I’m not trying to pester, but I thought maybe if I posted in a more fitting spot I might get a quicker response… I am a bit rushed to get some advice b/c I want to make an appointment as soon as possible with an endo (I may be losing my insurance soon due to less hours at work cuz I’m a student). In my area there are many female options under the specialty “endocrinology/ metabolism”. I would prefer a female and have only seen males in the past but at the same time I want someone who knows about hirsutism and possible PCOS. There is one male in my area under the heading “reproductive endocrinology”. I’ve heard women may have more empathy. Can anyone give me some advice in order to make my choice? Everyone is so helpful here and I am very appreciative.
Finding a female endocrinologist or reproductive endocrinologist is not always going to assure that she will have more empathy or knowledge about hirsutism or PCOS.
Finding a PERSON that is qualified and can give you a high level of care for your condition that is up-to-date on the CURRENTLY accepted guidelines for standards of care pertaining to your condition is what you are seeking.
Your family physician can help and is a good starting point. Support groups like www.soulcysters.com or oganizations such as www.healthywomen.org, www.endo-society.org, www.hormone.org, www.aace.com (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists),
www.asrm.com (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) are starting points as well.
I know many female physicians and they are not all that empathetic and knowledgible about unwanted hair problems. Trust me. Actually, most appear to have more concern with the same medical issues as their male counterparts, so I emphazise that if I were you I wouldn’t exclude any doctor based on sex.
I would look for a board certified specialist. These doctors have passed rigorous certification exams given by a board of medical specialists. Some have to pass oral examination as well.
Your local library has the Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Specialists or you can search the web at www.abms.org/login.asp .
If a doctor has special interest in an area they may have published papers in leading medical journals. PubMed has a database available at www.nlm.nih.gov . Maybe someone in Portland has a scholarly paper or two which shows their interest in a particular disease.
Search for someone who is board certified, is experienced (Note: does not always mean you get a good medical care according to some studies), medical school affiliation (they are in contact with researchers and medical experts, so may be more up-to-date), but most importantly is whether the physician is covered by your health insurance plan, what little time you have left with having insurance coverage.
Lots of information for you to digest. Hope it hasn’t confused you more, since you are on the fast track to find someone. That being said,I have also heard stories about family physicans or general internists diagnosing and treating hirsutism and PCOS with more empathy and knowledge than the specialize endocrinologist. It’s a crap shoot sometimes.
Dee