Women’s Health Services

GLFHC offers women's heath care to women of all ages.

Gynecology

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center offers services to persons with a vagina in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives offer gynecologic care at all of our 8 clinical sites. We provide the following services:

Preventative Health

Pap smears for cervical cancer screening
Breast exams and referral for mammograms
STD testing for infections like HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and others

Birth Control

Discussions about all forms of birth control from condoms, to pills, and implants
Placement and removal of long acting birth control like the implant in the arm or 3 types of IUDs (T devices in the uterus)
Permanent sterilization (surgery to cut or remove the fallopian tubes)

Evaluation and Treatment of concerns

Itching or burning of the vagina or labia
Abnormal pap smears and colposcopy
Abnormal vaginal bleeding including endometrial biopsy
Pelvic pain including pain with sexual activity
Decreased libido (decreased interest in sex)
Hot flashes and vaginal dryness that may be associated with menopause
PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
Frequent vaginal infections such as yeast or BV (bacterial vaginosis)
Bartholin Cyst treatment (swelling with pain near the vagina)
Gender affirming care
Infertility

Call 978-686-0090 today to set up an appointment with one of our clinicians.

Prenatal Care

Appointments that work with your schedule

Our offices are open in the evenings for prenatal care visits Monday-Thursday to accommodate your busy schedule
Prenatal care group visits are offered on various weekdays
For the care of your newborn or other urgent needs, we are open on the weekends and also available by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Prenatal Care in your preferred language

The majority of our prenatal care providers are fluent in both Spanish and English. Many providers offer care in other languages, as well
We utilize translation services 100% of the time, if needed

Assistance with your needs

We want to hear from you and help to address your barriers to a healthy pregnancy.

Our prenatal care teams can help you and your family with:

Transportation to medical visits
Housing
WIC
Access to healthy foods
Access to psychiatric and specialist care

Low Risk Prenatal Care

Family medicine physicians, including residents in training, provide prenatal care at all of our 8 clinical sites. We deliver babies at both Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital. At GLFHC you are able to choose to have prenatal and postpartum visits with Certified Nurse Midwives. Alternatively, you can continue seeing your own primary care clinician at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center during your pregnancy – as most of our physicians and nurse practitioners offer prenatal care. In many circumstances, the resident or attending clinician that you become familiar with will attend your delivery.

We would also love to meet with you before you are pregnant to help you plan your pregnancy!

WE DELIVER AT TWO HOSPITALS

GLFHC physicians deliver babies at two area hospitals - Lawrence General Hospital, and Holy Family Hospital Methuen.

High Risk Prenatal Care

Family physicians with additional training in obstetrics provide prenatal care to some of our higher risk pregnant patients. Our doctors have special training to take care of chronic conditions and pregnancy-related conditions such as:

Substance use disorders
Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes of pregnancy
High blood pressure
Thyroid conditions
Lupus or other autoimmune conditions
Twin pregnancies
HIV
Hepatitis and other liver disorders
Cesarean sections
….. and many others!

We work closely with specialists at Tufts Medical Center to get you the prenatal care you need close to home without requiring frequent travel to Boston.

Should you experience a miscarriage, we are also able to provide treatment with medicines by mouth and surgical treatment in both the office and the operating room, depending on your preference.

Centering Pregnancy

GLFHC’s Centering Pregnancy visits give expecting mothers more time for education about childbirth, breastfeeding, child care, and their pregnancy — at no additional cost!

How the Program Works

For the first 20 weeks, patients see their regular GLFHC provider for prenatal visits.
After the 20-week mark, patients begin seeing their Centering Pregnancy provider, who will be the one to deliver their baby. They also get paired up with 9 to 10 other women who are at the same stage of pregnancy for prenatal education.

During each Centering Pregnancy visit, patients:

Learn about and discuss important topics for moms

Complete a health assessment
Are examined by their prenatal doctor
Socialize with other moms in their group

Plus, all Centering Pregnancy patients tour the Labor and Delivery unit at Lawrence General Hospital! Patients get to see the delivery and postpartum rooms, make sure they know how to get into the right part of the building on their big day, meet the nurses who will be taking care of them and ask questions to ensure they feel comfortable.

Benefits of Centering Pregnancy

No waiting
Pre-planned appointments
Getting to know the doctor who will deliver the baby at Lawrence General Hospital
Improved health for both mother and child, including less risk of pre-term or early delivery
Connecting with other moms in the community
More time spent with the prenatal doctor
Having fun!

Our time with our Centering Pregnancy patients doesn’t stop once their children are born, either! Moms and babies are encouraged to continue to visit Greater Lawrence Family Health Center for care with their family doctor.

First Steps Forward

First Steps Forward is a Massachusetts DPH-administered program that focuses on supporting pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder. As part of this program, we provide:

prenatal care
peer recovery support services
addiction treatment
psychiatric care and therapy
parenting support
pediatric care

The care provided by our team is trauma-informed. Our goal is to enhance our participants’ autonomy and provide support as needed to ensure healthy parents and optimal child development. Our First Steps Forward staff include people with lived experience who are in recovery, and people who have been specially trained to work with women who have substance use disorders.

We will help to support you as you make important life choices for yourself and your child/children. We hope to get to know you and your needs during your pregnancy and continue to offer support to you and your baby after their birth and in the early phases of childhood. We also work with other organizations and resources in the area to make sure you and your child get the best care possible. We are happy to meet you where you live and work, ensure that you have a safe living environment, assist with transportation and healthy food options, and address any other specific needs you may have.

If you or a family member/friend are interested in our program, please contact us at 978-983-0469 or reach out to your primary care clinician at GLFHC. Our team will work with you to create a personalized health plan, meeting you where you are and respecting the strength you bring to your life and family.

Nurse Contact: Miladya Reyes, 978-701-9798
Community Health Worker Contact: Erileidy Pena, 978-701-0828

Lactation/Breastfeeding Support

We have a team of lactation specialists to help support your feeding choices.

Prenatal Breastfeeding Education: We provide lactation support before you even deliver so that you can learn the ins-and-outs of breastfeeding and feel prepared when your baby arrives.

Postpartum Breastfeeding Support: Following the birth of your baby, we offer breastfeeding support groups with one of the only IBCLC-trained physicians in the state of Massachusetts! We can help with issues such as: