Providing the Time and Care You Deserve

Practicing in Charlottesville  since 1990

I am sorry but I am not accepting new gynecology patients, however, I am NOT closing my practice. I found that I was overwhelmed with new patients and was thus unable to care for my existing patients. After so many years in practice, I have enough patients, and more was not better.

Pandemic Response

Due to concerns about COVID 19 I have altered my office patterns to add additional layers of protection in these interesting times.

Having such a small office already confers significantly lower infection risk than typical medical offices.

I require that you wear a mask while you are here. If you cross paths with another patient, please social distance.

HEPA air purifiers are in each room for added protection.

Please do not bring partners/friends or children with you for your appointment. If this is a problem please contact me and I will work with you.

Please cancel your appointment if you are ill with: fever and a sore throat or cough or if you have had recent close contact with someone diagnosed with Covid 19.

My goal is to keep everyone safe and comfortable as they come in for their care.

I am open to feedback and adjustments as seems reasonable.

WomanCare

Respectful, private, personal, relaxed and professional are words that describe my practice. I schedule hour long appointments for most visits. My focus is on listening to you and understanding your concerns. My understanding of your needs is holistic. What that means to me is that to appreciate who you are and why you may not be feeling well or feeling as well as you potentially could, on I need to consider ALL of you. To explore relevant aspects of your physical health, lifestyle choices, emotional/mental health and social as well as spiritual/religious influences. These multiple factors in your life and your history bring you to your current place of health or imbalance. This is my holistic approach, I am considering all aspects of who you are. Understanding these parts of you inform both your health and health challenges. They also need to be drawn on to help you find your optimal health and happiness.

We work together to determine how you want to improve upon your health and wellbeing. This is not a 7 minute annual. This is holistic healthcare. You decide what your concerns are then together will consider them in terms of the issues that influence health.

Sadly respect still is not a given or even usual in women’s healthcare. It is a very high value of mine to treat all who come to me for care with respect. This means listening, honoring who you are, trusting that you can deeply contribute to your healthcare.

I believe in your ability to take in information and make your informed health choices. We all have an inner wisdom, an inner voice, that knows what is right for ourselves. We can feel disconnected from this and at times, we chose not to follow it. However, that inner voice is there waiting to be tapped into, waiting to lead you to be your best and healthiest self. Sometimes it just needs a bit of a nudge. I am an expert in women’s health and you are the expert in you. Together we can create care.

I care for all persons in need of women’s healthcare. I offer a safe and accepting place for the LGBTQA+ community. I offer trauma informed care for the oh so many women who have experienced physical and emotional trauma.

Privacy is so important in healthcare, and especially so in women’s healthcare where issues are more intimate and exams by necessity require a level of physical exposure not encountered in most other settings. In appreciation of this, I have created a very private, secure setting. I am the only provider you will see, no receptionists, nurses, students or interns. My office is beautiful, quiet, serene and professional. If you are looking for an alternative to the large impersonal medical practices of today, you will find it in WomanCare.

Please visit my Womancareva Facebook page to see recent articles of interest and read reviews of my practice.

Areas of Gynecology care include but are not limited to:

• Annual exams with a focus on preventative care
• Pap screening
• Contraception prescription/management: Birth control pills, IUDs, cervical cap, diaphragm.
• Midlife care –bioidentical hormones, herbs/supplement, lifestyle approaches
• Vaginal infections-yeast, bacterial vaginosis
• Menstrual problems—too many, too few, too heavy, too overall miserable
• STD /STI –Sexually Transmitted Infection diagnosis and treatment
• UTI –urinary tract infection
• Sexual assault survivors—please see below if this is a recent event

These additional services are available:
• Life and health counseling to help you through transitional and other life challenges.

• Birth counseling. Helping you prepare for a birth or process previous birth experiences.

Please see appropriate sections of my website for more information on these services.

I believe that health is achieved though understanding what one’s health challenges are, learning about the different ways to approach change and deciding to take responsibility to make changes. My job is being a professional guide.

I assess your issues as both you and I see them. Together we consider different paths to healing.These include:  lifestyle (exercise, nutrition, clarifying priorities), supplements (herbal and nutraceuticals), meditation/mindfulness, and of course western medicine. I order labs, imaging studies and do prescribe medications as indicated and desired. I refer women to other providers as  needed.

All people are welcome to my practice who are in need of the care that I offer. I honor people of all sexual/relationship/gender identities and preferences (as long as there is mutual respect and consent between parties) and welcome them to my practice.

It is your health that we (you and I) are caring for, so you need to know enough to figure out how to care for yourself. Thus I have a large educational component to my care. Achieving optimal health and wellbeing is not something that is done to you, but done with you, and ultimately, you do it for yourself.

Annual exams, pap tests, vaginal infections, STDs. I do provide annual exams—routine physicals, pap tests, screening for vaginal infections and sexually transmitted infections as well as any additional health screenings that are indicated, such as for urinary tract infections, routine blood screenings, etc.. I care for women from teenagers though 70’s.

Birth control. For those in need of birth control, I discuss all available options and provide information to help you make the best choice for yourself. I prescribe hormonal contraceptives (pills, nuvaring), as well as fit for diaphragms and cervical caps and I do insert IUDs (paraguard, Mirena, Kyleena).

Menstrual problems. I can evaluate menstrual and uterine problems and we can discuss what treatment options you might wish to pursue given your unique situation.

Midlife concerns. While some glide through this transition, many find this a challenging time. From hot flashes, sleep disturbances, weight gain to libido decline and relationship challenges this time can be burdensome for many. Sorting this through and looking for the best solutions for each person is my goal. Be it herbal, nutritional, hormonal (bio-identical are my preference), counseling or just listening and validating your experience, I will work with you to help find the best way for you to transit though this very interesting time..

Those with a history of sexual abuse. For those who have endured this, I bring my heartfelt support and care. I appreciate that gynecology care can be very difficult to receive after this type of trauma. I have found that time, caring, patience and giving control of the exam over to you, all help to provide a positive experience. The private, non-medical feel of my practice is helpful in providing a safe and comfortable environment.

Sexual assault and sexual trauma. If you have had a recent sexual assault perpetrated against you, you are more than welcome to see me for care. However—I am not able to collect evidence that could be used in court. If you are planning to file charges against your attacker, you need to go to the University of Virginia Emergency department. This is the only place in Charlottesville where this is done. They have nurse practitioners specifically trained to care for you as well as to collect and process the evidence. There are also local resources that can be helpful, please visit that part of this website.

If you have a specific problem that is not mentioned here, please do not assume that I can not care for you. Please contact me and we can discuss what help I can be to you.