Women's Treatments

Caring for you at all ages and stages

Women often put their own health needs at the bottom of their to-do list. It’s time to change that. At Reid Health, you can find the comprehensive women’s treatments you need to take care of your health now — and in the future.

We’re committed to offering women in East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio the services and tools they need to support their health and wellness. Our women’s health services include comprehensive maternity care through the Family Birthing Center, along with services for women’s health needs at every age.

No matter your age or your specific needs, you can find specialized women’s health care right here in our community. 

Reproductive care

Our women’s health providers offer comprehensive reproductive care for women. Whether you’re looking to conceive or trying to prevent pregnancy, we’re here to meet your needs. 

Contraception

Our providers can help you determine the contraceptive option that will work best for you. Depending on your needs, this might include:

• Birth control pills, injections, or implants
• Intrauterine devices
• Barrier methods such as diaphragms, condoms, or cervical caps
• Permanent contraception through tubal ligation (aka getting your tubes tied). 

Beyond birth control

Birth control pills can do more than prevent pregnancy. Your OB/GYN might recommend them to help you manage symptoms of other conditions, including anemia, endometriosis, PCOS, and premenstrual syndrome.  

These medications can help regulate your menstrual cycle and relieve symptoms, such as heavy bleeding, pain, and cramping. They can also help you manage acne or other hormone-related skin problems.  

If your symptoms disrupt your daily life, talk to your Reid OB/GYN about whether birth control pills might help. 

Preconceptive Counseling

A healthy pregnancy begins before conception. If you’re trying to conceive, preconception counseling is a good place to start. Our women’s health providers can talk with you about ways to improve your health and offer tips and guidance about conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy.  

Infertility treatments

Infertility is relatively common in the United States, affecting about 9% of men and 11% of women. If you’re having difficulty becoming pregnant, you can access infertility treatments at Reid Health.  

We offer many reproductive health treatments, including in vitro fertilization, intrauterine insemination, and natural procreative technology (NaPro).  

Your provider can help you determine which reproductive health treatment might work best for you. These treatment options can be particularly helpful if your infertility is related to another health condition, such as endometriosis or PCOS. 

Hormone therapy

You’ll experience hormonal shifts throughout your life — puberty, pregnancy, and perimenopause. At times, it can be beneficial to use hormone therapy to treat women’s health issues. 

What is hormone therapy?

Hormone therapy is a medication that uses estrogen, progesterone, or a combination to relieve symptoms related to menopause. Levels of these hormones drop when you’re going through perimenopause, the months and years leading up to menopause, and they remain low after menopause.  

You can take hormone therapy as a pill, gel, cream, patch, injection, or other form to help with many symptoms, ranging from mood swings to sleeping issues to vaginal dryness. 

Who benefits from hormone therapy?
 

OB/GYNs commonly use hormone therapy to help women manage menopause symptoms. However, your provider might recommend hormone therapy to help protect against osteoporosis, a bone-thinning condition that could occur after menopause.  

Some forms of hormone therapy can treat other women’s health issues, including endometriosis, pelvic pain, menstrual irregularities, and even incontinence.  

Types of hormone therapy

The most common types of hormone therapy use estrogen or progesterone, the female reproductive hormones. Your Reid OB/GYN might recommend this type of hormone therapy to treat menopause symptoms.

Other women’s health conditions, such as endometriosis, might benefit from hormone therapies that reduce hormone levels. These therapies are called GnRH agonists. These drugs mimic a hormone produced naturally by the body and limit how much estrogen and progesterone your body creates.

Pelvic floor physical therapy

Pelvic floor physical therapy at Reid offers women an effective, nonsurgical option for pelvic floor disorders. These common conditions cause many uncomfortable and embarrassing symptoms, which can have a significant impact on your quality of life.  

Pelvic floor physical therapy focuses on strengthening and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles. Reid’s pelvic floor physical therapists provide this specialized service in private rooms and with sensitivity to help you manage these uncomfortable conditions. 

Conditions treated by pelvic floor physical therapy 

This type of therapy is used to treat various pelvic floor and gynecologic conditions, including:

• Pelvic organ prolapse
• Urinary incontinence
• Bowel control problems
• Pelvic pain
• Painful sexual intercourse 

What to expect?

When you begin pelvic floor physical therapy, a physical therapist will first find out what’s causing weakness and other symptoms in your pelvis. Then, they’ll develop a personalized physical therapy plan based on your needs.  

During your sessions, your therapist will coach you through exercises that can help strengthen muscles or release tension that can cause pain and other symptoms. They’ll also teach you how to do these exercises at home, so you can continue your progress between sessions. 

