How Should You Choose Your Gynecologist?

Getting pregnant, having a positive pregnancy test is a great experience that brings in a multitude of emotions and thoughts. First and the foremost thought that comes to everyone’s mind is to break the news among near and dear ones. And then the most important task comes up i.e. choosing your gynecologist, finding a right gynecologist ensures that you go through safe, healthy pregnancy and a smooth delivery. It becomes all the more important to find a really good one in case of first time expecting women.

To find a right gynecologist

It will be worth the time and effort to find a suitable gynecologist considering the significance of having an expert one during pregnancy term and at the time of delivery. You may refer to the following pointers while choosing your gynecologist.

•    Reference – It is actually one of the common means of finding a right gynecologist. You can ask your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to recommend you an expert one. They may suggest few names of which you can do a reference check online or by visiting them in person.
•    Gender – Medicine is a noble profession and a doctor, irrespective of gender, is a professional who is there to help you in your medical conditions. So the gender should not matter. However, it is easier said than done. You can keep male doctors out of your preference list if you feel uncomfortable him examining you and your private parts.
•    Reputation – You should definitely choose a gynecologist of good repute after checking and verifying the credentials. You can look at the qualification and the number of years of experience of the gynecologist to derive an objective conclusion of her/ his expertise. You may find medical acronyms difficult to understand, however a thorough credentials check is a must.
•    Medical Specialization – You may find gynecologists who specialize in high-risk pregnancies in case you have existing medical conditions or had any miscarriages before. You would definitely want your gynecologist to also be a qualified obstetrician (who delivers babies and provide pre-natal care).
•    Availability and Time spent – It is always check for the availability of the doctors prior to selecting one. As you would want to get easy appointments with your doctor without much waiting time and also you would expect her/ him to spend a reasonable time examining you and addressing your concerns. As most of the leading doctors are short in both availability and time spent criteria, however you need to do a good research to find one that suits well your expectations.
•    Accessibility – It is very important for you to find a gynecologist whose clinic or hospital is near to your place and is easily accessible on phone and logistically to factor in any emergencies.
•    Cost – If you are covered for maternity benefits under your medical insurance plan, then you need to check whether that particular clinic or hospital is covered under insurance plan. Is it a direct billing or on re-imbursement basis. If you do not have a medical insurance cover, then you need to find out hospital and doctor consultation fee to ensure that the cost is within your budget.