Mercy's Dr. Ann Peters Discusses Common Health Mistakes Even Doctors Make

Ann Peters, M.D., MS, is an experienced gynecologist and surgeon in The Gynecology Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD. She is specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of a wide range of GYN conditions including endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, uterine bleeding and fibroids. Dr. Peters recently responded to questions from The Remedy, a health content feed that appears on MSN.com, re: “Health Mistakes Even Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.” Here are her responses:

What are the common health mistakes that even happen to doctors?
Multi-vitamins or prenatal vitamins (for reproductive aged women) – We counsel our patients about the importance of prenatal vitamin use during women’s reproductive years because compared to multivitamins (this does not go for all brands) because prenatal vitamins include folic acid which is important for a baby’s brain and spine development. They also have the correct amount of vitamin A in them which can actually be too high in some multi-vitamins and dangerous to fetal growth if ingested in too high of a dose. Doctors, including OBGYN, despite knowing their importance, probably forget just as often as patients to use them. I always recommend to my patients to put their prenatal vitamin with any other medicines they take on a daily basis, such as their birth control for which a lot of women will have reminder apps on their phone. This way they do not forget to take their vitamins either. Alternatively, putting them in a frequently used location, such as near the fridge or the microwave while you are waiting for your food to warm up can also be very helpful as a reminder.

How to avoid or how to solve them?
Finding a primary care doctor – “Doctors are the worst patients!” When we (doctors) in our 20s, during medical school and residency, time constraints and work load make it nearly impossible for medical professionals to take care of their health maintenance. It is only when an illness affects us that we scramble to navigate the health care system to find a doctor. Unfortunately, if you do not have a primary care doctor it is nearly impossible to be seen or referred to a specialist in an expedited fashion if you do really require medical care – for common day complaints or serious medical illnesses. I recommend to all my patients, young or old, to find a family doctor who they trust and can establish care with. You never know when you will need to receive care and should plan see your primary care doctor and OB/GYN regularly!

 
-- Mercy’s Dr. Ann Peters is actively involved in clinical research and training in gynecologic surgery. She has served as a Clinical Instructor in Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and educated numerous young physicians in their residency and medical school training.  Dr. Peters sees patients downtown at Mercy and at the Mercy Personal Physicians sites in Columbia, Glen Burnie and Lutherville.