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Obstetrics and Gynecology
Women's health is nuanced. Dr. Mohamad Hamdi discusses obstetrics and gynecology.
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Learn more about Mohamad Hamdi, MD
Mohamad Hamdi, MD
Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mohamad Hamdi, MD received his medical degree from Beirut Arab University in Lebanon and completed residencies in obstetrics and gynecology at American University Beirut and the University of Cincinnati.Learn more about Mohamad Hamdi, MD
Transcription:
Bill Klaproth (Host): The Center for Women’s Health serves as a source of expert care and support for women through all phases of their lives at South County Health. And here to talk with us about Obstetrics and Gynecology is Dr. Mohamad Hamdi, an OB-GYN at South County Health. Dr. Hamdi, thank you for your time. First off, what are some of the services you provide in your practice?
Mohamad Hamdi, MD (Guest): Well, thank you for having me. Basically, we cover all aspects of obstetrics and gynecology. So, as far as obstetrics, we take care of pregnant women from very early in pregnancy all the way until labor and delivery including many, many of the what is considered high-risk pregnancies. As far as gynecology, we take care of health maintenance exams, benign gynecology, minimally invasive surgery as well as the most common complaints kind of like bleeding, pelvic pain, pelvic floor disorders, as well as health maintenance exams.
Host: Very good and you just mentioned minimally invasive surgery. What procedures do you specialize in?
Dr. Hamdi: Okay so, minimally invasive surgery is basically performing all surgeries that we used to do in the past through large incisions where patients have to spend a lot of time in the hospital with much increased morbidity. We now do them through very small incisions. So, technically any procedure in gynecology can now be done one way or the other through minimally invasive methods. We do laparoscopic hysterectomies, laparoscopic cystectomies. We do laparoscopic sterilization, tubal ligations. We also perform hysteroscopies which is looking inside the uterus, removing any polyps, any fibroids. And we also perform robotic surgery as well.
Host: Very good. And you mentioned earlier, talking about pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies. I know that you specialize in high-risk pregnancies too. Can you tell us about that?
Dr. Hamdi: Yeah. So, basically, any pregnancy where there is a medical condition or a complication that can increase the morbidity for mom or baby is considered a high-risk pregnancy. So, a pregnant patient with hypertension, with high blood pressure, with diabetes, with asthma, with epilepsy. All these are considered high-risk pregnancies and we do take care of all these pregnancies. We have the expertise to take care of these patients. We have the back up in case we need higher level of service to take care of these patients and we deliver them over at South County Hospital.
Host: And how important is it for a woman to have an annual gynecologic exam?
Dr. Hamdi: So, I can tell you how important this is. This is – many, many women the OB-GYN is the only physician that they ever deal with. They go to the gynecologist when they first get pregnant and then if they are healthy, they don’t need to see any doctor. So, it’s very important to keep that relationship. The annual gynecological visit contrary to what people think, where they think it’s just a PAP smear, it’s not. We usually sit down with the patient, go over her medical history, any issues, any problems. We discuss healthy habits, unhealthy habits, diet, exercise, screenings. We do screening for breast cancer, colon cancer. We do PAP smears, pelvic exams. So, it’s kind of like if you want a one-stop shop for kind of like a health maintenance and making sure that everything is going okay with that patient and she’s following like healthy habits and healthy lifestyle.
Host: And for a woman who is seeing you for the first time; what should she bring to that first appointment? I’m thinking any medical records. Is there anything else that a woman should bring when seeing you for the first time that would help you in that first exam?
Dr. Hamdi: Yes. So, anything that the patient would think is relevant to her medical history would be very helpful. Whether let’s say she had surgery at some point in life or she was told let’s say she had an abnormal ultrasound at some point, or she had a CAT scan let’s say a year ago that showed something, a mammogram that was abnormal. Any records, any results from prior that she’s done would be great to have in the chart. We always ask patients especially patients who kind of like follow with us every year, anything that they have, they would do as medical records, we like to keep a copy of it. This way we have like one folder or file for these patients about all their health problems and health needs.
Host: Great information and you were just talking about some of the things you cover in an exam. I’m just curious exactly when a woman comes to see you then; what do you exactly cover in that first exam if you will, and then subsequent exams following up year after year?
