Lourdes Women’s Health Clinic Services

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Obstetrics
Pregnancy is the most important time for your baby and one of the most exciting times of your life. Getting a good start means fewer problems in the future. Our role is to advise and monitor your progress. Lourdes Women’s Health offers comprehensive obstetrical care for pregnancy, from conception to postpartum, including high risk pregnancies and deliveries.

At your first visit your pregnancy will be confirmed and discuss the basic and important parts of the care plan. The second visit is usually with our nurse practitioner for a comprehensive physical examination with a discussion of pregnancy expectations and nutritional guidelines. Generally an ultrasound study is advised early in your pregnancy to help us establish an accurate delivery date and to evaluate the baby’s growth pattern.

During the first seven months of pregnancy visits are generally scheduled monthly. As you continue to grow, visits will be scheduled closer together. During the eighth month, you will be seen every other week and finally during the last month of pregnancy you will be seen weekly. If any problems occur we may ask to see you more frequently. Our doctors and staff are always available to manage emergencies.

Find a list of Free Prenatal Classes at Lourdes Women's Health

Learn more about Lourdes Women's Health Pampered Pregnancy at Lourdes Birthplace

Gynecology
Specialized gynecological care is an important part of your health maintenance. Yearly physical examinations are advised for all women. Your annual clinical visit involves not only a pap smear, but also a general health review. You are encouraged to ask questions about your health, health issues and your care. We encourage you to take an active part in your healthcare. Our healthcare professionals and staff will provide solid information and clinical guidance to assist you in choosing the best care. The human body functions best with proper rest, exercise and a balanced diet.

Learn more from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists about the Routine Screening Recommendations Released for Annual Well-Woman Exam

Infertility and Family Planning
At Lourdes West Pasco Women’s Health we recognize the difficulty patients experiencing fertility obstacles face. We treat each situation with the personalized attention that it deserves. It is estimated that 10% of couples will have some trouble getting pregnant. Many cases are simple to treat and resolve. Medical therapy alone is successful in the majority of patients. If surgery is required, the decision to operate is based on a thorough review of the patient’s special needs. Our goal is to assist you in achieving a successful pregnancy and then monitoring and caring for that pregnancy to achieve a happy and healthy baby along with the parents.

Learn more about the Lourdes FertilityCare™ Center

Our physicians can advise you on the best method of family planning for your particular needs. Dr. de Leon has unique, special training in the Creighton Model System, menstrual and fertility cycle family planning, and NaProTECHNOLOGY™, a natural form of birth control for women's health.

Menopause Treatment

For women who undergo menopause naturally, estrogen is typically prescribed as part of a combination therapy of estrogen and progestin. This is because estrogen without progestin can increase the risk of uterine cancer. Women who undergo menopause as the result of a hysterectomy can take estrogen alone. Learn more about menopause from the Mayo Clinic website.

Hormone Replacement
Our physicians can help you decide if hormone replacement therapy is right for you.  Estrogen remains the most effective treatment for relief of troublesome menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. It can also ease vaginal symptoms of menopause, such as dryness, itching, burning and discomfort with intercourse.

Long-term hormone therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal conditions is no longer routinely recommended. But women who take estrogen for short-term relief of menopausal symptoms may gain some protection against the following conditions:

• Osteoporosis: Studies show that hormone therapy can prevent the bone loss that occurs after menopause, which decreases the risk of osteoporosis-related hip fractures.

• Colorectal cancer:  Studies show that hormone therapy can decrease the risk of colorectal cancer.

• Heart disease: Some data suggest that estrogen can decrease risk of heart disease when taken early in your postmenopausal years. A randomized, controlled clinical trial — the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (KEEPS) — exploring estrogen use and heart disease in younger postmenopausal women is under way, but it won't be completed for several years.

Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy
Bio-identical hormones are manufactured in the lab to have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your own body. By contrast, synthetic hormones are intentionally different. Though bio-identical hormones have been around for years, most practitioners are unfamiliar with them. There are several branded versions now available for use in the kind of hormone replacement therapy typical of synthetic hormones. This is often a one-size-fits-all dosage regime.

In our practice, we have had the greatest success with an individualized approach. We begin with laboratory tests of hormone levels (a so-called “hormone panel”). When warranted, we then prescribe a precise dosage of bio-identical estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, and/or DHEA that is prepared at a registered compounding pharmacy. Each patient is then monitored carefully through regular follow-up hormone panels to ensure she gets symptom relief at the lowest possible dosage. In the initial stages, we will do a hormone panel every three months. Once balance is restored, we’ll do one panel a year at the time of the annual exam.

Female Bladder Issues (Urogynecology)
As women mature, the supporting structures of the pelvis change due to childbirth and age. A condition of pelvic relaxation or prolapse of the vagina and uterus can occur. Mixed symptoms of increasing pressure and associated loss of urine can disrupt a woman’s day. Medical and surgical treatments are available to correct or reduce these symptoms.  A variety of urinary incontinence surgery operations are available to restore the bladder to a functioning position. To reduce and eliminate activity-produced urinary loss, these operations are often combined with other procedures such as a hysterectomy to produce more durable and desirable results. The pubo-vaginal sling (with TVT) can be done as an outpatient procedure in many situations.

Find educational resources about urogynecology from the American Urogynecologic Society Foundation.

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