Our women’s center offers programs and services for comprehensive, integrated, interdisciplinary and coordinated women's healthcare, including healthcare education and community outreach for women.  Our physicians and staff can address all your healthcare needs – and all under one roof!

To make your life easier, here are some tips to know how to talk with your doctor, nurse or other healthcare team member who will help you get the information you need.

• List your questions or concerns.  Before your appointment, make a list of what you want to ask.
• Describe your symptoms.  Say when these problems started.  Say how they make you feel.  If you know, say what sets them off or triggers them.  Say what you’ve done to feel better.
• Give your doctor a list of your medications.  Tell what prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, herbal products and other supplements you’re taking.
• Be honest about your diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol or drug use, and sexual history. 
• Describe any allergies to drugs, foods, pollen or other things.  Don’t forget to mention if you are being treated by other doctors, including mental health professionals.
• Talk about sensitive topics.  Your doctor or nurse has probably heard it before!  And if you don’t understand the answers your doctor gives you, ask again.
• Ask questions about any tests and your test results.  Get instructions on what you need to do to get ready for the test(s).  Ask how you can learn the test results.  Ask how long it will take to get the results.
• Ask questions about your condition or illness.  If you are diagnosed with a condition, ask your doctor how you can learn more about it.  What caused it?  Is it permanent?  What can you do to help yourself feel better?  How can it be treated?
• Tell your doctor or nurse if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.  Some medicines may not be suitable for you.  Other medicines should be used with caution if you are pregnant or about to become pregnant.
• Ask your doctor about any treatments he or she recommends.  Be sure to ask about all of your options for treatment.  Ask how long the treatment will last.  Ask if it has any side effects.  Ask how much it will cost.  Ask if it is covered by your health insurance (if you have it and if you don’t, ask about alternatives).
• Ask your doctor about any medicines he or she prescribes for you.  Make sure you understand how to take your medicine.
• Ask more questions if you don’t understand something.
• Bring a family member or trusted friend with you.  That person can take notes, offer moral support and help you remember what was discussed.  You can have that person ask questions too!
• Call before your visit to tell them if you have special needs.  If you don’t speak or understand English well, our office has Spanish-speaking staff available.  If you have a disability, ask if they can accommodate you.

Source:  Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health, National Women’s Health Information Center, Washington, DC 

The following is a list of common screening and diagnostic tests explained so that you can ask your doctor appropriate questions about the status of your health:

Angiogram
Exam of your blood vessels using x-rays. The doctor inserts a small tube into the blood vessel and injects dye to see the vessels on the x-ray.

Barium enema
A lubricated enema tube is gently inserted into your rectum.  Barium flows into your colon.  An x-ray is taken of the large intestine.

Biopsy
A test that removes cells or tissues for examination by a pathologist to diagnose for disease. The tissue is examined under a microscope for cancer or other diseases.

Blood test
Blood is taken from a vein in the inside elbow or back of the hand to test for a health problem.

Bone mineral density (BMD) test
Special x-rays of your bones are used to test if you have osteoporosis or a weakening of the bones.  Also referred to as a bone scan.

Bronchoscopy
Exam of the lungs.  A bronchoscope, or flexible tube, is put through the nose or mouth and into your windpipe (trachea).

Clinical breast exam (CBE)
A doctor, nurse or other health professional uses his or her hands to examine your breasts and underarm areas to find lumps or other problems.

Chest x-ray
An x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.

Colonoscopy
An examination of the inside of the colon using a colonoscope, inserted into the rectum. A colonoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and lens for viewing. It may also have a tool to remove tissue to be checked under a microscope for disease.

Computed tomographic (CT or CAT) scan
The patient lies on a table and x-rays of the body are taken from different angles. Sometimes, a fluid is used to highlight parts of the body in the scan.

Echocardiogram
An instrument (that looks like a microphone) is placed on the chest.  It uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. A picture appears on a TV monitor and the heart can be seen in different ways.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Measures the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes that are put on the patient’s scalp.  Sometimes patients sleep during the test.

Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
Records the electrical activity of the heart using electrodes placed on the arms, legs and chest.

Exercise stress test
Electrodes are placed on the chest, arms and legs to record the heart’s activity. A blood pressure cuff is placed around the arm and is inflated every few minutes. Heart rate and blood pressure are taken before exercise starts. The patient walks on a treadmill or pedals a stationary bicycle. The pace of the treadmill is increased. The response of the heart is monitored. The test continues until target heart rate is reached. Monitoring continues after exercise for 10 to 15 minutes or until the heart rate returns to normal.

Fecal occult blood test (FOBT)
Detects hidden blood in a bowel movement. There are two types: the smear test and flushable reagent pads.