Dr. Hamdi: Sure. So, the first time a woman comes in for a well-woman exam or a health maintenance exam; basically, we sit down with them and we ask them the general questions. Any medical problems, any surgeries done before, any health issues. We talk about weight, about diet, about exercise. We talk about their periods, any problems with the periods, any heavy bleeding, any pain, anything that might be unusual or abnormal. We talk about birth control. And then we do screening tests and then we do a general physical exam, you know heart, lungs, breast exam, pelvic exam and then screening tests depends on age. There are very known and set criteria as far as what tests need to be done for every age. But in general, a mammogram is ordered, and a PAP smear is done. Those are kind of like the basics. STD screening is one of the things that we offer for younger patients. We always talk about birth control, counseling on birth control, see if they are happy with it or not. And then if there are any issues or problems that arise that we identify during the visit, that needs further referrals then we also can take care of that as well.
And then you asked about the subsequent visits. Subsequent visits are basically the same every year. The only difference is that the recommendations for some types of tests change with age. So, for example, recommendations for PAP smear changes if there is an abnormal one or not. Recommendations for mammograms are different between societies, but very minor changes from year to year after that.
Host: And Dr. Hamdi, we hear a lot about pelvic floor disorders. What should a woman know about that?
Dr. Hamdi: Okay so pelvic floor disorders are some of the disorders that are very, very – they kind of like go undiagnosed. A lot of patients don’t really volunteer the information that would lead us to a diagnosis of pelvic floor disorder unless you ask them. Things that women should seek care for are let’s say if the patient is leaking urine. A lot of patients don’t want to mention that. They think it’s normal with age. That’s not normal with age. That can be fixed. Prolapse, if they have like pelvic organ prolapse where it’s causing them pain or problems. They also think it’s because they had like four or five kids and this is very normal. This also can be fixed if it’s causing issues. Problems with intimacy, with intercourse, if there are any issues, any pain, any discomfort. These are also things that we can deal with. Pain with intercourse or discomfort as well. So, all these are part of pelvic floor disorders that we can definitely deal with and fix.
Host: And Dr. Hamdi, if a woman wants to come see you and make an appointment; what should she do?
Dr. Hamdi: So, all they need to do is basically call the Center for Women’s Health. We have one phone number. It’s 401-789-0661 and I see patients in both the Wakefield office and the East Branch office.
Host: Very good. Dr. Hamdi, thank you so much for your time today and for all the information. We appreciate it. And if you want to learn more you can also visit www.southcountyhealth.org, that’s www.southcountyhealth.org. Or you can make an appointment by calling 401-789-0661. This is South County Health Talks from South County Health. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth (Host): The Center for Women’s Health serves as a source of expert care and support for women through all phases of their lives at South County Health. And here to talk with us about Obstetrics and Gynecology is Dr. Mohamad Hamdi, an OB-GYN at South County Health. Dr. Hamdi, thank you for your time. First off, what are some of the services you provide in your practice?
Mohamad Hamdi, MD (Guest): Well, thank you for having me. Basically, we cover all aspects of obstetrics and gynecology. So, as far as obstetrics, we take care of pregnant women from very early in pregnancy all the way until labor and delivery including many, many of the what is considered high-risk pregnancies. As far as gynecology, we take care of health maintenance exams, benign gynecology, minimally invasive surgery as well as the most common complaints kind of like bleeding, pelvic pain, pelvic floor disorders, as well as health maintenance exams.
Host: Very good and you just mentioned minimally invasive surgery. What procedures do you specialize in?
Dr. Hamdi: Okay so, minimally invasive surgery is basically performing all surgeries that we used to do in the past through large incisions where patients have to spend a lot of time in the hospital with much increased morbidity. We now do them through very small incisions. So, technically any procedure in gynecology can now be done one way or the other through minimally invasive methods. We do laparoscopic hysterectomies, laparoscopic cystectomies. We do laparoscopic sterilization, tubal ligations. We also perform hysteroscopies which is looking inside the uterus, removing any polyps, any fibroids. And we also perform robotic surgery as well.
Host: Very good. And you mentioned earlier, talking about pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies. I know that you specialize in high-risk pregnancies too. Can you tell us about that?
Dr. Hamdi: Yeah. So, basically, any pregnancy where there is a medical condition or a complication that can increase the morbidity for mom or baby is considered a high-risk pregnancy. So, a pregnant patient with hypertension, with high blood pressure, with diabetes, with asthma, with epilepsy. All these are considered high-risk pregnancies and we do take care of all these pregnancies. We have the expertise to take care of these patients. We have the back up in case we need higher level of service to take care of these patients and we deliver them over at South County Hospital.
