A perinatal gynecologist is a doctor who prepares a pregnant woman for childbirth. Supervises, conducts various corrective and diagnostic works with the expectant mother during the entire pregnancy. Let's take a closer look at who and what the gynecologist-perinatologist is engaged in, and in what cases it is necessary to apply to him for help.
A doctor who prepares a pregnant woman for childbirth and watches her during all nine months of the baby's expectation is a perinatal gynecologist. The doctor is engaged in the study of the perinatal, that is, the perinatal period, which is conditionally divided into prenatal or antenatal periods, the labor period and the week after childbirth or postnatal period. Generic and postpartum period - have clear facets, but the prenatal period begins with the 28th week of pregnancy.
Thanks to perinatology, research on the physiology of the newborn and the pathophysiology of the fetus, as well as medical and diagnostic equipment, it became possible to take care of newborns that were born with premature infants with low weight and pathologies. Babies that appear with low body weight are the result of premature births that can occur without proper examination and consultation from a perinatal gynecologist and because of the harmful habits of mothers.
Perinatology is known not only for its diagnostic methods, but also for intensive neonatal therapy. Under intensive therapy, there is a set of measures that the baby, born with asphyxia, i.e., oxygen deficiency, has methods of restoring breathing, cardiac activity, metabolism of all organs and blood flow. In addition, there is a special equipment that allows you to monitor the performance of the main organs of the newborn, who was born with disorders, pathologies or asphyxiation.
Who is a perinatal gynecologist?
By and large, this is a professional obstetrician who specializes in the diagnosis of pregnancies that occur with complications and high-risk pregnancies. According to statistics, one in ten expectant mothers needs the help of a gynecologist-perinatologist. The doctor helps with serious problems during pregnancy and complications. In a secondary pregnancy, a woman must visit a perinatologist, especially if the first pregnancy was with complications.
Regular visit to a gynecologist-perinatologist is good, but this does not entitle you not to go to regular receptions to the therapist. The process of pregnancy should be observed in a complex manner, both in the therapist and in the gynecologist-perinatologist. Another feature of the perinatal gynecologist is his presence during childbirth. For a future mother, this is a guarantee that the birth will go well, especially since the process will be controlled by a doctor who has been watching a pregnant woman for nine months. During childbirth, the doctor is responsible for emergency care for the newborn and conducting various tests and diagnostics.
If you go to a gynecologist perinatologist for the first time, do not hesitate to ask questions, especially if you have this first pregnancy. A casual conversation with a competent expert will allow the expectant mother to feel confident. For many mothers, a perinatal gynecologist is a person you can trust, a doctor with whom you can consult on the issue of pregnancy. Remember that it is better to ask an exciting question and solve the problem at once, than in the further one suffer from problems that can not be solved.
When should I go to a perinatal gynecologist?
When it is necessary to address to the gynecologist-perinatologist, a question that tortures many future mothers. Work with a doctor and examinations at a gynecologist perinatologist should be held regularly, from the first month of pregnancy.
Please note that after the first visit to the doctor, you will be drawn up an individual visit schedule, during the entire pregnancy.
- Typically, a visit is prescribed every four weeks, that is, every month of pregnancy until the seventh month of pregnancy.
- From the eighth month of pregnancy, visits to the gynecologist-perinatologist should be every two weeks.
- In the last month of pregnancy, a doctor will have to visit every week.
Such a schedule of visits will allow a pregnant woman to consult on all emerging issues and receive timely assistance. In addition, a regular examination by a doctor will allow timely detection of possible pathologies and will guarantee a good outcome of pregnancy and a healthy baby.
What tests should I take when I go to a gynecologist-perinatologist?
When addressing a perinatal gynecologist, it is necessary to pass a number of tests, both to a pregnant woman, so to a newborn baby. We offer you a list of mandatory tests.
- General blood analysis.
- Analysis for hormones, especially thyroid hormones.
- General analysis for bilirubin infection.
- Check for chronic herpes virus.
- Cytomegalovirus and blood test for phenylketonuria.
- Analysis for Rh factor and blood group taking into account monoclonal antibodies.
- Analysis for toxoplasmosis, makoviscidosis and rubella.
- Blood from the heel of a newborn.
It is these tests that must be passed on to a gynecologist-perinatologist. The doctor himself will tell you about additional tests, diagnostics and necessary studies.
What diagnostic methods does a perinatal gynecologist use?
In her work, the gynecologist-perinatologist uses a variety of methods that allow for comprehensive pregnancy control. The standard diagnostic methods used by the perinatal gynecologist are:
- Exact definition of the gestational age and the preliminary date of delivery.
- Ultrasonic scanning and Doppler study of fetal blood flow.
- Electrocardiography and X-ray.
- Phonocardiography.
It is these methods of diagnosis that allow the gynecologist-perinatologist to conduct a comprehensive control of the course of pregnancy. In case of complications during pregnancy, the doctor uses more sparing methods of diagnosis, so that the baby is born healthy without pathologies, and the childbirth passed quickly and without complications.
What does a perinatal gynecologist do?
