any of these tests are positive, the CDC recommends follow-up testing for HIV and Hepatitis. However, we will handle any and all tests you may prefer. To see the CDC’s guidelines, please visit: www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec80009a98

STDs are, for the most part, easy to treat in the early stages. If left untreated, however, complications can be severe and even fatal. Unfortunately, some people do not experience symptoms when they have STDs. If you suspect you have an STD, please come into our office or call for an appointment as soon as possible.

Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing
Screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are simultaneous using one specimen sample from the vagina (female) or penis (male).

Chlamydia is one of the most common bacterial infections in the United States. The infection can be transmitted through oral, vaginal and anal sexual activity. Routine screening is essential since 75% of infected women have no symptoms. It is curable, but if left untreated can put women at risk for pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility and ectopic, or tubal, pregnancies.

Gonorrhea is also a very common bacterial infection. This infection is transmitted through oral, vaginal and anal sexual activity. It can also be spread from mother to baby during delivery. As with Chlamydia, women infected with Gonorrhea do not have symptoms. It is curable, but if left untreated can put women at risk for pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, and ectopic, or tubal pregnancies in the future.

Syphilis Testing
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is increasing in prevalence in the United States. Transmission occurs during vaginal, anal or oral sex. Pregnant women with the disease can pass it on to their babies.

Many people infected with syphilis do not have any symptoms. People infected with syphilis are more at risk for acquiring HIV sexually. Syphilis is easy to cure in its early stages, but is fatal if left untreated.

Annual Pap Smears and 3-MONTH SUPPLY of Birth Control
Students with current ID get a discount
Patients with Insurance also get a discount.
When a woman reaches 18 or becomes sexually active, whichever comes first, she should have a complete examination every year. Pap smears are done as part of the Annual Visit. At A Woman’s Choice, medical and reproductive history is taken and your weight, height and blood pressure will be recorded.

You will be asked for any family history of illnesses, your present health status and habits, details of your menstrual cycle, your sexual history, your history of surgeries, pregnancies, and methods of contraception. This information is needed to determine your health needs.

We will discuss contraception choices with you, and instruct you on the use and method of your choice. After your exam, you will receive a FREE 3-month supply of the contraception method you choose: The pill, continuous pills, the NuvaRing or Ortho Evra Patch, which are included in the fee you pay for your Annual Visit.

Pap Smears
The primary purpose of an annual Pap smear is to detect abnormal and potentially pre-cancerous or cancerous cervical cells. Cells are obtained from a woman’s cervix at the time of a pelvic exam and sent to a lab for evaluation.

A Woman’s Choice recommends an annual Pap smear. According to the American Cancer Society, cervical cancer was once the most common cause of cancer death among American women. Between 1955 and 1992, the number of cervical cancer deaths in the U.S. dropped by 74% thanks to the increased use of the annual Pap test.

Cervical cancer affects women mostly over 20 years of age and occurs most often in Hispanic women. In fact, the rate for Hispanic women is twice that of non-Hispanic white women. African-American women develop this cancer about 50% more often than non-Hispanic white women. For more information, visit http://www.cancer.org/docroot/LRN/LRN_0.asp?dt=8.

When abnormal cells are found, other diagnostic procedures and treatments may be performed.

Colposcopy
A colposcopy is a special diagnostic procedure that is performed in our office should you receive abnormal Pap smear results. After a consultation with a member of our healthcare team about your abnormal Pap smear ($50), you may be scheduled for a colposcopy the same day, if you prefer. It is a painless procedure performed in our office.

Our Physicians have special expertise in colposcopies and will carefully examine the cervix, vagina and vulva with a colposcopy, which is similar to a microscope that magnifies the cervix. Through careful examination, abnormal areas are identified. Following the colposcopy, the physician will recommend further treatment or follow-up care. Such care may include an electrosurgical procedure, cryosurgery or repeat Pap smears.

Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP)
A Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure, or LEEP, is a special surgical procedure used for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical dysplasia (pre-cancerous cells). This procedure can effectively cure abnormal areas on the cervix by surgically removing all of the abnormal cells.

Before a LEEP, a colposcopy must be performed to rule out extensive cancer and to determine the extent of the abnormal area on the cervix. This procedure can be done in our office under local anesthesia while you are awake, or if you prefer, under conscious sedation. It can also be done in an outpatient surgical facility under general anesthesia when you are totally asleep.

Patients should return to our office two weeks after the LEEP to discuss the results of the LEEP pathology report. Patients should have a follow-up Colposcopy and Pap smear 4 months after the LEEP, after which they should have Pap smears every 6 months until 3 consecutive Pap smears are normal or for a minimum of two years.

Cryosurgery
Cervical Cryosurgery is a gynecological treatment that freezes a section of the cervix. The process is intended to destroy cells that show changes that may lead to cancer of the cervix.

Cryosurgery is done after a colposcopy confirms the presence of abnormal cervical cells. Cryosurgery is also used for the treatment of Cervicitis, or inflammation of the cervix. This procedure can be done in our office under local anesthesia while you are awake or under conscious sedation. For follow-up care, patients are asked to return to our office two weeks after the cryosurgery. 4 months later, a follow-up colposcopy and Pap smear are done. Patients should have a follow-up Pap smear every 6 months until 3 consecutive smears are normal or for a minimum of 2 years after the cryosurgery.