When Marian Glendye was undergoing breast cancer treatment and feared losing her hair, she turned to Penny Bardsley for support.
"Penny is invaluable to all us women," said Glendye, a nurse from Salem, N.H.
Not only is Bardsley, a nurse and holistic health care provider, the coordinator of the breast care program at Lawrence General Hospital, she's also a breast cancer survivor.
"She has experienced it herself," Glendye said, adding that she found that reassuring.
Research shows that like Glendye, many women seeking health care prefer female doctors, nurses and other providers they feel can relate to their experiences.
A 2005 study of 202 women from the University of Michigan Health System's Division of Gastroenterology, for instance, determined that women felt so strongly about a same-sex provider performing their colonoscopy that they'd be willing to pay more or put off the procedure. Forty-three percent of the women said they absolutely preferred a female colonoscopist, whereas only 1.4 percent absolutely wanted a male.
Michael Collins, CEO of Haverhill's Merrimack Valley Hospital, which today has 41 affiliated female physicians as compared to about 150 men listed on its Web site, said he doesn't think women prefer female providers because they have less faith in men. Rather, he said, especially when working with specialists such as an OB/GYN or gastroenterologist, they just feel more comfortable.
"I think that people are entitled to choice," Collins said.
Having that choice is getting easier. While women doctors were scarce 40 years ago, they are increasingly entering the field across the country.
In 1970, there were 1,337 female OB/GYNs in the United States, compared to 17,539 males, according to the American Medical Association. By 2006, there were 18,520 women, compared to 23,813 men. In 2006, women made up 27.8 percent of all physicians, compared to just 7.6 percent in 1970.
Dr. Arati Pratap, a gastroenterologist, started her practice at Merrimack Valley Hospital in 2007. Today the hospital continues to work to let the community know Pratap, along with Dr. Albena D. Halpert, a second female gastroenterologist, are at the hospital.
Toward that end, Pratap is booked regularly on local TV and radio and speaks at health events around the region, as do other women from the MVH staff.
Helen Lambropoulos of Haverhill said she never considered gender a factor in her care. Then, when she began seeing Dr. Yuliya Mandel, a family physician at Merrimack Valley Hospital, she realized how at ease she felt.
"Women can relate better to a woman the same way as a man can relate better to a man," Lambropoulos said. "They know what it's like."
The idea of women connecting with women is integral to the breast care program begun in 2006 at Lawrence General Hospital. As breast care coordinator, Bardsley works with women from diagnosis through treatment and recovery.
"I'm an advocate for women going through this horrible disease," Bardsley said. "And I'm also a survivor."
Bardsley stays in constant contact with her breast cancer patients after diagnosis. She provides services ranging from scheduling and transportation for appointments to personal support, encouragement and advice.
Bardsley said when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001, she felt lost, alone and terrified. Now, she's glad to help alleviate other women's fears.
"I think being a woman in this role is so important," Bardsley said.
Caritas Holy Family Hospital in Methuen also has special breast cancer services, such as MammoSite, a one-week treatment option that can replace the traditional six-week chemotherapy treatments. This option helps women maintain their day-to-day schedule, such as work and caring for their family.
Holy Family also offers flexible appointments, including evenings and Saturdays, in the Breast Care Center.
Collins, at MVH, hopes that women remember their options and feel free to voice their health-care preferences.
"I think this whole thing is about making it apparent to women that there are choices," Collins said.
Some women's care programs at local hospitals
Merrimack Valley Hospital
r Digital Mammography
r Annual Ladies' Night Out to educate women about breast health and digital mammography
r Annual "Think Pink" tea focusing on Women's Health Issues
r Radio show time on WCCM in Methuen, discussing women's health issues and concerns such as osteoporosis and breast health
Caritas Holy Family Hospital
r Breast Care Center with flexible appointments and female mammography technologists
r Bone Density Screenings
r Cancer Care, including MammoSite option
r Birthing center
r Women's Health Network, provided in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, offers free education and health screening for underinsured or uninsured women aged 40-64
Lawrence General Hospital
r Breast care program
r Birthing center
r Bone Mineral Densitometry
r Mammography and ultrasound
r Stereotactic Breast Biopsy
r Women's Health Network
