Research process
Most teenage girls dream about their perfect future from meeting the love of their life to getting married to having children: I have always been one of those girls who has dreamed about what God would give me and me future. Because of these dreams, and further knowledge in learning about the profession in the medical field, in my sophomore year of high school, I decided that I wanted to be a nurse midwife. This future goal led me to apply for the Honors Mentorship program to experience the job of a midwife on a day to day basis as an intern. Throughout the past few months at my mentorship, I saw and watched new technologies being used that I had never seen or heard about previously. All of the new technologies that I had never seen of or heard of made me wonder: How much more will technology advance when I am older and have children of my own? On the other hand, I wondered if all of these new tests are really beneficial to the mother or the woman and if they will deteriorate their health. Ultimately, all of my questions to myself for the past few months has led me to create my essential question: How can I anticipate how new tests in the obstetric and gynecology field will benefit me in the future?
Prior to my research on the technological advancements and the past technologies in the obstetric and the gynecology field, I already have seen the changes in the advancement just by going to my mentorship four days a week and in my first interview of a woman who had children in the late 1990s. Not only have I seen advancements in ultrasounds, but I have seen changes in pregnancy tests and the chromosomal tests and their increasing accuracy over the past few years. Throughout the duration of my upcoming research, I hope to find answers through interviews of two different women with different ages and with different years of pregnancy and credible research to answer my essential question thoroughly.
During my hunt for research, I knew my research question was going to have a complex answer and that the answer would not be revealed through one source. So, I began my seeking of knowledge when I was assigned my first annotated bibliography. I used the search engine Galileo and found a lab conducted in the United Kingdom about increasing adverse obstetric outcomes with increasing age. Though this study minimally relates to my essential question of: How can I anticipate how new tests in the obstetric and gynecology field will benefit me in the future, this lab gave me a starting point of where the recent research is and the increasing knowledge that is being spread about obstetrics. I then dug a little deeper and went on another credible search engine, Questia. From Questia School, I came across another study that occurred in California in 2009 where different birth models were being tested to see accuracy from prenatal care to postpartum care. I then took another route to see direct changes by conducting an interview on my mother to see the differences in today’s obstetrics and the past obstetric care for when she had my brother in 1997 and me in early 2000. This interview clearly showed me the remarkable advancements that have been made in less than 20 years. From these sources, I then decided to conduct another interview in the future of another woman with children in her 20s. Lastly, I found a book written in 2013 about the growing public interest in obstetrics and childbirth and the changes altogether from increased findings from research. From all of this research, I then noticed a shift in what I was prepared to find to finding different pieces of information that changed the way I saw and answered my research question. Yes it was a very long goal to pursue, but I did come to conclusions with my research question. Overall, I learned that from all of these new tests and advancements, opinions matter just as much as the scientific evidence.
As I have previously touched on, I had a challenge at hand with my research and how I was going to answer my research question: How can I anticipate how new tests in the obstetric and gynecology field will benefit me in the future? Below I have written on what new knowledge I have gained from that source and how it will benefit me in the future,
In the first source I conducted my research on a scientific study in the united Kingdom that explored the idea of if it is true that increased risk of pregnancy is correlated with increased age while being pregnant. The study’s title is “Risk Of Adverse Obstetric And Neonatal Outcomes By Maternal Age: Quantifying Individual And Population Level Risk Using Routine UK Maternity Data.” by Laura Oakley and others. In the source, Oakley comes to the conclusion that “There was a strong association between maternal age and both emergency and elective caesarean delivery.” (pg. 5) and that “For many of the obstetric outcomes investigated in this study, there was a clear increase in risk beginning from age 25–29.” (pg. 10). From Oakley’s study, I learned that it is very important to know that the older a woman is, the more dangerous the pregnancy can result in. Knowing this information, I now can see that age matters and when I want to be pregnant that age definitely matters in the health of my baby and myself.
