Meet the Doctors Changing the Face of Healthcare for Women and Children

Fox & Friends live panel features The Woman’s Hospital of Texas healthcare professionals. 

When is it too late to start getting pregnant?

What foods should I avoid during pregnancy?

How do I choose a pediatrician for my newborn?

What should we know about the HPV vaccine?

These are some of the most pressing questions women have about pregnancy and childcare and a panel of healthcare professionals from HCA Healthcare affiliated The Woman’s Hospital of Texas provided the answers on a live segment of the television show Fox & Friends on Fox News channel on Monday.

“For the past 40 years, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas has been dedicated to the care of women and children,” said CEO Ashley McClellan. “We’ve been the No. 1 hospital for women in Houston and surrounding areas. We have dedicated staff and physicians that specialize in the care of women and children, which means we can provide very high-end,  high-level high-risk obstetrics and general obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, urogynecology and breast care.”

Joining McClellan and host Abby Huntsman on the Fox & Friends couch on the morning show’s Manhattan set were:

• Joanie Hare, maternal fetal medicine physician
• Connie Faro, obstetrician and gynecologist
• Tal Gospin, pediatric cardiologist
• Hillary Boswell, pediatric and adolescent gynecologist

Each physician spoke about the top health concerns of women and how they can access information and care to address those concerns.

In answer to the question, “how old is too old to get pregnant,” Dr. Hare shared that she recently had a 50-year-old patient who delivered her first child – a healthy baby boy at term. But she cautioned that first-time mothers over the age of 40 and up to age 50 need to be in excellent physical condition and may need the medical care of a high-risk obstetrician or fertility care doctor.

Lunch meat and raw fish should be avoided by pregnant women, Dr. Faro said, as those are foods that can be unsafe to eat during pregnancy. But she also debunked the myth that pregnant women must eat for two.

“You only need approximately 400 more calories a day during pregnancy,” she said. “The best source of calories is food high in protein.”

Picking a pediatrician is an important and personal decision that’s informed by the doctor’s experience, personality and office location, and style, Dr. Gospin said.

“A good thing about The Woman’s Hospital of Texas is that a lot of the pediatricians offer prenatal visits for families that are expecting babies so they can learn about the office setting prior to the baby being delivered, which can really minimize some of the stress and pressure afterwards,” she said.

Dr. Boswell shared there’s a lot that families need to know about the HPV vaccine, including it is one of only two vaccines available that can prevent cancers.

“That’s something that I strongly recommend that parents can do now to prevent a really common disease with potential deadly consequences,” she said. “I really recommend that girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 12 get started on that series and, if they haven’t, it’s not too late. It’s indicated up to age 26.”

The segment ended with encouragement for women to keep asking questions and seeking answers to protect their health as well as their children’s.

Watch the panel discussion with The Woman’s Hospital of Texas CEO and physicians on Fox & Friends here:

HCA Healthcare’s The Woman’s Hospital of Texas offers online resources to keep families informed about their health options at womanshospital.com