BIRTHING SPA/LABOR AND DELIVERY UNIT
At Bronx-Lebanon, pregnant women have all the luxuries they could want to make their birthing experience pleasant and relaxing. Its luxurious Birthing Spa, complete with whirlpool delivery baths (the only one in the Bronx) is relieving the strain of birth. Less stress on pregnant mothers and pelvic relaxation means an easier delivery
and leads to healthy babies. The Labor and Delivery staff are succeeding in making the birthing experience a positive one. A 24-hour pregnancy hotline, which provides immediate consultation, has also been most effective in reaching out to “mothers-to-be.”
HIGH RISK OBSTETRICS
A top quality Labor and Delivery staff must be prepared for any situation. The Women’s Health Center’s High Risk Obstetrics program is responding to pregnancies that pose difficult challenges and often require delivery by cesarean section. Approximately 60% of the Women’s Health Center’s deliveries are classified as high risk
pregnancies. Many of these pregnant women have gestational diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, thyroid disease, and numerous other medical conditions that can complicate a pregnancy.
The goals of the high risk pregnancy program are clear, to do whatever is medically necessary to deliver a healthy baby. Its staff are highly skilled and caring professionals that have available to them the latest state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. At the Maternal Fetal Assessment Center, the mother is monitored with high-resolution
ultrasound, Doppler, and non-stress testing to make sure her baby is properly developing throughout the pregnancy.
DIABETES IN PREGNANCY
Diabetes is a serious health problem, especially for pregnant women and their unborn babies. When diabetes occurs early in pregnancy, the baby is at risk for developing heart and other congenital defects. Diabetes that develops later in the pregnancy can cause the baby to grow too big, resulting in problems during the delivery. If a mother
is unaware that she has diabetes and does not receive proper treatment, the mother and child can be in serious medical danger.
At the Women’s Health Center, diabetic “mothers-to-be” meet with nutritionists and are put on special diets. Patients are taught how to give themselves insulin injections and test their glucose (which they must do seven times a day). They are also closely monitored,
throughout their pregnancy, by expert, experienced, and caring staff.
TEENAGE PREGNANCY AND FAMILY PLANNING
Teen pregnancies are among the most difficult. Doctors attribute this to their age group and not being ready to bear a child. As a result, mother and baby are at an even higher risk for a multitude of medical problems, including premature births, cesarean sections,
fetal growth retardation, and sexually transmitted diseases. The Women’s Health Center, through its Adolescent and Family Planning programs, is continuing to reach out and help teenagers understand this very adult issue. Its staff provides teenagers, as well as other
new mothers and their families, with the time and attention needed to make informed decisions regarding their future. The Healthy Family program also provides these teenage mothers with parenting support and education.
REPRODUCTIVE GENETICS
The Reproductive Genetics programs focuses on education and detection of genetic disorders. It has enabled women first considering pregnancy to benefit from vital health advice.
Often, early knowledge of a potential problem makes treatment possible and feasible during the pregnancy. Additionally, on a weekly basis, the Reproductive Genetics program staff performs amniocentesis and other testing on pregnant mothers to determine
whether their unborn babies will have genetic disorders. A genetic conference is then scheduled to prepare the specialists involved in such a birth.
REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY
AND INFERTILITY
The Women’s Health Center’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility program specializes in the hormonal disorders of gynecology, including irregular, absent, or heavy menstrual cycles; endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Tubal damage is a leading cause of infertility, primarily due to sexually transmitted diseases. Polycystic ovary syndrome is another common cause of infertility. It is a disorder in which women are unable to ovulate regularly; one which can also lead to diabetes, heart disease,
hypertension, and high cholesterol. The Reproductive Endocrinology staff take special satisfaction in their successful efforts to help many couples achieve a pregnancy.
POST MENOPAUSE
AND
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY
Good health for women incorporates regular gynecologic care, beginning at an early age, continuing through middle age, and into the senior years. Many women believe that, once their childbearing years are over, they no longer require regular visits to their gynecologist. This is certainly not the case. As hormonal levels decrease, women can no longer benefit from the protective effects that estrogen provides (including maintaining the calcium in the bones, sustaining cholesterol at healthy levels, and preventing sexual dysfunction). Hormonal Replacement Therapy is among the many services the Women’s Health Center provides in combating menopause.
As for Osteoporosis, which is a thinning of the bones and the most serious risk factor associated with menopause, Bronx-Lebanon provides patients with a state-of-the-art Dexascanner. It measures bone density, using low levels of radiation. As a result, Osteoporosis can be detected at an early stage which translates into improving
quality of life. The threat of Osteoporosis causing such bone problems as fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist, can therefore be potentially avoided.
UROGYNECOLOGY
Urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and female sexual dysfunction could be debilitating problems for women as young as 25 and into their senior years. About 40% of women have these conditions and the Women’s Health Center, through innovative
approaches, including medications, special exercises, and surgery, is helping them lead a normal life.
GYNONCOLOGY
GYN Oncology is the area of the Women’s Health Center that concentrates on cancer of the female genital tract. The work of the unit is multi-disciplinary. A doctor may be involved in surgery, as well as the chemotherapy that follows it.
The GYN Oncology program is a comprehensive alternative for women with multiple cancers (vaginal, cervical, uterine, and ovarian). Endometrial cancer, a malignant tumor of the endometrium (the uterus lining) is the most common GYN cancer and usually affects post menopausal women. When endometrial cancer is detected at an early stage, it is almost 100 percent curable, with surgery.
As for cervical cancer, detection and prevention are readily accomplished by annual visits to a gynecologist. Pap smears are the key to early detection. To combat cervical cancer (which can spread cancer cells throughout the entire body), the Women’s Health Center provides an advanced diagnostic procedure called colposcopy for women with abnormal pap smears (which may be an indication of cervical cancer). By performing a colposcopy (an examination of the cervix) with a state-of-the-art microscope, called a colposcope, cancer cells are being detected and lives are being saved. The Women’s Health Center
has a state-of-the-art computerized colposcopy system designed to detect detailed and subtle changes in the cervix. The system allows for close monitoring of the cervix in women with abnormal Pap smears.
Computerized colposcopy was first tested and published in the United States by Bronx-Lebanon’s Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Mikhail.
When surgery is necessary, the GYN Oncology team has achieved successful outcomes, with many of the patients treated remaining disease free.
GYN AMBULATORY SURGERY SUITE
Bronx-Lebanon’s new GYN Ambulatory Surgery Suite is enhancing its ability to provide needed surgical services. It features the most advanced technological equipment. All types of gynecological surgical services are provided, including laparoscopy (visualization of the abdomen), hysteroscopy (visualization of the uterus), cystoscopy (visualization of the urinary bladder), family planning, endometrial ablation (removal of the lining of the uterus), Loop Electorsurgical Excision procedures (removal of abnormal tissue on the cervix), cerclage (suture support of the cervical canal), postpartum tubal ligation, and newborn circumcision. |
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