Knox Community Hospital’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is known for delivering babies but it actually provides many other services, the Hospital’s Dr. Amy Flammer told the Mount Vernon News.
“We take care of adolescents all the way through to the geriatric population," she said. "We do more than just pregnancy and postpartum care. Although of course Obstetrics is a major component of what we do. We have the new Ann Schnormeier Center for Birthing Care that has new state-of-the-art birthing suites and a lot of great features including wireless monitors.”
The birthing center opened in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was arriving.
The OB/GYN department also offers all forms of birth control and cancer screenings.
“Cervical cancer screening starts at 21 and goes through age 65," she said. "That’s probably the most common reason patients know to go to an OB-GYN doctor, other than pregnancy, but we can provide so much more.”
The department also offers mammograms, bone density scans, management of menopause and irregularities in menstrual cycles.
The OB/GYN Physicians are also surgeons who perform procedures such as ablations, laparoscopy and hysterectomies, Flammer stated.
She advises her patients to start focusing on their health earlier in life.
“Tobacco should be a never, ever,” she stated. “It just causes cancer and doesn’t really help with anxiety effectively.”
Drugs and alcohol also pose major health risks.
“There are drugs that can be addictive the very first time you try them," Flammer said. "Even marijuana is often laced with amphetamines here in Ohio where it’s illegal. Drugs can have even more things in there that are very unsafe.”
Patients should limit alcohol consumption and try to maintain a healthy weight.
Obesity can cause irregular periods and lead to uterine cancer among other health problems like heart disease and hypertension.
“People who are overweight and obese are at risk for infertility as well as complications in pregnancy such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure,” Flammer noted.
OB/GYN providers offer a mix of primary and specialty care geared towards helping women across all ages and stages of life.
For more information on the KCH Obstetrics/Gynecology Department, call 740-326-3531.