In the second source, “Birth Models That Work” by Robbie Davis-Floyd, the scientific study contains information on what birthing methods work most efficiently and that are least likely to have death involved from either the mother or the baby. What makes this source even more unique is that the author is not just observing this idea from a gynecologist standpoint, but also from a doula and midwife working together to observe the best results. Davis Floyd quotes, “Eight to twelve women with similar gestational ages meet as a group with an obstetrical provider—midwife, physician, advanced practice nurse—and a co-facilitator for ten sessions throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period.” as well as “Through this unique model of care, women are empowered to choose health-promoting behaviors. Health outcomes, specifically increased birth weight and gestational age for mothers who deliver preterm, and increased satisfaction expressed by both the women and their providers, support the effectiveness of this model for the delivery of prenatal care.” (Rising and Jolivet 365). From this information gathered, I noticed that it is all based on the woman’s opinion on what prenatal and postpartum care works the best for her, and she will continue to lead a healthy lifestyle from her choice. This source noted that a combination of specialities from the obstetric and gynecology field works the best in having a healthy pregnancy before, during, and after birth. From this source, I now know that the best choice in a birth plan is all up to me and what I find adequate.
From the last source on Questia School, I gathered information on the positives and the negatives on new tests in the obstetric and the gynecology field. This book was written almost 4 years ago in 2013 and its title is, “A Womb with a View: America’s Growing Public Interest in Pregnancy” written by author Laura Tropp. Throughout the book, Tropp lists that the new tests are beneficial, but can have negative consequences that come along with them. On page 25, she writes, “Does extensive testing bias people toward abortion, encouraging a modern version of eugenics?”. Later she explains, “In this case, technology restores some power to women, who once again could choose to be the only one to know about their pregnancy.” (Tropp 16). From these pieces of information, I gained the knowledge that these new tests are great and will show the problems that your baby might have, but it may also lead to abortion because of society’s current state of being only acceptant of having a baby with certain features. Plus, I learned that these new tests do allow a form of personal awareness that the woman can be the only one who knows of her pregnancy. All of these tests do lead to women empowerment overall which is a beautiful thing. From this source, I learned that all of these tests will benefit me in my future, but some do come with alternatives that I will have to think about prior to receiving them.
Lastly, the interviews I conducted were by Laura Bowers. From this interview, I can see the immense changes from obstetric health care in the 1990s to the care in the 2010s from what I have witnessed from my mentorship. From all of their knowledge, it gives me a first-hand look on the experiences and their opinions that can help me mold mine. These interviews can benefit me in my future for when I want to become pregnant to knowing what worked for them and what they experienced that can help benefit me and lead to a healthy pregnancy.
Overall, I can proudly say I have developed an answer to my research question. For reference, my question is: How can I anticipate how new tests in the gynecology field will benefit me in the future? From my research conducted, I found that fact and opinion are equally as important in the making of this answer. My overall answer is that it is a personal opinion on what all you want to know pertaining the health of you and your baby regarding the tests. The test results are a wonderful thing because they give out a preparedness with the state of your baby and it can give different options on delivery methods. Though abortions do result because of the accuracy of the tests when finding the diseases in the baby, it is a personal choice by the mother and that choice can be made with the help of these tests as well. In conclusion, I have learned that all of these tests will benefit me, but it is up to my personal opinion if I want to have them performed or find them necessary to have them.
Interview:
1. How old were you when you first went to a gynecologist? What year was that?
Response: “I was 23 when I went to the gynecologist the first time in 1992.”
Reflection: I can see she has been around gynecology technologies and medicines for around 25 years. I think her information is vital to my project.
2. Do you have any children? If so, how many and what year(s) was/were they/he/she born?
Response: “Yes, I have 2 children. My son was born in 1997 and my daughter was born in 2000.”
Reflection: I can learn more about the technology differences in the late 90s and 2000 and wonder what their thoughts on what they thought the future would be like back then.
3. When you went to the gynecologist to confirm your pregnancy, what methods did they use? Did you use an at home method? If so, did you trust the accuracy of your at home test?
Response: “My doctor did a urine test. Yes I used an at home method. I trusted the accuracy of those results because I took multiple tests.”
Reflection: I think this is interesting on how it is the same tests performed still today to check for pregnancy.
