Trying to figure out what kind of doctor you should become? Wondering which specialty you should choose? Then SheMD's Why Specialty Series is perfect for you! We're bringing you female physicians sharing WHY they chose their specialty. Today's post is on why Dr. Zore chose Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility and why REI is a great field.
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, it’s a mouth-full to say and I think my parents just figured out exactly how to say the long-winded title 2 years into my fellowship!
It amazes me how often I have met complete strangers and, when they find out my specialty in medicine, have shared personal stories of their family building with me that they haven’t told anyone else, even their closest friends. Whether it was their use of IVF to conceive their children or their personal struggle with multiple miscarriages, I have heard so many personal stories from women I had never met before.
The patients we have the privilege of seeing every day are so unique and we have the opportunity to truly shape and change their lives with the care we can provide.
42-year-old woman trying to get pregnant with her first child.
34-year-old female who just made partner at her law firm looking to discuss options of fertility preservation
31-year-old couple trying to conceive their second child after having no trouble getting pregnant with their first
15-year-old female with primary amenorrhea and no breast development.
28-year-old female with a history of 3 miscarriages trying to figure out what to do next.
32-year-old same sex couple wanting to start their family.
These are a glimpse of the patients we may see in a single day.
Every single one is different.
Every single one has gone through their own journey to get here and every single one is looking to us to guide them on what they should do next.
We get to educate women about OUR fertility
One of the most rewarding aspects of this field is educating women about their fertility and empowering them to be able to make informed health decisions that are right for them. Watching a woman come to terms with her own fertility and understanding her choices is powerful.
We get to reassure women they are not alone in their struggle
Whether or not you struggled with infertility or miscarriage yourself, I bet you know someone who has. You have experience to draw on. You have the ability to talk to women going through an extremely emotional time in their life and navigate them through this journey with compassion.
Every day in the office is different
With REI, we have the ability to educate women, do procedures and participate in clinical research all in a single day!
Additionally, there are so many ways to find the part of REI that is important to you and make a difference.
Maybe you want to advocate for LGBT rights.
Maybe you want to specialize in recurrent pregnancy loss.
Maybe you want to be in the laboratory studying how we can optimize embryo implantation and pregnancy rates.
Maybe you want to specialize in adolescent development or infertility or PCOS or improving access to care.
You can literally do any or all of this. You can make this field of medicine into exactly what you are passionate about.
This field is constantly evolving with scientific breakthroughs
The field of REI is changing at a rapid-fire pace. When you think about how long some of the other fields in medicine have been around you realize that REI truly is the still coming into its own and we get to be a part of that. The first baby born to IVF in the US was in 1981 and since then the field has continued to churn out significant scientific advances.
We get to be a part of one of the greatest moments in a patient’s life.
One of the greatest gifts in our field is calling a patient to let her know her pregnancy test is positive and that joy is magnified when you see the emotion from a man, woman or couple as they see on an ultrasound something they have wished for, dreamed of and struggled with for months or years…a pregnancy.
I am so grateful, humbled and honored to be in the field of REI and I go to work every day loving my job and people I get to meet.