“Hey, you’re a med student. Right?” “Yes, I am. Do you need me to scrub in?” “That would be wonderful, yes! Everyone is either out on vacation or is sick. It’s just me and the resident.” “OK, I̵…
Category: OB/GYN
Physicians should talk about the F word: fertility
My fertility journey is not typical. I have not spent years “trying.” In fact, I have spent years trying not to get pregnant! My husband has two daughters — and a vasectomy, so getting pregnant was a known challenge. Luckily, I like challenges. We went…
Non-medical transportation for postpartum moms is a necessity
This past June, California’s Department of Healthcare Services went live with the implementation of its non-medical transportation (NMT) benefit. NMT is described by the National Health Law Program as “transportation provided to access medically necess…
Fertility, family planning, and the physician life
Every morning the alarm clock goes off, I hit snooze once, twice, three times — and eventually get out of bed and on with the day. “Snoozing” is a bad habit for sleep hygiene. Unfortunately, I’ve realized the downside of snoozing also is a euphemism fo…
The culture of permission in medicine
During the recent winter break, I went home and visited my yearly slew of doctors for check-ups: vision, dental, gynecology, etc. In the exam room, my new gynecologist instructed me to put my feet up in the stirrups. I had recently learned in a seminar…
When depersonalization is necessary in medicine
I could hear the scream from across the room. It was shrill and filled with panic. Any parent can identify the difference between the cries of normal toddler discomforts and a true emergency. I dropped what I was doing in the kitchen and found my three…
She was dead: How shame almost ruined a physician’s life
Dear friends— especially my colleagues, I recently failed a class (I have been working on a PhD in psychology) and found myself immobilized and disengaged from life, personal happiness and joy. I actually didn’t even tell my husband, who is my true con…
We have a shot at preventing cervical cancer
Many people think eradicating cancer is unattainable. But for cervical cancer, we are well on our way to doing just that. Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of death in women in the U.S. But we are on the cusp of vanquishing this disease thanks…
What’s wrong with crisis pregnancy centers?
Perhaps you have already heard of crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). I see highway billboards for them on most of my long drives throughout the rural midwest. Recently, I received an email from a student interest group offering medical students to tour t…
Horrific decisions that no parent should ever have to make
“Is she in pain?” I asked quietly as the pearlescent baby-shaped image on the screen folded its legs and then extended them. The radiologist doing my ultrasound had just finished pointing out a cluster of alarming abnormalities in our devel…
