Dr. Amber Truehart: Connecting Through Comfort and Care with Young Patients

MedGyn was founded in 1975 and has since formed valuable partnerships with many providers throughout the world. We have been fortunate to form solid relationships with so many OB/GYN professionals who do incredible work each day. Our organization’s primary focus is providing the highest standard of products for women’s healthcare during every stage of life. The providers we serve are the foundation to our organization.

 

Proudly, MedGyn would like to highlight one such partner.  Dr. Amber Truehart, MD is an OB/GYN in New Mexico who specializes in pediatric gynecology. “I didn’t even know there were pediatric gynecologists.” and “We are so happy to have found you!” are two statements that Dr. Truehart hears often. Amazingly, Dr. Truehart is the only Pediatric Gynecologist in the state of New Mexico.

 

Dr. Truehart completed a fellowship in Family Planning from the University of Chicago and received specialized training in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. After several years in Chicago, she became faculty of the University of New Mexico and Medical Director of The Center for Reproductive Health in New Mexico where she now resides.

 

“I see patients from birth until the age of 21. This can range from congenital gynecologic anomalies, ovarian masses, painful menstrual cycles, vaginal discharge, birth control and first pelvic exams. I most enjoy how my two specialties overlap in the care of medically complex teens and use of hormones to regulate their menstrual cycles and/or prevent pregnancies. I perform surgeries for things like ovarian masses or torsion, hymenal abnormalities and vaginal foreign bodies,” she explained.

 

Although teens/adolescents can visit any OB/GYN, the specialized training that Dr. Truehart received allows her to care for this special segment of the population at a deeper level. This means understanding her teen patients and communicating information at their appropriate developmental age. Making that connection is a critical component for delivering the best patient care. Additionally, she has noticed an influx of young patients due to recent legislative changes in neighboring states.

 

A disruption to this patient care has occurred over the last couple of years due to COVID-19. As every medical field struggled during the pandemic, especially at the onset, OB/GYN’s met their share of challenges too. With delays in care, patients may have medical issues that may not just be a few months in development, but perhaps existed over a greater length of time. “The cyst has grown over this time frame, or the bleeding has been ongoing and now the patient is anemic. People are sicker than they would have been in many cases,” explained Dr. Truehart.  In light of these problems, our healthcare heroes met these challenges by forming solid teams early on in the pandemic, adhering to strict schedules to minimize exposure to other clinical staff, and pivoting when it came to adapting more tele-health visits when possible. However, the patient’s comfort level is always at the forefront of Dr. Truehart’s mind.

 

Many of these adolescent patients and their parents who see Dr. Truehart are truly grateful to have found her. “It is nice to serve a population who truly needs your expertise,” explained Dr. Truehart. “It is also nice to be able to pass this knowledge on to the University of New Mexico OB/GYN Residents,” she added. As for future plans, Dr. Truehart hopes to give lectures to the pediatric emergency medicine residents and fellows. She also plans on staying with academic medicine so she can continue teaching.

 

Similar to Dr. Truehart’s patients, MedGyn is honored and grateful for the partnership we have formed with her too. “I have always had great experiences with MedGyn. The staff has always listened to what I want or need from an instrument, as well as being open to my suggestions,” she added.