Laparoscopy
A small tube with a camera is inserted into the abdomen through a small cut in or just below the belly button to see inside the abdomen and pelvis. Other instruments can be inserted in the small cut as well. It is used for both diagnosing and treating problems inside the abdomen.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A test that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create a picture of the inside of your body without surgery. The patient lies on a table that slides onto a large tunnel-like tube, which is surrounded by a scanner. Small coils may be placed around your head, arm, leg or other areas.

Mammogram
X-rays of the breast taken by resting one breast at a time on a flat surface that contains an x-ray plate. A device presses firmly against the breast. An x-ray is taken to show a picture of the breast. Mammography is used to screen healthy women for signs of breast cancer. It can also be used to evaluate a woman who has symptoms of disease. It can, in some cases, detect breast cancers before you can feel them with your fingers.

Medical history
The doctor or nurse talks to the patient about current and past illnesses, surgeries, pregnancies, medications, allergies, use of alternative therapies, vitamins and supplements, diet, alcohol and drug use, physical activity and family history of diseases.

Pap test
The nurse or doctor uses a small brush to take cells from the cervix (opening of the uterus) to look at under a microscope in a lab.

Pelvic exam
A doctor or nurse asks about the patient’s health and looks at the vaginal area. The doctor or nurse checks the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus by putting two gloved fingers inside the vagina. With the other hand, the doctor or nurse will feel from the outside for any lumps or tenderness.

Physical exam
The doctor or nurse will test for diseases, assess your risk of future medical problems, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and update your vaccinations.

Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
The patient is injected with a radioactive substance, such as glucose. A scanner detects any cancerous areas in the body. Cancerous tissue absorbs more of the substance and looks brighter in images than normal tissue.

Sigmoidoscopy
A sigmoidoscope is a small camera attached to a flexible tube. This tube, about 20 inches long, is gently inserted into the colon. As the tube is slowly removed, the lining of the bowel is examined.

Spirometry
The patient breathes into a mouthpiece that is connected to an instrument called a spirometer. The spirometer records the amount and the rate of air that is breathed in and out over a specified time. It measures how well the lungs exhale.

Ultrasound
A clear gel is put onto the skin over the area being examined. An instrument is then moved over that area. The machine sends out sound waves which reflect off the body. A computer receives these waves and uses them to create pictures of the body. Note: Anesthesia (medicine to block pain or sedate you) is given during some of these tests to keep you comfortable.  Be sure to talk with your doctor or nurse about what to expect during and after tests, and how to prepare for the tests.

Source:  Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health, National Women’s Health Information Center, Washington, DC

Your health needs nurturing to live long and well throughout the years, which requires a holistic approach throughout the "health span" – the quality years you can have in addition to just your years of life. This approach to life-long health begins with healthy behaviors to prevent and manage the many health conditions that can affect you.

Although there are genetic risks that you cannot control for many diseases, there are some risks that you can overcome by following key preventive steps. These steps are outlined in this booklet and are not difficult to follow! Please use them to make healthy choices for yourself and for the people you love.

From the Susan G. Komen Foundation:

How to do Breast Self Exam-English

Cómo hacer Seno Auto Examen-Spanish

Bottom line – women and men are different.  Diseases can manifest differently in women than in men, or have complications specific to women.  Some disorders are more common in women - and some are exclusive to female patients.  It’s important that you know:

• Many people mistakenly believe that colon cancer affects mostly men, but it is the third leading cause of cancer and mortality from cancer in women after lung and breast cancers.  Colon cancer screening is as important as getting screened with mammograms or pap smears.  Screening starts at age 50 in the general population, and earlier if there is a family history of cancer or risk factors for colon cancer (such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis).
• Other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders specific to women can start to develop during pregnancy, delivery or lactation and require use of medications that are safe during these times of a patient’s life (such as the onset of reflux disease, constipation, fecal incontinence).
• Pelvic floor dysfunction is prevalent in 50% of women after age 55.  It manifests with fecal incontinence, constipation, rectal pain and rectal prolapse.  PFD is due to aging, pregnancy and delivery.
• And, rectal involvement with endometriosis is a gynecological disorder that can involve the GI tract and should be treated in a timely manner.

At Mee, we understand a woman's needs for quick and trustworthy information.  Our holistic approach to life-long health can help you manage the many health conditions that can affect you or someone you love.

Most major insurances accepted

Our physicians include:                        

• Obiloh Egu, MD-Board-Certified in obstetrics & gynecolory
• Leopold Graupera, MD-Board-certified in obstetrics & gynecology
• Maria Flores-Cooper, MD-Board-certified in obstetrics & gynecology
• Sandra Montijo, MD-Board-certified in pediatric medicine
• Nanek Boparai, MD-Board-eligible in pediatric medicine