Mfm

[OB/GYN Sim]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am a pre-med student currently in my undergrad stage. I have always wanted to be an OB/Gyn as a guy this field does have possible problems. I was wondering if anyone who has been or is involved in an MFM fellowship share some insights on the field itself and the type of lifstyle and or family life that a doctor of this type would have?

 

[sdnetrocks]

From what I saw on my 3rd year ob/gyn rotation, being a guy in the field isn't that big of an issue that it's made out to be. Yes, some women may prefer female ob/gyn's, but some also prefer male ob/gyn's. And the others don't really care.

As far as lifestyle, in my impression MFM is way better than general ob/gyn. MFM is mostly clinic and some procedures (i.e. choriocentesis). I'm not sure if MFM's even deliver the babies in their own practices...

At this point, I wouldn't even worry about gen ob/gyn vs. MFM until you're done with 3rd year of med school and your final decisions about career pathways are just *starting* to crystallize.

 

[mysophobe]

From what I saw on my 3rd year ob/gyn rotation, being a guy in the field isn't that big of an issue that it's made out to be. Yes, some women may prefer female ob/gyn's, but some also prefer male ob/gyn's. And the others don't really care.

As far as lifestyle, in my impression MFM is way better than general ob/gyn. MFM is mostly clinic and some procedures (i.e. choriocentesis). I'm not sure if MFM's even deliver the babies in their own practices...

At this point, I wouldn't even worry about gen ob/gyn vs. MFM until you're done with 3rd year of med school and your final decisions about career pathways are just *starting* to crystallize.

In my experience (which is limited, so take it with a grain of salt), delivering babies is a personal preference. I've seen a few MFM docs that take care of the moms until they are ready to deliver, then hand them back off to their normal OB. I've also seen just as many MFMs take them all the way through delivery and a little past before sending them back.

 

[OB/GYN Sim]

As far as lifestyle, in my impression MFM is way better than general ob/gyn. MFM is mostly clinic and some procedures (i.e. choriocentesis). I'm not sure if MFM's even deliver the babies in their own practices...

I was also under the impression that the lifestyle would be better if i were to choose MFM as opposed to general ob/gyn. Thanks for the help does anyone else have information on this specialty also on the topic of if its mainly personal choice for the MFM doctor to deliver the baby?

 

[mysophobe]

Uh....see above. 🙄

 

[OB/GYN Sim]

bump

 

[BayesianDoc]

In my experience (which is limited, so take it with a grain of salt), delivering babies is a personal preference. I've seen a few MFM docs that take care of the moms until they are ready to deliver, then hand them back off to their normal OB. I've also seen just as many MFMs take them all the way through delivery and a little past before sending them back.

Seems like excellent continuity of care. Gynecologist to MFM to Obstetrician back to Gynecologist with addition of Pediatrician/Family Doc.

 

[mysophobe]

Well...if your GYN does OB, it's OB/GYN to MFM along with OB/GYN back to solely OB/GYN and Pediatrician. There's definitely continuity of care there.

 

[Wednesday]

Sim,

No fellows here as far as I can tell (at least, they don't post). Best bet might be to call up some MFMs and see if you can shadow them and then pick their brains about how things are done and what sort of options they have.

 

[anamarylee]

I'm doing a MFM rotation at the moment at a terciary care center. From what I've seen my attending do, the residents take the basic biometry and anatomy images, then the attending sees the anatomy for himself. He then counsels the patients in his office about the sonogram results. That's his bread and butter. He also does the L/S amnio samples, the amnios for genetic studies, and the cordocentesis (Haven't seen one yet). I also saw him do a fetal paracentesis on my 3rd year clerkship.

But basically, since it's a 3ry care center, we do target sonograms, and most of them (~80%) are for abnormal triple screens.

As for the lifestyle (general OB/GYN vs MFM), it all depends on how much you are willing to put in. For example, my attending used to be in private practice, he worked like a madman, but switched to an academic setting because of the lifestyle (less hours, less money). Take Wednesday's suggestion and try to find a MFM and a regular OB/GYN you can shadow so you can compare and get a feel for what both are like.