Obstetrics & Gynecology
“I never imagined I’d struggle to have children. My mother had six healthy pregnancies and children, so I assumed it would be easy for me too. But I faced years of heartbreak—struggling to conceive, then miscarrying repeatedly. When I finally stayed pregnant, I suffered preterm labor due to toxemia and had low birth weight babies. My babies were born prematurely, and no OB/GYN could pinpoint why all this kept happening.
I often wish my doctors had known the life-changing insights taught at WorldLink. Their education could have helped me conceive, maintain a healthy pregnancy, and prevent toxemia. It might have even saved me from the dark cloud of postpartum depression that quickly enveloped me, nearly costing me my life and my newborn’s. The training WorldLink provides truly empowers providers to save lives.” -BHRT Patient.
The Role of an OB/GYN
OG/GYNs are entrusted with life’s most precious endeavors: growing and delivering a healthy baby. Yet, so many women struggle with among life’s most joyous pursuits. As many as one in six couples have trouble getting pregnant (1). Furthermore, when women do become pregnant and give birth, many are left to suffer with the emotional woes of postpartum depression, including its severest and most life-threatening form—post-partum psychosis—that is truly a medical emergency. These women are often left to their own devices, as there is little help offered to them in conventional medicine, but you can help both subsets of women through BHRT (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy—such as with bioidentical progesterone and thyroid.
As beautiful and joyous as having a baby is, the role of the OB/GYN in maintaining women's health extends even beyond this. Often, the relationship between an OB/GYN and a patient ends at the close of a woman’s reproductive years, which can be saddening and difficult. After all, you have been entrusted with one of life’s most precious moments: bringing new life into the world. These bonds are among the most beautiful and meaningful in healthcare, impacting not only the mother’s well-being but also the health of her new babies.
But the relationship doesn’t have to end there—it can continue, supporting women as they age gracefully and beautifully, helping to restore their quality of life at a stage when they truly need it most. Why should this important care be handed off to an internal medicine doctor? Many OB/GYNs deeply miss their patients as they transition out of their care. But they don’t have to.
The idea that women don’t need specialized care outside of pregnancy not only reduces women to their reproductive functions but is simply incorrect. Women experience unique health challenges both before, during, and after their reproductive years that extend far beyond pregnancy concerns, and your expertise as an OB/GYN can make a profound difference in their well-being.
Sexual health issues unrelated to reproduction, such as pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic pain, and dyspareunia, affect many women—with dyspareunia alone impacting up to 20% of women at some point in their lives (2). Yet, an even more universal experience, affecting 100% of women, is often overlooked or dismissed as an untreatable, “natural” part of life: menopause.
Navigating Menopause with BHRT
You were not taught that menopause is a medical condition—but it is, affecting every organ in the body. As an OB/GYN, you know that menopause raises cardiovascular risks, osteoporosis, diabetes, thyroid problems, and cognitive decline (3, 4). Beyond immediate symptoms like night sweats, vaginal dryness, and urogenital atrophy, menopause negatively impacts all major organ systems—especially the heart, skin, muscles, brain, and bones—accelerating a woman’s aging and ultimately her death. What you may not know is that this decline is both treatable and preventable—not with synthetic hormones but with bioidentical ones, which mirror the body’s natural hormones and avoid the risks associated with artificial alternatives. Treating your patients with BHRT will also help to fill in the gap of lost income from C-sections and deliveries no longer being performed in your older patient demographics.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of training in BHRT outside of the scope of hormones as it relates to pregnancy. Most medical schools have discontinued these important teachings due to unfounded fears concerning the safety of HRT when using synthetic hormones—but our organization never uses synthetic hormones, only safe, bioidentical hormones. Organizations like ACOG and NAMS continue to limit when a woman can start HRT or how long she can remain on it, but again, their concerns are based solely on research with synthetic hormones. At WLM, we have seen women start and remain on natural hormones far beyond menopause onset, living long, healthy, happy lives alleviated of the typical geriatric burdens like osteoporosis, incontinence, dyspareunia, sarcopenia, and dementia—thanks to continued hormonal support.
With bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), you can safely help women replenish the naturally occurring estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, and other hormones that decline with age, restoring their energy, libido, mood, and strength. By continuing care through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond, regardless of a woman’s reproductive status or capability, you not only support your patients' lifelong health but also maintain your patient base while building a sustainable, thriving practice. The reward? Empowering women to truly thrive as they age.
So, what are you waiting for?
Register today for Part I of our CME-accredited BHRT training program and start transforming your practice!
References
Infertility Stats You Should Know. Fertility Answers. Accessed December 4, 2024. https://www.fertilityanswers.com/13-stats-know-infertility/#:~:text=Approximately%20one%20in%20six%20couples,year%20who%20have%20trouble%20conceiving.%20
Hill A, Taylor CA. Dyspareunia in Women. American Family Physician. May 15, 2021. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0515/p597.html#:~:text=Dyspareunia%20is%20recurrent%20or%20persistent,to%2020%25%20of%20U.S.%20women.
Mayo Clinic Staff. Menopause. Mayo Clinic. August 07, 2024. Accessed October 31, 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
Healthwise Staff. Menopause and Your Risk for Other Health Concerns. MyHealth.Alberta.ca. November 27, 2023. Accessed October 31, 2024.