Obstetrics and gynecology is a medical specialty which focuses on the care of women. Obstetrics focuses on childbirth, providing prenatal care and pregnancy support along with post-partum care, while gynecology is geared towards general female healthcare, with a focus on the female reproductive organs. A specialist in obstetrics is called an obstetrician, while a specialist in gynecology is a gynecologist.


Although these two specialties are lumped together because they both deal with caring for women, obstetrics and gynecology are very different. Many physicians who study these specialties ending up focusing on one or the other, and there are a number of subspecialties in this discipline which can be focused on as well. These specialties include maternal-fetal care, in which an obstetrician manages a high-risk pregnancy, along with family planning and reproductive endocrinology, the study of the hormones related to the reproductive system.