4. Were there any big differences between your first pregnancy and your second pregnancy?
Response: “When I was pregnant the first time, I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 6 months. I also had a weird rash, and I was told I was allergic to the pregnancy hormone. Later in 1999 and early 2000, when I was pregnant again, one of the doctors in my group said he had just completed a study on this rash. He said there was new experimental remedies to test out for women who had this rash, luckily I didn’t have it. The doctor though that it maybe had to do with the differences in carrying a male or a female baby.”
Reflection: I find this intriguing. I need to look more into the rash she was discussing and gestational diabetes and treatments offered back in the late 20th century,
5. Did you find out the sex of your babies? If so, when were you able to and what test did they use?
Response: “ No I chose not to know. But, I could have through an ultrasound at 5 months.”
Reflection: Looking at waiting until you are 5 months pregnant to even have the chance to see the sex of your baby is very long as compared to the 12 weeks wait now to know the sex.
6. Did you have the opportunity to have a genetic test performed? If so, what tests and time period of your pregnancy?
Response: “I had the opportunity to have a test done to see if there were any genetic disorders in my baby, such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. I chose not to take the test. My sister in law and friend did the test and were told inaccurate positive results during the limited time period acceptable for termination of the pregnancy. They did not terminate, and they soon found out the test was a false positive and could have caused termination of a healthy baby.”
Reflection: This to me is one of the most important responses of this interview. The changes in tests and accuracy have changed so much over just 25 years and have saved many pregnancies since then.
7. Have you experienced any tests that are newer compared to when you first ever went to a gynecologist?
Response: “A few years ago, I had a procedure called an endometrial ablation. That is where they microwave the inside of the uterus to destroy the uterine lining to ease problems. I do not think that this procedure was available long before I had it done.”
Reflection: Her response was interesting to me because this procedure is seen more commonly now.
8. Have you ever heard of any new medical procedures in the gynecology field that have surprised you?
Response: “Something that surprised me is the new Harmony tests available to pregnant women.”
Reflection: I agree, I think this new technological advancement is very advanced and surprising to many women.
9. Is there a significant difference between technologies at the gynecologist now compared to the early 2000s?
Response: “The biggest differences to me are in the ultrasounds. Currently there are 3D and 4D ultrasounds, and in 2000, there was only basic ultrasounds.”
Reflection: I think it is remarkable how much technology has changed in the past 25 years or less, even with just ultrasounds.
10. Are you overall happy with new technology available for your use in the gynecology field?
Response: “Yes. I feel as if everything is more advanced, which I think will aid the overall health of women.”
Reflection: I agree with her statement as well. I do think all of the advancements are benefitting women and the gynecology field as a whole and that it will continue to benefit these groups.
Prior to my research on the technological advancements and the past technologies in the obstetric and the gynecology field, I already have seen the changes in the advancement just by going to my mentorship four days a week and in my first interview of a woman who had children in the late 1990s. Not only have I seen advancements in ultrasounds, but I have seen changes in pregnancy tests and the chromosomal tests and their increasing accuracy over the past few years. Throughout the duration of my upcoming research, I hope to find answers through interviews of two different women with different ages and with different years of pregnancy and credible research to answer my essential question thoroughly.
During my hunt for research, I knew my research question was going to have a complex answer and that the answer would not be revealed through one source. So, I began my seeking of knowledge when I was assigned my first annotated bibliography. I used the search engine Galileo and found a lab conducted in the United Kingdom about increasing adverse obstetric outcomes with increasing age. Though this study minimally relates to my essential question of: How can I anticipate how new tests in the obstetric and gynecology field will benefit me in the future, this lab gave me a starting point of where the recent research is and the increasing knowledge that is being spread about obstetrics. I then dug a little deeper and went on another credible search engine, Questia. From Questia School, I came across another study that occurred in California in 2009 where different birth models were being tested to see accuracy from prenatal care to postpartum care. I then took another route to see direct changes by conducting an interview on my mother to see the differences in today’s obstetrics and the past obstetric care for when she had my brother in 1997 and me in early 2000. This interview clearly showed me the remarkable advancements that have been made in less than 20 years. From these sources, I then decided to conduct another interview in the future of another woman with children in her 20s. Lastly, I found a book written in 2013 about the growing public interest in obstetrics and childbirth and the changes altogether from increased findings from research. From all of this research, I then noticed a shift in what I was prepared to find to finding different pieces of information that changed the way I saw and answered my research question. Yes it was a very long goal to pursue, but I did come to conclusions with my research question. Overall, I learned that from all of these new tests and advancements, opinions matter just as much as the scientific evidence.
