An annual exam or “Well Woman” exam is just like it sounds – a checkup for women who are doing well and just need a Pap smear, breast exam, and routine medication refills or labs.  We encourage all of our patients to get an exam every year for breast and pelvic health checkups.  Although the Pap smear recommendations have changed over the years, we still recommend a wellness exam.

For all of our patients who are still having menstrual cycles, we recommend keeping track of your cycles with a cycle charting system.  There are many different systems from phone apps to paper charts, all of which benefit women who chart their cycles.  Creighton Model charting is the one we recommend most to our patients – especially those with problems that need to be treated.  Most if not all of our Gynecological treatment plans rely upon keeping track of your cycle and working cooperatively with your body to treat problems and improve your health.

At Harmony Women’s Health, we treat teenage girls in a way that respects their body and allows them to grow and flourish without exposing them to artificial hormones or other drugs that can harm their natural and normal physiologic development.  We know that teens present a different set of problems, but we also know how to diagnose and treat those problems so that your teenager can grow into a healthy and happy young woman who understands her body and learns to treat it with respect.  

PMS/PMDD are problems that usually result from a hormone imbalance involving estrogen and progesterone during the second (luteal) phase of the menstrual cycle.  We usually draw several hormone levels throughout a cycle to determine where the imbalance exists and look for an underlying cause.  Treatments range from herbal therapies to cyclic bioidentical hormone replacement.  Most of our patients find relief without the use of artificial hormones or SSRIs.

Although not all irregular cycles are caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), it is the most common cause.  We always perform and US during the early part of a menstrual cycle and draw hormone levels (post ovulation if the patient is actually ovulating) in order to diagnose PCOS and/or look for other endocrine disorders that may be contributing to the disease.  We never treat with artificial hormones and we always try to help our patients to have more regular and predictable periods.  

Painful periods (dysmenorrhea) are common and can have any number of causes.  We do not focus on trying to stop patients from having periods with artificial hormones but rather try to find and treat the cause of pain – such as endometriosis, fibroids, or pelvic adhesions (scar tissue from previous surgery or infection).  We not only treat with surgery but also work with pelvic floor physical therapists to treat the muscular and skeletal components of pelvic pain.  Our approach is always tailored to the needs and desires of our patients as well as their short-term and long-term goals.

Fibroids are benign tumors of the uterus that cause all kinds of problems for the women that have them.  Most of the time they are associated with heavy bleeding, pain, or bloating and pressure on other pelvic organs.  Dr. Podraza is one of the area’s most experienced and committed surgeons – always trying to complete every fibroid surgery in a minimally invasive approach that allows quick recovery and reduced scar tissue formation.  Not every patient with fibroids requires surgery, and some symptoms can be treated with medication.  Dr. Podraza also refers for uterine artery embolization if appropriate for the patient.

Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease caused by tissue from the uterine lining growing and shedding in areas where it is not supposed to be.  Endometriosis can cause pain, hormone imbalance, infertility, and miscarriage.  The only cure for endometriosis is surgical removal, and Dr. Podraza has performed hundreds of endometriosis surgeries to help with all of these conditions.  We also refer for pelvic floor physical therapy and use bioidentical hormone therapies as appropriate to help slow the progression of endometriosis and treat the pain often associated with this disease.

NaProTechnology (Natural Procreative Technology) is a different approach to women’s health that encompasses all of the therapies that we use to treat patients at Harmony Women’s Health.  Using these principles in both diagnosis and treatment of obstetric and gynecological problems, we are able to treat and cure many conditions that other physicians simply cover up with artificial hormones.  

Dr. Podraza uses NaPro Surgical techniques and DaVinci Robotic surgery to produce the best possible surgical outcomes for our patients.  Click on the surgical procedures link to learn more about all of the different surgical procedures that Dr. Podraza specializes in.