The Women's Choice Blog

Since 1982, our facility has been the clinic of choice for women, providing high quality health care. Since then our primary goal has been providing women with the best reproductive and gynecological healthcare possible in a safe and comforting environment.

As an Office-Based Surgery Facility Accredited by The joint Commission, we are a part of a specialized group of medical care providers that are governed by a stringent set of federal and state health care regulations. At BWMC, women can be assured that they will receive the highest quality healthcare possible.

At BWMC, our physicians are dedicated to helping all patients, including those who have special needs or require second trimester abortion care. Best Women’s Medical care, P.C. has earned a reputation for exceptional service, where safety is vital, and this is illustrated by the number of healthcare providers that refer patients to BWMC each day. Our dedicated staff will help each patient determine the safest possible course of treatment, and will discuss all options available. For many women, accessing abortion care can be difficult. We understand this, and we will use every resource available to help.

We are located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn accessible to public transportation and minutes away from the city.

Our waiting area is inviting, warm and soothing. We maintain an atmosphere that will enhance safety and relaxation.

Our exam rooms are equipped with the latest technology to meet the highest standards for surgical equipment, emergency preparedness, and cleanliness. Best Women’s Medical Care, P.C. was developed with the patients’ needs in mind: to provide a warm, secure, comfortable environment in which patients can feel at ease.

Our individual counseling rooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated.
Patients may request to have a friend or family member present during the counseling session.

Our recovery room was designed for your comfort and privacy. We offer for your convenience, a choice of private cubicles in where you will be able to recover from the procedure in a private and confidential environment.

The abortion pill is often confused with the morning after pill or Plan B. They are not the same thing. Plan B is only to be used in the case of an emergency after unprotected sex and not for regular birth control purposes. It works by preventing the egg from implanting in the uterine wall if a woman is ovulating or will prevent the egg from releasing from the ovum if a woman has not begun ovulating. The morning after pill must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse in order to work and will not work at all if a woman is already pregnant.

It is often recommended to take a pregnancy test first to ensure that a pregnancy did not occur. It is not the abortion pill and will not work if a woman is already pregnant. This is very important for women to understand. RU 486, also known as the abortion pill, is a non surgical approach for ending an early pregnancy up to 8 weeks in comfort and privacy. The abortion pill works by blocking a hormone needed for pregnancy to continue. This means that the pregnancy is essentially terminated. However, a second medication is needed as well in order to finish the procedure.

Office visits are conducted to ensure that the procedure went according to plan and that the pregnancy has been terminated. Once the pill has been started, the process must be completed. There is no backing out of the process so women must be absolutely sure of their decision to terminate their pregnancy. Before and after the procedure, a counseling session is offered to help women cope with their decision and lets them know what options are available to them.

With any first trimester method of abortion, a small risk exists of failure to terminate pregnancy, necessitating another procedure: D&C. Dilatation and Curettage refers to widening the cervix and scraping part of the lining of the uterus to assist in removing the fetus of an aborted pregnancy. This is also done with a spontaneous abortion when the body does not fully rid itself of the remains of the dead fetus.

To perform a D&C, a heavy amount of sedation needs to be used and more complications exist. This has led to the decrease in use of D&C in first trimester abortions. It has also become less common due to the innovation of medical and non-invasive forms of abortion.

Contact us now if you have more questions or visit our Abortion Pill page for more information:

Choice is among the most vital concepts in the treatment of patients at Best Women’s Medical Care in Brooklyn, NY. This long-established practice believes that all patients deserve to have as many as possible available to them in their gynecological care and pregnancy counseling.

For example, one of the most interesting developments in treatment of unwanted early-stage pregnancy in recent years is a non-surgical treatment delivered in pill form called RU-486. This treatment option requires no surgical intervention and no anesthesia.

Known under the generic name Mifeprex, this treatment offers the newest alternative option to women in the earliest weeks of pregnancy – up to 8 weeks. In pill form, the treatment can be taken in comfort and privacy, although a commitment to at least two office visits is required. Best Women’s Medical Care established this two-visit policy that includes a counseling session in order to:
a) Assess the patient’s desire to participate in the abortion process
b) Ensure that the pregnancy has been effectively terminated after the treatment

How it works
The pill, RU-486, also known as the abortion pill, was approved by the FDA in October, 2000. It is a synthetic hormone treatment taken as a pill that blocks the production of another hormone in the body required for pregnancy to continue. Without this crucial hormone, the pregnancy will terminate and be absorbed into the patient’s system.

