by Kristi | Feb 18, 2015 | birth stories, Ob-Gyn, Pregnancy |
So, I hear lots of pregnancy and delivery stories. Lots. Some are beautiful. Some are fraught with disappointment. Some are heartbreaking. Some are so intensely inspiring. I’m starting a standing series on the blog where I feature a pregnancy/delivery/postpartum story from you. They will be shared anonymously and only with the explicit permission of the author. If there are any take home lessons or experiences that warrant commentary, I’ll add my two cents with the hope that hearing a little something extra will be helpful. If you would like to share your birth story, send it in to kristiangevineMD at gmail Thank you in advance! Kristi {Due to the volume of stories I currently receive, not every one will be able to be...
by Kristi | Feb 17, 2015 | Gynecology |
Hello everyone! Let’s talk about menopause and perimenopause symptoms, shall we? Have you read that book Our Bodies, Ourselves? Gosh, it’s an old one. It conjures up college years for me. It was first published in in the early 1970’s and re-issued in updated forms every 4-6 years. It’s a manual of sorts that discusses women’s bodies and the physical and emotional changes that occur as we age. I remember picking it up in my early 20’s and pouring over it. Every chapter talked about intimate topics in such a straightforward way. It felt like I’d found a treasure box of vital info that I’d never been privy to. It talked about vaginas, urethras, and clitorises (clitori??). It talked about sex. It talked about orgasm, menopause, pregnancy, breast feeding. It had PICTURES of everything. As a 20 something I was enthralled. It discussed all these topics that typically were discussed in health class that one time in middle school, (when most of us were too self conscious to really listen). It shared them with grace and ease. That book normalized talking about body parts and functions in a way I’d never really heard. Fast forward nearly 20 years and I’m a gynecologist who spends everyday talking with women about their body parts and functions. If you want to see a little of the history of Our Bodies, Ourselves, go here. Knowledge is powerful. Understanding how our body works and knowing what to expect helps us weather changes our body undergoes with grace and ease. Knowing to anticipate a symptom is the next step to having a more relaxed perspective...
by Kristi | Feb 1, 2015 | Pregnancy |
Hi– this is the first part of a series of previews about my big upcoming project. Here’s the scoop: I’m in the thick of building out a (free!) prenatal education program to help women to start their pregnancies off right. In this age of fast access to information, there’s an abundance of misinformation. As an Ob/Gyn, I hear it all from my patients. And I see that it can be really hard to get pregnancy questions answered. Picture this– a newly pregnant lady has a question. Can I sleep on my back? How much coffee can I drink? Is it normal for me to feel these cramps? What are my chances of having a C-section? My coworker’s kid has 5ths disease, do I worry? She texts a friend and goes online to search for an answer because it’s after work, her doctor’s office is closed. An hour later, up to her ears in crazy ass information. She may have found her answer OR she may have found 17 different points of view. By the time she gets ahold of her doctor, the stress and damage have been done. What a waste. There’s absolutely no need for anyone to struggle to get quick, easy access to reliable, modern medical information. We have the freaking internet, email and social media to connect us and we can do better. My project to do better by pregnant women is the Straight-Up Pregnancy Primer. {{Read on or click here for more.}} Once complete, it’ll be a series of 2-3 weeks of emails. The emails will have a short video about a set of pregnancy...
I am an Ob/Gyn and I love helping people really, truly understand their bodies and live healthy lives. I believe true wellness comes from more than just a pill. When not working I love to mountain bike, cook, learn to sew, and go on adventures with my husband and our daughter.