Other nonsurgical treatments for pelvic floor disorders 

Our OB/GYNs understand how limiting pelvic floor disorders can be. In addition to pelvic floor physical therapy, we offer many nonsurgical options based on your specific need. Options might include: 

Pessaries 

These medical devices are placed into the vagina and help support weak parts of the pelvis, such as the uterus, bladder, or rectum. OB/GYNs often recommend pessaries for treating pelvic organ prolapse, but the devices might also help urinary incontinence. 

Injections

Depending on the condition you have, your OB/GYN might recommend trigger point injections, pelvic nerve blocks, or Botox injections. These injected medications help in a variety of ways to relieve symptoms, including pain. 

Medications

Many different medications can help with pelvic floor disorders. Anticholinergic medications, for example, might be prescribed to reduce the symptoms of overactive bladder, while muscle relaxers might be needed to relax the muscles of the pelvic floor.  

Antidepressants, pain medications, and hormone therapy are also sometimes used to treat pelvic floor disorders. 

Surgical options

When nonsurgical treatment options don’t provide the relief you need, you can trust our experienced general surgeons. We offer a range of gynecologic surgery procedures to treat pelvic floor disorders and other health issues.

Whenever possible, we use robotic and other minimally invasive surgical procedures to help you get back to life faster, with less pain and a lower chance of complications.  

Even if you need a traditional open surgery, you’ll be in caring hands. Our surgeons perform many procedures and help you decide which is best for you based on your goals and lifestyle.

We offer these procedures and more: 

• Endometrial ablation: This minimally invasive procedure removes or destroys the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to reduce or stop heavy menstrual bleeding, typically for women who no longer wish to have children.
• Endometriosis surgery: This surgery removes or destroys endometrial tissue that has grown outside the uterus, often to relieve pain and improve fertility. This can be done through minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy, or, in severe cases, more extensive surgical methods.
• Hysterectomy: Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus, and sometimes the cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, commonly performed to treat conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, or cancer. It results in the permanent end of menstruation and the inability to conceive. Reid offers robotic-assisted hysterectomies, performed through small incisions using the da Vinci® Surgical System.
• InterStim™ implantable device: This implantable device is used to treat overactive bladder, urinary retention, and fecal incontinence. It provides mild electrical stimulation to the sacral nerves, helping to regulate bladder and bowel function.
• Laparoscopy: This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses a small camera and specialized instruments to diagnose or treat conditions within the abdomen or pelvis. It involves small incisions, offering faster recovery, less pain, and minimal scarring compared to open surgery.
• Laparotomy: Laparotomy is an open surgical procedure involving a large incision in the abdomen to access and treat conditions affecting internal organs. It is typically used for complex cases where a clear view and direct access are needed for diagnosis or treatment.
• Mid-urethral sling placement: This minimally invasive surgical procedure is used to treat stress urinary incontinence.  A supportive sling is placed under the urethra to prevent leakage during activities like coughing or exercising.
• Myomectomy: Myomectomy is a surgical procedure designed to remove uterine fibroids while preserving the uterus to maintain reproductive health and function.
• Ovarian cystectomy: This procedure is performed to remove cysts from the ovary while preserving the healthy ovarian tissue. It is performed to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications, and maintain fertility when possible.
• Pelvic organ prolapse surgery: This procedure addresses the displacement of pelvic organs, such as the uterus, bladder, or rectum, caused by weakened muscles or tissues. Depending on the patient's condition and needs, the surgery may involve repairing tissues, placing supportive mesh, or, in some cases, removing affected organs.
• Surgery to correct bowel problems and pelvic organ prolapse: These procedures restore normal pelvic structure and function by repairing weakened tissues and repositioning organs such as the rectum, bladder, or uterus. This can alleviate symptoms like pelvic pressure, incontinence, and difficulty with bowel movements.
• Tubal ligation: Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure for permanent female sterilization, in which the fallopian tubes are cut, tied, or sealed to prevent eggs from reaching the uterus for fertilization. It is a highly effective form of birth control for women who are certain they do not want future pregnancies.
• Uterine artery embolization: During this minimally invasive procedure, tiny particles are injected into the uterine arteries to block blood flow to uterine fibroids. This causes the fibroids to shrink, reducing symptoms while preserving the uterus. 

Mental health care

Your mental health is every bit as important as your physical health.  At Reid, our team of behavioral health specialists works with women to address their unique mental health needs, which often change throughout life and can be related to hormone shifts.

Whether you have postpartum depression, anxiety, a condition that contributes to sexual health problems, or are experiencing grief after a pregnancy loss or because of infertility, our team provides counseling and support designed just for you. 

The personalized care you deserve

Your health needs are unique — and your healthcare should be, too. Our team of women’s health providers and OB/GYNs is committed to offering personalized treatments that put you at the center of your care.

We take time to thoughtfully listen to your health needs and answer your questions. We use the information we gather to guide our recommendations about your health and wellness, from the medications we prescribe to lifestyle changes we suggest.  

At our most basic, we all want to be seen and heard. At Reid, we’re here to do that for you.