There is also an injection form of the medication available called Methotrexate. The injection form will end the pregnancy, but a second treatment of anther medication called misoprostol is required to complete the process.

Specialized Medical Counseling
Patients undergo an individualized counseling session at Best Women’t Medical Care where both of these options for medical abortion will be explained and discussed as well as any other options that may be preferable for each patient’s unique circumstances.

In order to qualify for non-surgical, medical abortion, the patient must be no more than 8 weeks pregnant. Also, once the medication is first administered, either by pill or injection, the abortion must be completed.

During the first visit, one of our board-certified Ob/GYN physicians will conduct an ultrasound exam to determine the number of weeks the patient has been pregnant before prescribing any treatment. During the follow-up visit – scheduled one to two weeks after the first – a second ultrasound exam will determine the effective completion of the procedure as well as the safety of the patient. Expert staff will also discuss contraceptive options with the patient during the follow-up visit.

Women with an Rh Negative blood type will require an injection of Rhogam to alleviate the risk of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) in future pregnancies. The patient’s blood type will be tested prior to starting any treatment.

To learn more about RU-486 or any other treatment options available to you, make an appointment with Best Women’s Medical Care or visit our website for a more detailed explanation.

HPV has spread like wildfire in recent years, affecting 6 million new Americans each year. In fact, the sexually transmitted disease that is spread through genital contact is so prevalent that 50% of sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their lives.

For this reason, more and more Americans are going for their GARDASIL vaccinations. GARDASIL helps protect against 4 types of HPV that are responsible for 75% of cervical cancer cases, 90% of genital warts, 70% of vaginal cancer cases and 50% of vulvar cancer cases.

In order to get the vaccination, you should consult your doctor or health care professional, but here are a few answers to some important questions you may have about GARDASIL:

Is GARDASIL just for females?
No. Both men and women can get HPV. In fact, it is estimated that 75-80% of men and women will have HPV in their lifetimes. HPV can also cause genital warts, and so the FDA has approved GARDASIL for both males and females ages 9-26.

Do I need to come back once I get the vaccination?
Yes. The GARDASIL vaccination is a series of three injections taken within 6 months. The second one should be taken 2 months after the first dose. And the third one should be taken 6 months after the first dose. If you miss a dose, speak to your doctor or healthcare professional.

Will GARDASIL help if I’m already sexually active?
Yes. Even if you have already been exposed to HPV, GARDASIL helps protect against other types of the virus you may not have been exposed to.

How much does it cost?
GARDASIL is covered under many health insurance plans. If you do not have an insurance plan that covers it, the cost is $120 per dose, plus any doctor visit fees. For those who need help paying for GARDASIL, there is a Merck Vaccine Patient Assistance Program and a Vaccine for Children Program, which offer free vaccines to uninsured adults and children.

What if my doctor doesn’t offer the GARDASIL vaccine?
Many doctors offices do not have the vaccine. You can have them write you a prescription, pick it up at a pharmacy, and then bring it back to them to administer the vaccine. Or just stop in at a health clinic such as The Women’s Choice Clinic in Brooklyn, NY where they will administer the vaccination right there.

GARDASIL only protects against 4 types of HPV. Is that effective?
Yes. Those 4 types of HPV are responsible for 75% of cervical cancer cases, 90% of genital warts, 70% of vaginal cancer cases and 50% of vulvar cancer cases. Women should still make sure to go for their Pap tests or cervical cancer screenings, even if they have been vaccinated.

Are there any safety concerns to keep in mind?
Pregnant women and anyone who is allergic to yeast or any other ingredient in GARDASIL should not receive the vaccination. Some side effects include pain, itching, redness, headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and fainting. So you may choose to lie down for 15 minutes after getting vaccinated. Consult with your doctor or healthcare professional before taking GARDASIL.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm

http://www.gardasil.com/what-is-gardasil/index.html?WT.mc_id=GL0ES&MTD=2

http://cancer.about.com/od/hp1/f/hpvvaccinecost.htm

Designed for women who are reluctant to take on the hormone-based birth control offered by pills, patches, rings and some IUDs, Essure is a simple, safe, surgery-free procedure that delivers permanent birth control that does not interfere with a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Performed by an Essure-certified doctor at Best Women’s Medical Care in Brooklyn, NY, this gentle, pain-free procedure works with the body to form a natural barrier to conception. Your doctor inserts soft, flexible micro inserts into the fallopian tubes. Over the course of several months, a natural barrier forms around the inserts preventing any sperm from reaching an egg in the fallopian tubes. It also prevents any eggs from traveling down the tubes into the uterus making implantation of a fertilized egg all but impossible.