Host: And how important is it for a woman to have an annual gynecologic exam?
Dr. Hamdi: So, I can tell you how important this is. This is – many, many women the OB-GYN is the only physician that they ever deal with. They go to the gynecologist when they first get pregnant and then if they are healthy, they don’t need to see any doctor. So, it’s very important to keep that relationship. The annual gynecological visit contrary to what people think, where they think it’s just a PAP smear, it’s not. We usually sit down with the patient, go over her medical history, any issues, any problems. We discuss healthy habits, unhealthy habits, diet, exercise, screenings. We do screening for breast cancer, colon cancer. We do PAP smears, pelvic exams. So, it’s kind of like if you want a one-stop shop for kind of like a health maintenance and making sure that everything is going okay with that patient and she’s following like healthy habits and healthy lifestyle.
Host: And for a woman who is seeing you for the first time; what should she bring to that first appointment? I’m thinking any medical records. Is there anything else that a woman should bring when seeing you for the first time that would help you in that first exam?
Dr. Hamdi: Yes. So, anything that the patient would think is relevant to her medical history would be very helpful. Whether let’s say she had surgery at some point in life or she was told let’s say she had an abnormal ultrasound at some point, or she had a CAT scan let’s say a year ago that showed something, a mammogram that was abnormal. Any records, any results from prior that she’s done would be great to have in the chart. We always ask patients especially patients who kind of like follow with us every year, anything that they have, they would do as medical records, we like to keep a copy of it. This way we have like one folder or file for these patients about all their health problems and health needs.
Host: Great information and you were just talking about some of the things you cover in an exam. I’m just curious exactly when a woman comes to see you then; what do you exactly cover in that first exam if you will, and then subsequent exams following up year after year?
Dr. Hamdi: Sure. So, the first time a woman comes in for a well-woman exam or a health maintenance exam; basically, we sit down with them and we ask them the general questions. Any medical problems, any surgeries done before, any health issues. We talk about weight, about diet, about exercise. We talk about their periods, any problems with the periods, any heavy bleeding, any pain, anything that might be unusual or abnormal. We talk about birth control. And then we do screening tests and then we do a general physical exam, you know heart, lungs, breast exam, pelvic exam and then screening tests depends on age. There are very known and set criteria as far as what tests need to be done for every age. But in general, a mammogram is ordered, and a PAP smear is done. Those are kind of like the basics. STD screening is one of the things that we offer for younger patients. We always talk about birth control, counseling on birth control, see if they are happy with it or not. And then if there are any issues or problems that arise that we identify during the visit, that needs further referrals then we also can take care of that as well.
And then you asked about the subsequent visits. Subsequent visits are basically the same every year. The only difference is that the recommendations for some types of tests change with age. So, for example, recommendations for PAP smear changes if there is an abnormal one or not. Recommendations for mammograms are different between societies, but very minor changes from year to year after that.
Host: And Dr. Hamdi, we hear a lot about pelvic floor disorders. What should a woman know about that?
Dr. Hamdi: Okay so pelvic floor disorders are some of the disorders that are very, very – they kind of like go undiagnosed. A lot of patients don’t really volunteer the information that would lead us to a diagnosis of pelvic floor disorder unless you ask them. Things that women should seek care for are let’s say if the patient is leaking urine. A lot of patients don’t want to mention that. They think it’s normal with age. That’s not normal with age. That can be fixed. Prolapse, if they have like pelvic organ prolapse where it’s causing them pain or problems. They also think it’s because they had like four or five kids and this is very normal. This also can be fixed if it’s causing issues. Problems with intimacy, with intercourse, if there are any issues, any pain, any discomfort. These are also things that we can deal with. Pain with intercourse or discomfort as well. So, all these are part of pelvic floor disorders that we can definitely deal with and fix.
Host: And Dr. Hamdi, if a woman wants to come see you and make an appointment; what should she do?
Dr. Hamdi: So, all they need to do is basically call the Center for Women’s Health. We have one phone number. It’s 401-789-0661 and I see patients in both the Wakefield office and the East Branch office.
Host: Very good. Dr. Hamdi, thank you so much for your time today and for all the information. We appreciate it. And if you want to learn more you can also visit www.southcountyhealth.org, that’s www.southcountyhealth.org. Or you can make an appointment by calling 401-789-0661. This is South County Health Talks from South County Health. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.