Reproductive Endocrinology: An Exciting Career

“While a general physician may be able to pinpoint and treat minor women 's health issues, the expert opinions of gynecologists are absolutely necessary when it comes to certain aspects of women 's health” (“What does a Gynecologist do?”). Reproductive Endocrinology is an exciting career. Moreover, it is very important to women for several reasons. The first reason is that it helps women stay healthy in a variety of ways. The second reason is that it provides hope to women with reproductive issues. Therefore research on these two reasons can be exciting. Reproductive Endocrinology is a field of work that requires performance of different procedures and tests, an intensive education, and a demanding daily life.

Gynecology is a field of work

When a person is working as a resident they get paid, but they are not doing the same intense work that the doctors are doing, and instead it is more like a paid internship. During the four year required residency, one will get to learn and experience different fields of medicine under the supervision of the doctors in those specialities. The period of time in which residency takes place is when a person who has the desire of becoming a Gynecologist will finally be able to study under trained Gynecologists to gain knowledge them. After residency, a person can decide to participate in a fellowship program in which they will be able to study the subspeciality they would like to go in to. Fellowship programs can last up to four years depending on the subspecialty being studied. People interested in Reproductive Endocrinology will be able to gain additional training in this field during this time. Once a person completes all of the necessary training to become a Reproductive Endocrinologist, they are required to become licensed by taking a three step exam called the United States Medical Licensing Examination. After becoming licensed, one can decide to become certified which is not required, but it makes them look more attractive to patients. Board certification must be maintained throughout one’s career by continuing to gain knowledge in and being able to practice

Dr. Al-Safi, a Reproductive Endocrinologist from UCLA, was interviewed about his daily life in his practice as a fertility specialist. The interviewer said, “Dr. Al-Safi estimates that he spends 60 percent of his time in patient visits, 20 percent performing ultrasounds and 20 percent in surgery.” This sounds like an extremely full day in which the doctor would have to stay on top of things in order to get anything accomplished. Dr. Al-Safi starts his day at 7 am with ultrasounds on his IVF patients to monitor how their ovaries respond to drugs used to stimulate them. Then at 9 am he starts his patient visits for the day. Throughout the day he sees new patients and existing patients. With the new patients, he assesses their health through their medical history and physical exams so he can begin to think of treatment options for them. With his existing patients, he discusses how their treatments are coming along and the efficacy of them. Then, throughout the rest of the day he performs surgeries and works in the IVF center where eggs are received and embryos are transferred. Overall, the daily life of a Reproductive Endocrinologist can be pretty full, but the reward of helping people everyday is extremely great