Because the insertion is performed through the body’s natural pathways – the vagina and the cervix – there is no incision. The procedure takes less than ten minutes. Most patients can go about their regular activities that same day.

The Essure Confirmation Test
A test is performed by a radiologist after three months to confirm the procedure was a success. A special dye that is visible on X-rays is injected into the uterus allowing the doctor to confirm that the fallopian tubes are completely blocked and pregnancy is not possible.

Safety and Track Record
The Essure procedure has been used effectively for more than five years with hundreds of thousands of satisfied patients. The micro inserts are made of materials that have been used safely in medical devices for years.

While no method of birth control should be considered 100% effective, the Essure procedure has been proven 99.74% effective. A number than makes it the most effective method of permanent birth control.

The procedure is covered by most insurance plans and as a result, if it is performed in a doctor’s office, may cost as little as a single co-payment.

Side effects from the procedure itself are usually mild, but may include mild to moderate cramping, nausea/vomiting, dizziness or light-headedness and bleeding or spotting. Not all women achieve successful placement of both inserts.

To learn more about the Essure procedure, ask your doctor at Best Women’s Medical Care or visit our website.

If you’ve ever had a friend share an unrecognizable grainy, black and white image on a printout of an ultrasound exam with you and ask “doesn’t she look just like me?” you’ll understand the benefit of 3D Ultrasound technology.

For the patient and parent, the new 3D Ultrasound imaging lends the rewarding feel of reality to the visual representation of the fetus growing into a child inside the mother. For the doctor at Best Women’s Medical Care in Brooklyn, New York, it lends yet another layer of detailed input to the call he has to make on the health of the child and mother.

What is 3D Ultrasound?
Two-dimensional ultrasound imaging has been around for decades. It gives a trained eye a look into the proper measurements of the fetus and a glimpse over several scans and several weeks into the growth patterns of the child. It enables the OB-GYN to understand if the child is healthy or if there are any potential problems looming that might require more invasive tests like amniocentesis.

Three-dimensional imaging dates back to 1987 and lends an entirely different and more realistic picture to the examination. To the trained and untrained eye alike, the image, of the fetus is no longer a Rorschach test of black and white shading, it is the picture of a child’s face, hands, feet and body. Described by many mothers as far more rewarding, the experience to them is real. The parents can count fingers, toes, yawns and often can say with authority that their child looks like daddy, mommy or grandpa.

Medical benefit
For the doctor and the ultrasound technician, 3D imaging provides an more nuanced view into the fetus’ shape and measurements.

Most of the baby’s features are seen in great detail right down to smiles, eyes opening and shutting and sucking thumbs. The medical practitioner can see or rule out most physical birth defects including the very important left ventricle volume as well as examine the internal anatomy the mother in great detail.

How does 3D work?
Ultrasonic waves are sent through a wand into the mother’s womb from different angles and are reflected back to the monitor from the shapes inside. These echoes are processed and rendered into a picture enabling the doctor to see the baby’s physicality and the anatomical structure of the mother inside.

Traditional 2D imaging only provides what are described as slices of this image. It takes a trained eye to assemble a full picture from 2D renderings.

Risks to the baby and the mother are considered minimal. Exposure to the sonic waves of 3D imaging are no more intense than those of 2D imaging. Two-dimensional imaging has been common practice over the past three or four decades.

Best Women’s Medical Care provides both pictures on a CD and a DVD of the full 3D ultrasound experience to it’s patients.

Learn more on the Best Women’s Medical Care Website.

Shorter hospital stays. Quicker recovery time. Smaller incisions. Less pain, less bleeding and extremely precise technique. These are just some of the benefits that the latest surgical technology, robotic laparoscopic surgery, offers women in need of historically complex gynecological procedures like myomectomy and hysterectomy.

Uterine fibroids are one of the most common conditions in women affecting about 25% of female patients. It is also a condition that often requires a surgical solution called myomectomy.

These usually benign smooth muscle tumors can sometimes cause:
• Pelvic pain
• Pain during menstruation
• Unusual bleeding
• Delayed fertility
• Complications during pregnancy or childbirth

In the past, a myomectomy procedure required open abdominal surgery involving a large incision resulting in a 2-3 day hospital stay and up to 6 weeks post-operative recovery time. Cutting edge technology is offering another option, however.