The main task of a perinatal gynecologist is to observe a pregnant woman. In the period of bearing the baby, the doctor must conduct a mass of diagnostic studies in order to track possible pathologies of the newborn. If we talk about the research carried out by a perinatal gynecologist, it is ultrasound, genetic and biochemical methods for detecting congenital pathologies in the early stages of pregnancy. When identifying irreversible pathologies, the doctor prescribes treatment or indications to terminate the pregnancy.
For the gynecologist-perinatologist the intranatal or patrimonial period is very important. Since it is during this period, the doctor diagnoses and controls the mother's condition, the process of labor and the state of the newborn. Thanks to improved therapeutic and diagnostic technologies, a perinatal gynecologist has more opportunities to contribute to the birth of a healthy baby and a successful birth process. The gynecologist-perinatologist is engaged in developing methods of intensive care for newborns, as well as methods that in practice allow saving babies with asphyxia, small weight, intracranial injuries and children who were born prematurely.
What diseases are treated by a perinatal gynecologist?
The main task of a perinatal gynecologist is the observation of a pregnant woman. If we talk about the diseases that the perinatologist treats, they are all related to pregnancy, diseases that can occur during pregnancy and complications during childbirth. Let's take a closer look at the diseases the gynecologist-perinatologist treats.
- Herpes in pregnant women.
- Arterial hypertension.
- Diseases of the kidneys, thyroid, liver.
- Congenital malformations and pathologies.
- Severe toxicosis and vomiting.
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
- Various postpartum infections.
- Infectious diseases and lesions.
- Myasthenia gravis and Rh incompatibility.
- Detachment and placenta previa.
- Premature birth and delayed pregnancy.
- Early rupture of amniotic membranes.
- Possibility of surgeries during pregnancy.
- Diabetes mellitus, lupus erythematosus and heart failure during pregnancy.
- Rheumatic heart disease, preeclampsia and eclampsia.
- Complications due to unhealthy lifestyle and drug use during pregnancy.
- Rheumatoid arthritis and congenital rubella.
- Insufficient mineral valve or prolapse.
- Trophoblastic disease.
Let's look at the diseases that the gynecologist-perinatologist treats and who often meet in the practice of a specialist.
Birth trauma - damage to the peripheral and central nervous system. In the category of birth injuries are hemorrhages in the spinal cord and its membrane, spinal cord injuries, increased vascular permeability or vascular system tearing, rupture of the spinal cord, both complete and partial. Also, birth defects of bones and joints, soft tissues, hemorrhages in the sternum, abrasions and hemorrhages under the periosteum. Injuries to the abdominal organs are also related to birth trauma. As a rule, the spleen, liver and adrenals are most disturbed.
Asphyxia of newborns is a pathology in which a newborn is breathing and as a result of this the baby has received oxygen deficiency. Asphyxia is primary, which is received at birth and secondary, that is, suffocation in the first days and hours of life.
This is a list of the main diseases that are treated by a perinatal gynecologist. All the work of the perinatologist is aimed at ensuring that the pregnancy proceeds as best as possible, and nothing is threatening the health of both mother and future baby.
Advices of a gynecologist-perinatologist
The advice of a gynecologist-perinatologist is practical recommendations for a pregnant woman and recommendations for strengthening the health of a newborn.
- After the birth of a child, special attention should be paid to his motor activity during sleep. After a birth, the kid almost all time sleeps, but at this moment the organism of the child works and is typed forces. It is necessary to monitor the breathing of a sleeping newborn, monitor the periodicity of inhalations and exhalations and the phase of prolonged exhalation. If the baby does not have enough oxygen, then he begins to tremble in his sleep. This is a signal that the baby should check or correct the sheet, which possibly prevents him from breathing normally.
Do not interfere with the movement of the baby in a dream, since it is almost 50-60% of the time that the baby spends in the crib. Refuse the tight swaddling, do not fetter the baby's movements, do not interfere with his activity.
- Carefully monitor the temperature and the microclimate of the room in which the newborn is. There must be a temperature difference between the environment and the kid's body. The greater the temperature difference, the more active and higher the muscle tone of the newborn, and this is a guarantee of normal development. But the temperature difference should be within reasonable limits.
- Particular attention should be paid to the bathing process, since bathing for the baby is very important. The bathing procedure allows the child to develop an innate ability to stay on the water, that is, afloat. By the way, for these purposes, a technique has been developed and is successfully working, which makes it possible to teach swimming of babies.
- Do not force the baby to move, all motor activity should be his initiative. In the first weeks of the baby's life, the activity is caused by the irritation of the fingers, heels, palms, soles, which stimulate the motor reflexes. Remember that it is very important to promote the free and independent development of the child's activity and abilities with all his might.
- Do not forget about preventive wellness massages for a newborn. From the first days, perform light massage procedures for the child - light, neat stroking his body.
Observance of all the above tips from a gynecologist-perinatologist will grow a healthy baby.
A gynecologist-perinatologist is a doctor who supervises the process of pregnancy, helps to treat the diseases of a pregnant woman and cares about that the baby was born without pathologies, and the process of labor passed without complications.