Bio-Psycho-Social Obstetrics and Gynecology

Dr. K.M. Paarlberg is Obstetrician-gynecologist in Gelre Hospitals, location Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. She is the Principal Tutor of Ob/Gyn residents and residents in training for tropical medicine and international health. Her PhD Thesis in 1999 was titled 'Stress exposure and pregnancy outcome: A psychosocial and biochemical study'. Her main focuses are: perinatal medicine, psychosomatic aspects of Ob/Gyn and sexology. She has been President of the International Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISPOG) and President of the Dutch Working Party on Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (WPOG) of the Dutch Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her research projects concern implementation of a screen- and advice tool for psychiatric and psychosocial risk factors and substance abuse in pregnant women, depression in pregnancy, PTSD following childbirth, fear of childbirth, genital appearance satisfaction and request for labia reduction surgery. For her work in the psychosocial field she has received the Hector Treub Award in 2009.

Part I: Obstetrics: A pregnant woman afraid of to deliver vaginally.- A parous woman afraid of becoming pregnant again.- A woman afraid of the postpartum check-up.- A depressed young mother.- A young mother hearing voices who tell her to harm the baby.- "And what if our baby would have trisomy 21?".- Parents with empty arms Part II: Gynaecology: A young woman asking for labia reduction surgery.- A skinny woman without menses.- A woman with premenstrual mood swings.- A woman complaining from pelvic pain for years.- A woman who has been circumcised.- A woman with stress incontinence.- A woman with hot flushes and sleeplessness. Part III: Fertility: A couple that cannot conceive naturally:- A young woman with breast cancer:- A couple that considers artificial reproductive techniques: Part IV: Oncology: A woman surviving vulvar cancer.- A woman with a lump in her breast.- A woman with high risk of cancer (Aspects of genetic decision making and counselling.- A woman who survived cervical cancer. Part V: Sexology: A woman who never could have coitus.- A woman with coital pain. - A woman with changing vulvar anatomy.- A woman complaining of lack of sexual desire.