Join Jasmine as she has a one on one conversation with Dr. Dhond on her ambition to provide comprehensive care to the VA population in New Haven, CT by optimizing her education on women's health.

Episode Outline

• Navigating Training Pathways: How primary care trainees can proactively seek mentorship, clinical rotations, and formal or self-designed tracks to build women's health and in-office procedural competencies during residency.
• Lifelong Skill Development & CME: Utilizing continuing medical education (CME) conferences—both virtual and in-person—to expand gynecologic care capabilities at any stage of your career.
• Universal Reproductive Counseling: Why family planning, fertility impacts, and medication risks should be routinely discussed by providers across all medical specialties.
• Advocating for Equity in Research & Education: Addressing the historical underrepresentation of women in clinical trial research, funding, and medical school curricula.

Our Experts
Dr. Mukta Dhond, MD is an Assistant Professor of General Medicine at Yale and practicing primary care physician at the West Haven VA Medical Center. She is the Women’s Health Medical Director at the VA Connecticut and part of the Women's and Gender Health Education Program at the Yale School of Medicine

The Primary Care Pearls (PCP) Podcast is created in collaboration with faculty, residents, and students from the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. The project aims to create accessible and informative podcasts about core primary care topics centered around real patient stories.

Host: Jasmine Jiang

Producers: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango, Daniel Wang, Jasmine Jiang

Logo and Name: Eva Zimmerman

Theme music and Editing: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango

Other background music: Lish Grooves

Instagram: @pcpearls

Twitter: @PCarePearls

Listen on your favorite podcast platforms: linktr.ee/pcpearls

Join Jasmine and Daniel to get empowered on approaching various gynecological health care issues as a primary care provider with Drs. Pathy and Dhond as they offer structured frameworks and clinical pearls that can be immediately implemented in the office setting.

=== Outline ===

Chapter 1: Common GYN Scenarios (AUB, PMOS, Menopause)

Chapter 2: The PCP's Scope of Management

Chapter 2: Universal Screening

Chapter 4: Resources and Referrals

=== Learning Points ===

1. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding: The PALM-COEIN mnemonic can be used to distinguish the different underlying etiologies of AUB, each with their own workup and management.
2. Urinary Incontinence: Identifying whether incontinence symptoms are primarily stress, urge, overflow, or mixed from a thorough history is crucial to guiding treatment.
3. Menopause: PCP management of menopause and perimenopause, using both hormonal and non-hormonal modalities, should be standard practice.
4. Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: Irregular bleeding pattern, hyperandrogenic symptoms, and metabolic symptoms are hallmarks of PMOS presentation, and diagnosis may be supplemented with laboratory testing or ultrasound.
5. Endometriosis: While laparoscopic visualization is required for definitive diagnosis, endometriosis can often be identified clinically, and managed with a combination of hormonal treatment and analgesia.
6. Primary Care GYN Screening: STI, IPV, Cancer (breast, cervical, and other age appropriate screenings like lung, colon), Osteoporosis. Encourage use of USPSTF app

=== Our Expert(s) ===

Dr. Mukta Dhond, MD is an Assistant Professor of General Medicine at Yale and practicing primary care physician at the West Haven VA Medical Center. She is the Women’s Health Medical Director at the VA Connecticut and part of the Women's and Gender Health Education Program at the Yale School of Medicine.

Shefali R Pathy, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale. She is the OB/GYN Director of the Women’s Center at Yale New Haven Hospital and received her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY where she also completed her OB/GYN residency. She has a strong interest in urban health care and medical education, and serves as the Director of Clerkships for Yale School of Medicine and the co-director of Women and Children's Health Clerkship, OBGYN Component.

=== References ===

=== About Us ===

The Primary Care Pearls (PCP) Podcast is created in collaboration with faculty, residents, and students from the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. The project aims to create accessible and informative podcasts about core primary care topics centered around real patient stories.