As I have previously touched on, I had a challenge at hand with my research and how I was going to answer my research question: How can I anticipate how new tests in the obstetric and gynecology field will benefit me in the future? Below I have written on what new knowledge I have gained from that source and how it will benefit me in the future,
In the first source I conducted my research on a scientific study in the united Kingdom that explored the idea of if it is true that increased risk of pregnancy is correlated with increased age while being pregnant. The study’s title is “Risk Of Adverse Obstetric And Neonatal Outcomes By Maternal Age: Quantifying Individual And Population Level Risk Using Routine UK Maternity Data.” by Laura Oakley and others. In the source, Oakley comes to the conclusion that “There was a strong association between maternal age and both emergency and elective caesarean delivery.” (pg. 5) and that “For many of the obstetric outcomes investigated in this study, there was a clear increase in risk beginning from age 25–29.” (pg. 10). From Oakley’s study, I learned that it is very important to know that the older a woman is, the more dangerous the pregnancy can result in. Knowing this information, I now can see that age matters and when I want to be pregnant that age definitely matters in the health of my baby and myself.
In the second source, “Birth Models That Work” by Robbie Davis-Floyd, the scientific study contains information on what birthing methods work most efficiently and that are least likely to have death involved from either the mother or the baby. What makes this source even more unique is that the author is not just observing this idea from a gynecologist standpoint, but also from a doula and midwife working together to observe the best results. Davis Floyd quotes, “Eight to twelve women with similar gestational ages meet as a group with an obstetrical provider—midwife, physician, advanced practice nurse—and a co-facilitator for ten sessions throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period.” as well as “Through this unique model of care, women are empowered to choose health-promoting behaviors. Health outcomes, specifically increased birth weight and gestational age for mothers who deliver preterm, and increased satisfaction expressed by both the women and their providers, support the effectiveness of this model for the delivery of prenatal care.” (Rising and Jolivet 365). From this information gathered, I noticed that it is all based on the woman’s opinion on what prenatal and postpartum care works the best for her, and she will continue to lead a healthy lifestyle from her choice. This source noted that a combination of specialities from the obstetric and gynecology field works the best in having a healthy pregnancy before, during, and after birth. From this source, I now know that the best choice in a birth plan is all up to me and what I find adequate.
From the last source on Questia School, I gathered information on the positives and the negatives on new tests in the obstetric and the gynecology field. This book was written almost 4 years ago in 2013 and its title is, “A Womb with a View: America’s Growing Public Interest in Pregnancy” written by author Laura Tropp. Throughout the book, Tropp lists that the new tests are beneficial, but can have negative consequences that come along with them. On page 25, she writes, “Does extensive testing bias people toward abortion, encouraging a modern version of eugenics?”. Later she explains, “In this case, technology restores some power to women, who once again could choose to be the only one to know about their pregnancy.” (Tropp 16). From these pieces of information, I gained the knowledge that these new tests are great and will show the problems that your baby might have, but it may also lead to abortion because of society’s current state of being only acceptant of having a baby with certain features. Plus, I learned that these new tests do allow a form of personal awareness that the woman can be the only one who knows of her pregnancy. All of these tests do lead to women empowerment overall which is a beautiful thing. From this source, I learned that all of these tests will benefit me in my future, but some do come with alternatives that I will have to think about prior to receiving them.
Lastly, the interviews I conducted were by Laura Bowers. From this interview, I can see the immense changes from obstetric health care in the 1990s to the care in the 2010s from what I have witnessed from my mentorship. From all of their knowledge, it gives me a first-hand look on the experiences and their opinions that can help me mold mine. These interviews can benefit me in my future for when I want to become pregnant to knowing what worked for them and what they experienced that can help benefit me and lead to a healthy pregnancy.