How is the procedure different?
With Gynecological Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery performed at places like Best Women’s Medical Care in Brooklyn, NY, the result is:
• Smaller incisions
• Less pain
• Less bleeding
• Shorter hospital stays
• Quicker recovery time

This robotic laparoscopic procedure involves making about three, very small 5-8 mm incisions surrounding the surgical site on the patient’s abdomen. A microscopic camera is inserted into the central incision near the umbilicus, or belly button and laparoscopic instruments are inserted through the other two incision sites.

What’s the robotic part?
Of course, the surgery itself is not actually performed by a robot. The robotic system connects the movement of the microscopic instruments to a set of controls operated by the surgeon. The robotic instruments precisely mimic the motions of the surgeon’s hands in miniature, allowing the doctor to make exceptionally small movements, precise measurements and complete microsurgical procedures in a minimally invasive way.

This style of surgery not only reduces pain, bleeding and recovery time compared to traditional open surgery, but also minimizes the already small chance of complication involved in routine surgeries.

The technology behind Gynocological Robotic Laporoscopic surgery allows the doctors at Best Women’s Medical Care to address not only uterine fibroids, but hysterectomy and a wide variety of surgical treatments in the safest, least invasive and most effective way possible.

Ask your doctor about Gynocological Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery. You can also learn more here.

There are many reasons why women get abortions. Many would argue that some of these reasons are better than others. Some would even say there’s never a good reason, while still others assert that no good reason is needed at all. While the debate rages on grounds of morality, religion, human rights, quality of life, freedom of choice, etc, it is important to step back from the philosophical arguments, and take a deeper look at the true-life, everyday reasons why women get an abortion. The woman who walks into the abortion clinic in Brooklyn is not interested in the politician on his soapbox, she has real issues to face.

According to a recent survey, when women who had an abortion were asked what their primary reason was, the most common answer at 25% was that they felt they were not ready for the responsibility, with another 7% similarly saying that they were not mature enough to take care of the child at the time. The second most common answer at 23% was that they lacked the necessary financial income needed in order to provide for the child.

For these women, this decision is not a preference, but a reality. Keep in mind 50 million Americans are currently uninsured, and many women who get an abortion fall below the poverty line. Now consider the cost of an average hospital birth is $8,000, and by the time you add up prenatal care and other expenses, you’re talking $10,000 out of pocket just to cover the birth alone. Never mind the cost of taking care of the child, feeding the child, and the fact that you may have to quit your job or work part time in order to look after the baby. Let’s not forget that many of these women are teenagers who lack the necessary parenting skills to properly rear a child, and students who do not have a steady flow of income to even support themselves.

Another 19% of the women questioned, stated that they had other family responsibilities or already had enough kids to look after. While these responses may seem a little more self-centered than the previous ones, they may very well overlap. They may have exhausted all their resources of time and money on their current families and children, and would not be able to provide the same care and happiness for any more.

Among some of the other reasons included the health of both the baby and the mother (7%). It is statistically proven that when a medical abortion procedure is done, like the ones given in a professional abortion clinic in New York, it is significantly safer for the pregnant woman than giving birth. The same is true for the abortion pill. And pregnancy becomes even more of a risk when talking about young teenage girls whose bodies have not fully developed.

Other common reasons for having an abortion focused on the fear of what would lie ahead in the future for both the child and the mother. 4% cited that the responsibility of taking care of a child would interfere with education and/or their career plans. This not only affects their own current ambitions, but also their long-term ability to provide for the child. And additionally, another 8% mentioned problems in their relationship with the father as well as the fear of single motherhood. Instability in the home, especially experienced at an early age, can create devastating psychological effects on children, while trying to meet the financial demands, time commitments, and deal with the emotional stress of raising a child all on your own can certainly take its toll.

It is always a difficult decision to have an abortion. Unfortunately, many of these women do not have the privilege of sitting in their ivory towers and discussing the morality and social rights of the issue. And while abortion is not always the way to go, many of these women feel that they really had no other choice, and would be horrified to contemplate the future for both themselves and the child if they did not have that as an option.

Lawrence Finer, et. al, “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vol. 37 No. 3 (Sept., 2005) p. 110.

White, Angela. “Cost of Giving Birth at the Hospital or at Home.” Blisstree.com, 21 September 2008.

Most Western cities have several options of abortion clinic New York included, but it can be hard choosing the right one for the individual. This can be due to a number of factors, such as location and transport, privacy and confidentiality, price and availability, and opening times and services offered.

