A Holistic Approach to Women’s Health
Penn Medicine Princeton Health provides personalized care for women in every stage of life.
Even among families, a woman’s health needs are as unique as her fingerprints.
Consider a theoretical, three-generation family of women: Samantha, 27, just received news that her first child is on the way. Samantha’s youngest sister, 18-year-old Jessica, has outgrown her pediatrician and is looking for a new doctor. Their mother, Laura, needs a cancer specialist to follow up a recent mammogram. Their aunt, Jennifer, has been wrestling with emotional and medical issues since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. The matriarch of the group, grandmother Mary, wants help treating her urinary incontinence.
Despite sharing much of their DNA, all five women have different physical and mental needs. Yet they can all start their journey at one place: Penn Medicine Princeton Health.
“At Princeton Health, we take a holistic approach to treating each individual, and we have the ability to address every woman’s particular needs in every phase of life,” says Chief Medical Officer Craig Gronczewski, M.D., M.B.A., FACHE. “Supported by the strength of Penn Medicine, a renowned institution in clinical care, education, and research, we offer exceptional services designed specifically to address the distinct needs of women. Whether it’s primary care, gynecology, advanced cancer treatments, or mental health and addiction services, our dedication to women’s health is unwavering.”
Maternity Care
For parents-to-be, like the theoretical Samantha, Princeton Health offers exceptional care and services that begin long before the big day. Princeton Health’s Community Wellness Department provides a variety of childbirth preparation and parenting skills classes, as well as prenatal classes, postpartum lactation consulting, and support groups for breastfeeding moms. Daddy Boot Camp and classes for grandparents and siblings are also offered.
For parents-to-be, like the theoretical Samantha, Princeton Health offers exceptional care and services that begin long before the big day. Princeton Health’s Community Wellness Department provides a variety of childbirth preparation and parenting skills classes, as well as prenatal classes, postpartum lactation consulting, and support groups for breastfeeding moms. Daddy Boot Camp and classes for grandparents and siblings are also offered.
Expecting mothers with high-risk pregnancies can access advanced care at Penn Maternal Fetal Medicine Plainsboro, a specialty practice located on the Princeton Medical Center (PMC) campus. The hospital itself is well-equipped to handle any individual’s birth plan, guided by a team of specially trained nurses, midwives, and knowledgeable and experienced OB/GYNs and anesthesiologists.
A laborist—an OB/GYN who specializes in delivering babies—is on-site 24/7 at PMC, as are neonatologists from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) who care for pre-term or underweight babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. PMC is licensed by the state to care for babies born as early as 28 weeks and weighing at least 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
PMC is one of only 61 hospitals nationwide to hold perinatal care certification from The Joint Commission, the country’s highly regarded and oldest healthcare accrediting body.
Primary and Specialty Care Providers
Samantha’s kid sister Jessica is no kid anymore. She seeks a primary care provider and a gynecologist to help with her routine, preventive healthcare needs. Fortunately, Princeton Medicine Physicians—Princeton Health’s employed provider network—has her covered.
Samantha’s kid sister Jessica is no kid anymore. She seeks a primary care provider and a gynecologist to help with her routine, preventive healthcare needs. Fortunately, Princeton Medicine Physicians—Princeton Health’s employed provider network—has her covered.
Princeton Medicine offers two dozen practice locations, in a widening radius centered on the hospital campus in Plainsboro, that employ more than 200 practitioners, including primary care providers and specialists in an array of specialties. Princeton Medicine will open its first practice location devoted exclusively to women’s health later this year in Monroe.
Cancer and Gynecologic Care
Back to our theoretical family: Laura makes a follow-up visit to the PMC Breast Health Center after a 3D mammogram detected an abnormality.
Back to our theoretical family: Laura makes a follow-up visit to the PMC Breast Health Center after a 3D mammogram detected an abnormality.
The Breast Health Center, located in East Windsor, is recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. The center’s approach to treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.
The experts at the Breast Health Center, as well as Gynecologic Oncology at PMC, offer comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of breast, cervical, uterine, ovarian, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. In both settings, multidisciplinary teams consider a woman’s diagnosis, overall health, and objectives to help her develop an individualized care plan.
As an example, for a younger woman with cancer who wants to preserve her ability to have children in the future, the team will work with her to design a care plan that achieves that goal, if at all possible.
The women’s healthcare team at Princeton Health also includes board-certified gynecologists and surgeons trained in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. They perform hysterectomy and other procedures to treat conditions such as pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding, endometriosis, fibroids, and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Clinical trials related to both breast and gynecologic cancers are regularly available at PMC and are coordinated through Penn Medicine, offering women the most up-to-date treatment and the opportunity to help guide future advancements in care.
Mental Health
Samantha’s aunt Jennifer is finding help at Princeton House Behavioral Health, a key part of Princeton Health that is a regional leader in mental health and addiction services.
Samantha’s aunt Jennifer is finding help at Princeton House Behavioral Health, a key part of Princeton Health that is a regional leader in mental health and addiction services.
Princeton House established a specialized Women’s Program more than 30 years ago, utilizing evidence-based practices to address the particular needs of women facing acute behavioral health crises involving trauma, addiction, and/or life transitions. The program is considered by behavioral health professionals as the premier service of its kind in New Jersey.
Pelvic Wellness
After childbirth, or later in life, women may experience urinary incontinence and other conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse, in which pelvic muscles and connective tissue weaken, diminishing a woman’s quality of life. Like Samantha’s grandmother Mary, many women suffer in silence out of embarrassment, but the reality is that these conditions are common and treatable.
After childbirth, or later in life, women may experience urinary incontinence and other conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse, in which pelvic muscles and connective tissue weaken, diminishing a woman’s quality of life. Like Samantha’s grandmother Mary, many women suffer in silence out of embarrassment, but the reality is that these conditions are common and treatable.
The Center for Pelvic Wellness at PMC provides individualized treatment based on evaluation by a team of urogynecologists, specially trained nurses, and physical therapists. The process begins with a comprehensive exam and fluid and dietary education. Treatment options may include medication, physical therapy, or minimally invasive surgery.
Princeton Health’s comprehensive approach to women’s health provides each woman the opportunity to choose an excellent provider who specializes in caring for her unique needs. Women can find care, education, and support at many convenient locations across central New Jersey and beyond.
Learn more at www.PrincetonHCS.org/WomensHealth.
Photo courtesy of Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Photo courtesy of Penn Medicine Princeton Health
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, June 2023.