Overall, I can proudly say I have developed an answer to my research question. For reference, my question is: How can I anticipate how new tests in the gynecology field will benefit me in the future? From my research conducted, I found that fact and opinion are equally as important in the making of this answer. My overall answer is that it is a personal opinion on what all you want to know pertaining the health of you and your baby regarding the tests. The test results are a wonderful thing because they give out a preparedness with the state of your baby and it can give different options on delivery methods. Though abortions do result because of the accuracy of the tests when finding the diseases in the baby, it is a personal choice by the mother and that choice can be made with the help of these tests as well. In conclusion, I have learned that all of these tests will benefit me, but it is up to my personal opinion if I want to have them performed or find them necessary to have them.
Interview:
1. How old were you when you first went to a gynecologist? What year was that?
Response: “I was 23 when I went to the gynecologist the first time in 1992.”
Reflection: I can see she has been around gynecology technologies and medicines for around 25 years. I think her information is vital to my project.
2. Do you have any children? If so, how many and what year(s) was/were they/he/she born?
Response: “Yes, I have 2 children. My son was born in 1997 and my daughter was born in 2000.”
Reflection: I can learn more about the technology differences in the late 90s and 2000 and wonder what their thoughts on what they thought the future would be like back then.
3. When you went to the gynecologist to confirm your pregnancy, what methods did they use? Did you use an at home method? If so, did you trust the accuracy of your at home test?
Response: “My doctor did a urine test. Yes I used an at home method. I trusted the accuracy of those results because I took multiple tests.”
Reflection: I think this is interesting on how it is the same tests performed still today to check for pregnancy.
4. Were there any big differences between your first pregnancy and your second pregnancy?
Response: “When I was pregnant the first time, I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 6 months. I also had a weird rash, and I was told I was allergic to the pregnancy hormone. Later in 1999 and early 2000, when I was pregnant again, one of the doctors in my group said he had just completed a study on this rash. He said there was new experimental remedies to test out for women who had this rash, luckily I didn’t have it. The doctor though that it maybe had to do with the differences in carrying a male or a female baby.”
Reflection: I find this intriguing. I need to look more into the rash she was discussing and gestational diabetes and treatments offered back in the late 20th century,
5. Did you find out the sex of your babies? If so, when were you able to and what test did they use?
Response: “ No I chose not to know. But, I could have through an ultrasound at 5 months.”
Reflection: Looking at waiting until you are 5 months pregnant to even have the chance to see the sex of your baby is very long as compared to the 12 weeks wait now to know the sex.
6. Did you have the opportunity to have a genetic test performed? If so, what tests and time period of your pregnancy?
Response: “I had the opportunity to have a test done to see if there were any genetic disorders in my baby, such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. I chose not to take the test. My sister in law and friend did the test and were told inaccurate positive results during the limited time period acceptable for termination of the pregnancy. They did not terminate, and they soon found out the test was a false positive and could have caused termination of a healthy baby.”
Reflection: This to me is one of the most important responses of this interview. The changes in tests and accuracy have changed so much over just 25 years and have saved many pregnancies since then.
7. Have you experienced any tests that are newer compared to when you first ever went to a gynecologist?
Response: “A few years ago, I had a procedure called an endometrial ablation. That is where they microwave the inside of the uterus to destroy the uterine lining to ease problems. I do not think that this procedure was available long before I had it done.”
Reflection: Her response was interesting to me because this procedure is seen more commonly now.
8. Have you ever heard of any new medical procedures in the gynecology field that have surprised you?
Response: “Something that surprised me is the new Harmony tests available to pregnant women.”
Reflection: I agree, I think this new technological advancement is very advanced and surprising to many women.
9. Is there a significant difference between technologies at the gynecologist now compared to the early 2000s?
Response: “The biggest differences to me are in the ultrasounds. Currently there are 3D and 4D ultrasounds, and in 2000, there was only basic ultrasounds.”
Reflection: I think it is remarkable how much technology has changed in the past 25 years or less, even with just ultrasounds.
10. Are you overall happy with new technology available for your use in the gynecology field?
Response: “Yes. I feel as if everything is more advanced, which I think will aid the overall health of women.”
Reflection: I agree with her statement as well. I do think all of the advancements are benefitting women and the gynecology field as a whole and that it will continue to benefit these groups.