Many clinics will be able to offer a variety of methods including surgery and an abortion pill in Brooklyn. They will consult with the woman to help them decide what method will be the best for meeting their needs.

Looking in a telephone directory, or on the internet are the main options for starting to locate a service nearby. If someone feels able to, they can also ask their doctor, or possibly a friend or family member for advice.

One needs to be able to get to the service conveniently, so checking factors such as ease of parking or links to public transport is important. While everyone would choose convenience when considering going to any location, it may be especially important in this scenario as the service user may be feeling physically unwell as a result of pregnancy or more anxious and vulnerable than usual.

Going to a place that one can trust is perhaps the most important aspect. All clinics should be registered legally as this means that sterile equipment and appropriate medical and psychological care will be provided.

Some people may not want to go to their nearest clinic as they are worried that someone they know will see them. Most places that offer medical services of this nature understand this problem and are more flexible than other medical departments as to where the patient lives or works in order to register and attend.

Some insurance plans may cover the costs of an abortion but often this is not something that is guaranteed or discussed in a plan. There are a variety of medical facilities and so prices do range and it is best to make individual enquiries. There are charities that assist with the costs of this procedure should someone need financial help. Using an online search engine will give current details of active organizations and eligibility criteria.

Often women work full time or unsocial hours and may be unable to take time off of work or feel unable to disclose why it is important that they are away from the workplace for the designated time. Some places do offer extended opening hours and weekend appointments but it is best to check beforehand to find a time that suits the individual.

It can be legally and personally awkward judging whether to disclose the reason needed for time away from work. The recovery process depends on the stage at which the procedure is carried out, the general health of the woman, and whether there are any complications, as well as natural individual healing time. Technically the right to confidentiality is protected if one’s personal doctor signs them off from work but there are some companies that request a doctor to fill in specific details if more than a few days off are needed. Checking the employment contract of the specific workplace and role, and consulting a doctor for advice if one feels able to, will give the clearest information that is relevant to that person. There are also charities for health care and legal aid that can advise on this subject.

Finding out you are pregnant can be bring about multiple feelings. Realizing you cannot or will not continue with the pregnancy brings up the decision of abortion options. Currently there are four ways to end a pregnancy, emergency contraception, non-surgical medication or aspiration procedures, or surgical abortion. If you are able to use the abortion pill in Brooklyn, you should be aware of the laws and the procedure before you proceed.

State laws concerning parental consent and/or notification, vary from state to state, and often change over the course of years. Currently no consent or notification is necessary for women who are minors in the state of New York. This applies for pregnancy tests and abortion services.

If your menstrual period is late, a non-sensitive test can be given to check for pregnancy. When you have missed a menstrual period, a sensitive test is given. Week of pregnancy is measured from the first day of your last menstrual period. If you choose to use either non-surgical or the surgical procedures, a sonogram will be given to date the pregnancy properly.

Medication abortion was approved by the Food and Drug Association for terminating early pregnancies in 2000. Approval was given as the safety and the effectiveness of this method has been shown for early pregnancies up to 63 days or 9 weeks. Europe has used this method for nearly twenty years and more than twenty countries around the world offer this service.

You will have a consultation with a doctor to review your medical history. After the sonogram results show you are eligible for the medication, the first of three pills is taken in the office. This pill is mifepristone, formally known as RU486. The second pill is taken at home between 24-72 hours. Another office visit will have been scheduled to make sure the process was successful.

No or very little bleeding will result after the first dose of medication. Some cramping and heavy bleeding will occur in the first hours of taking the second dose. However, the bleeding will reduce to what you normally experience during a usual menstrual flow. Pain medication may be given to ease the discomfort of cramping. Bleeding may continue up to six weeks.

In a very small percentage of women (1 to 2%), the procedure is not successful. At this time, the pregnancy would have to be terminated using a surgical method. Severe cramping may happen in some women lasting up to eight hours. Bleeding heavily for long periods of time should prompt you to call the doctor’s office to make sure everything is okay.

No work or school needs to be missed as you can choose the time to take the second set of pills. The miscarriage generally occurs within a few hours after the second medication. There is no visible embryo the bleeding resembles a heavy flow day in a normal period. No one needs to know you have undergone this procedure.

When choosing to use the abortion pill Brooklyn clinics are there to help you safely through the procedure. To get more information regarding your options, search the web. You can also locate an office for further consultation.