Now, more than ever before, women are interested in the natural rhythm of their bodies and there’s a growing desire among women to seek out women’s health care that works with their body’s natural processes. From forgoing birth control and other similar hormonal treatments to exploring the root cause of their health concerns, women are more conscious than ever about understanding what their bodies are telling them.
Located in the Indian Trail area, Atrium Health Women's Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN provides a comprehensive range of obstetric and gynecologic care – including non-hormonal approaches for family planning – and delivers babies at Atrium Health Union West, Atrium Health’s newest hospital in the greater Charlotte area. The practice is all about helping women work with their bodies rather than against them. The care team aims to help patients achieve a deeper understanding of how their bodies and hormones work — and to guide them to more holistic methods of healthcare pertaining to planning and preventing pregnancy as well as managing other concerns that arise at every stage of a woman’s life.
“How do you work with your body in a natural way — recognizing how your body is supposed to work, and trying to restore that normal function,” says Dr. Stephen Blaha, an OB/GYN at Natural Family Planning OB/GYN. “The classic example is a teenage girl who comes in because her periods are driving her nuts. The standard OB/GYN model would be to start her on birth control pills, completely shutting down her hormones for the next 15-20 years. But that does her a disservice. We should be investigating why her period is abnormal, then try to address the issue.”
Dr. Blaha’s philosophy is centered around exploring all courses of treatment rather than immediately prescribing medication. “I respect all my colleagues, but, in some ways, I feel that more traditional practices jump to traditional solutions instead of fully listening to women as we should,” he says. “We need to distinguish medical problems and treat those instead of treating the symptoms of those problems.”
“I see a big part of my role as education. Your body goes through these huge changes throughout the month — it’s my job to help you understand your changes and why you feel different each day.” he says. “This is why I only prescribe birth control after we’ve exhausted other options and never to exclusively prevent pregnancy.”
Expectant mothers who want a more natural birthing experience may be interested in Dr. Blaha’s approach.
“At baseline, I have a very low C-section rate,” he said. “Babies sometimes take time to come out and I don’t believe everyone needs to be induced. I try to minimize the use of interventions and use progesterone more liberally to lessen the risk of miscarriages but recognize sometimes they are necessary and can be life saving.”
Dr. Blaha is also happy to help women through the menopause transition tailoring his treatment to each patient’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all plan.
“It’s so different for all women: one may have one hot flash and her period goes away and it’s over, and that’s different from the woman who can’t sleep for weeks,” he says. “For some women hormone replacement therapy can be beneficial and we see great results with bioidentical hormones.”
Who’s Dr. Blaha’s ideal patient? Anyone who’s interested in a more natural approach for health care.
“Our body is who we are. We don’t have an identity separate from our bodies, and there’s a connection between our mind, body and soul,” he says. “At Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN, our practice is for women of all ages, looking for a more holistic, more natural form of health care.”
Atrium Health Women's Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN is now open and accepting new patients. Learn more https://atriumhealth.org/locations/detail/atrium-health-womens-care-natural-family-planning-obgyn
