Gynecology Specialist

What is gynecology?

Gynecology is a medical specialty that focuses on the health of women, including their reproductive systems. Gynecologists are often also trained as obstetricians -- like Dr. Abdul-Mbacke -- to assist women in protecting and improving their health at every stage of life.

Gynecologists provide annual well-woman visits and screening procedures, such as pap smears, pelvic exams, and breast exams. These services are critical to preventive women’s healthcare, as in many cases the diseases they’re used to detect don’t have noticeable symptoms until much later stages. Dr. Abdul-Mbacke also provides pregnancy care to help her patients maintain their health and wellbeing throughout gestation, labor, and delivery.

What happens during a pap smear?

A pap smear is a screening procedure that tests for abnormalities in cervical tissue. During the test, Dr. Abdul-Mbacke uses a small wand with a brush on the tip to gently collect a small sample of cells from the cervix. The sample is then sent to a lab to get tested for abnormalities.

Women should begin getting pap smears from the age of 21, or when they become sexually active (whichever comes first). Pap smears should be scheduled every 3 years, unless the patient is at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. In such cases, they either have a family history of the disease or have had abnormal pap smear results in the past. As a result, they should have annual pap smears. Additionally, women with IUDs (intrauterine devices) are a higher risk of developing Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, so they should have annual pap smears at the same time as their pelvic exam.

Can Dr. Abdul-Mbacke prescribe birth control?

Dr. Abdul-Mbacke’s comprehensive and individualized care practices ensures that her patients receive the best possible health care, even when it comes to selecting birth control.

There are a wide variety of options to choose from, ranging from birth control pills to long-acting reversible contraceptives like IUDs and implants. There are several benefits to each variety of birth control, and Dr. Abdul-Mbacke will discuss all of the options with each patient to determine which one best suits her physical needs and lifestyle.

For example, some women may not be able to commit to taking a pill at the same time every day because, say, they have a changeable, shift-based schedule. Those patients are better off using a form of birth control that they don’t have to think about taking.