“The current experience women and individuals have within the healthcare system, often looks like 15-minute visits where people don’t feel heard or understood. Because whether they choose to advocate for themselves or not, there’s no good way to get a level of depth or understanding in a 15-minute encounter,” said Dr. Lucy Lomas, OB-GYN Physician and holistic health and wellness expert.
Women’s health has been under researched and misunderstood for generations. But the pent-up frustration from limited options has given rise to innovation. New choices for everything from fertility and postpartum to menopause care abound.
It’s also leading to new models of care delivery. Including structures that allow patients and practitioners to get what they desperately want. More time and context. So, how can we leverage the changing landscape to meet our evolving healthcare needs?
Find a Healthcare Model that Works for You
A lot of new options have surfaced in the past 10 years. We can get a diagnosis over Zoom and track detailed health stats with apps. Although direct primary care and concierge medicine is relatively new, it’s growing in popularity in the US to address frustrations with our fragile system. Care and medications have largely been driven by what health insurers will pay for. But the prevalence of long waits followed by rushed appointments tends to leave us and our doctors, wanting more time.
We Crave Personalized Care
Concierge medicine, as implied by the name, is designed to provide more personalized service. Patients can get appointments quickly and receive much more time during each visit.
You may be wondering ‘how’ it’s possible, well the business model relies on patients paying membership fees that can range from $2,000 to $10,000 per year. Some practices also accept insurance for specific treatments whereas others don’t. The economics of this premium service supports more time and personalized attention. Doctors have lighter patient loads and more time to explore individual needs.
Because Women Haven’t Been Heard
Lucy explained in the earliest days of medicine, women were diagnosed with “hysteria” for symptoms that weren’t easily understood, from mental health conditions to abdominal pain. “The implication was, ‘it’s all in her mind’ and that approach gradually transitioned to what we have now. On top of that, women were excluded from medical research until the 1970’s.”
So, countless women still face unexplained pain or discomfort. Our medical system also isn’t set up to support extensive investigation or dot-connecting across specialties for anyone. And there’s a lot less data on women’s health or needs.
And Need More Time During and After Visits
Concierge care continues to expand because it’s filling a huge unmet need. Lucy, who has her own concierge practice said, “One of the bigger differences, is having more time with the information gathering. And more conversations to better understand your life, I don’t just want to understand medical history but the context in which a patient lives.”’
A Holistic Lens on Stress and Support
The fabric of our lives is relevant to wellbeing. Lucy said, “I will ask, ‘Who do you live with and who are you a primary care caregiver for? What kind of paid work do you? And what is the cadence of the often under appreciated, and unpaid labor you have at home? Or in your church, schools and community?’ We need practice acknowledging all of those different dimensions.” We discussed how health isn’t only about physical comfort but emotional wellbeing.
Including Your Emotional State
Most mothers feel like our batteries are drained all the time and we often normalize it or don’t understand why. Lucy said, “As a parent of a five- and seven-year-old, and as a wife, physician and active community member, I’m also a giver. Women are nurturing; caregiving people and I’m one of those people too. So, as I encourage women to assess their needs, I’m also encouraging myself to look at what is draining me, and what is an appropriate drain.”
Begin with Self-Assessment
We discussed how parenting is so fulfilling, yet also hard and emotional. So, it helps to check in with yourself. Lucy said, “It starts with a good self-assessment to figure out, how does my body feel? How is my energy level? How are my relationships? Am I feeling good and/or satisfied with my career and its trajectory? Do I have an opportunity to express myself creatively? Do I feel connected to my family, community and to my loved ones?”
A holistic self-assessment complements regular checkups and screenings. She added, “It’s also part of better understanding ourselves. We need to practice trusting our intuition and judgment, not ignoring them.” Amen!
And Get Objective Data
Mothers are notorious for putting off self-care and delaying medical care. Yet data, from preventative scans like mammograms and annual labs are often lifesaving. They can also help you identify where to focus your attention and energy. I asked, under ideal circumstances, how frequently do we need blood tests and other objective information?
Lucy said, “How often we gather lab related data depends on the patient, their medical issues, family history, disease progress or lack thereof. A lot of patients really only need labs once a year. However, that timeline can shift when you experience changes. For example, if you are perimenopausal and you’re starting to notice changes to your period and mood. Or maybe you’re late 40s and trying to figure if there’s something hormone related going on, and the OBGYN in me thinks, yes definitely!”
Rely on Experts to Determine the Implications
I asked Lucy how self-assessment maps to the objective data from medical tests. She said, “what you feel and notice in your body is extremely important and valuable. That helps me understand how much I need to explore. Do I need to make a referral or order more tests? Those decisions are a bit like a dance and if everything is going well, then keep dancing!”
She added, “If we start to notice labs that trend in a less desirable direction, like if that hemoglobin A1C starts to creep up and we know there was a history of gestational diabetes in pregnancy, or there’s diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease in the family history, that’s more information. And I may need to make a referral to a dietitian, or other specialist sooner.”
Take an Active Role in Your Healthcare
We covered a lot! Including new models for healthcare delivery, like concierge practices but regardless of what type of healthcare providers you see, take an active role in your preventative and long-term health.
Meet with your doctors and/or health care practitioners to understand what you might need. And if your needs are not being met, find someone who will listen.
Healthcare is not one size fits all for anyone and women’s bodies have different needs that influence health throughout our lifespan, not only during pregnancy and postpartum.
So, remember to combine all of the good things at the top of the Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs, with expert guidance. See your healthcare providers regularly and get your recommended screenings on time to maintain the quality of life and well-being you deserve.
Many thanks to the talented Dr. Lucy Lomas MD!
Learn about Lucy’s medical practice on her website. And follow her great adventure on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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About Dr. Lucy Lomas:
Dr. Lucy Lomas MD is an expert in women’s health and wellness. She is leading a community-owned wellness center located in Roxbury that prioritizes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of patients and healthcare workers. Lucy is a board-certified OB GYN physician with over 15 years of clinical experience. She serves as the director of community, health and wellness for the New England Medical Association, a network of black physicians. She graduated from the University of Southern California for Medicine (2009) and Biomedical engineering (2004). Lucy loves creating joyful experiences for her children, family and friends.