Host: Jasmine Jiang

Producers: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango, Daniel Wang, Jasmine Jiang

Logo and Name: Eva Zimmerman

Theme music and Editing: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango

Other background music: Nat Keefe, Adam MacDougall, Silent Partner, Density and Time, "Accralate - The Dark Contenent" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Instagram: @pcpearls

Twitter: @PCarePearls

Listen on your favorite podcast platforms: linktr.ee/pcpearls

Join Jasmine and Daniel as they discuss with Drs. Pathy and Dhond on how to integrate comprehensive gynecological health into your primary care practice.

=== Outline ===

Chapter 1: Scope of Practice in Primary Care

Chapter 2: Initial Approach

Chapter 3: Access to Contraception

Chapter 4: Establishing Trust

=== Learning Points ===

1. Reproductive Health in Primary Care: Half of patients we see will require gynecologic and productive care, and PCPs should feel confident serving as initial providers of these services before referring to OB/GYN.
2. Shared Decision-Making: When working with all patients of reproductive potential, open-ended patient-centered discussions of reproductive, family planning, and contraceptive goals should be a standardized part of routine history taking.
3. Keys to Approaching Contraception: Birth control is not a topic reserved for the OB/GYN office; a proactive approach to contraceptive counseling and trialing different methods is critical to ensuring the well-being of patients with pregnancy potential.
4. Listening and Humility: Building a foundation of trust means learning to listen to the experiences of our patients with openness and respect, recognizing the history of stigma and power imbalance surrounding reproductive health.

=== Resources for Further Learning ===

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists student membership (complimentary): https://www.acog.org/membership/join/medical-students

American Academy of Family Physicians - Women’s Health Resources: https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/care-resources/womens-health/women-s-health-resources.html

OB/GYN Student - Study materials, quizzes, and notes for medical students and early-career trainees: https://obgynstudent.com/

Bedsider - Simple, trustworthy reproductive health information for patients and providers: https://providers.bedsider.org/

=== Our Expert(s) ===

Dr. Mukta Dhond, MD is an Assistant Professor of General Medicine at Yale and practicing primary care physician at the West Haven VA Medical Center. She is the Women’s Health Medical Director at the VA Connecticut and part of the Women's and Gender Health Education Program at the Yale School of Medicine.

Shefali R Pathy, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale. She is the OB/GYN Director of the Women’s Center at Yale New Haven Hospital and director of clerkships for Yale School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY where she also completed her OB/GYN residency.

=== References ===

1. Daniels K, Mosher WD, Jones J. Contraceptive methods women have ever used: United States, 1982–2010. National health statistics reports; no 62. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr062.pdf
2. De Corte P, Klinghardt M, von Stockum S, Heinemann K. Time to Diagnose Endometriosis: Current Status, Challenges and Regional Characteristics-A Systematic Literature Review. BJOG. 2025 Jan;132(2):118-130. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.17973. Epub 2024 Oct 7. Erratum in: BJOG. 2025 Jun;132(7):1018. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.18149. PMID: 39373298; PMCID: PMC11625652.
3. Rabin RF, Jennings JM, Campbell JC, Bair-Merritt MH. Intimate partner violence screening tools: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2009 May;36(5):439-445.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.01.024. PMID: 19362697; PMCID: PMC2688958.

=== About Us ===

The Primary Care Pearls (PCP) Podcast is created in collaboration with faculty, residents, and students from the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. The project aims to create accessible and informative podcasts about core primary care topics centered around real patient stories.

Host: Jasmine Jiang

Producers: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango, Daniel Wang, Jasmine Jiang

Logo and Name: Eva Zimmerman

Theme music and Editing: Helen Cai, Josh Onyango

Other background music: Ryan McCuffrey, The Mini Vandals, Schwartzy, Godmode, Lish Grooves

Instagram: @pcpearls

Twitter: @PCarePearls

Listen on your favorite podcast platforms: linktr.ee/pcpearls