Women's health care in New York: frequently asked questions

Use the directory search to filter by ZIP code, county, specialty, gender and telehealth, or browse by location. The directory covers more than 5,650 providers across the five boroughs, Long Island and the Hudson Valley. Read more: How to Choose an OB/GYN: A Step-by-Step Guide for New Yorkers.

Usually not for routine care. New York insurance law lets women in state-regulated plans see an in-network OB/GYN directly for annual exams, follow-up care, acute gynecologic problems and pregnancy care. Self-funded employer plans follow federal rules, so check your plan documents.

On the search page, set the gender filter to Female. Most providers in this directory are women. Read more: Female OB/GYN Near Me: How to Find a Woman OB/GYN in New York.

For many visits, yes: test results, birth control, follow-ups and some menopause care work well by video. Pap tests, pelvic exams and ultrasounds need an in-person visit. Use the telehealth filter on the search page.

ACOG recommends a first reproductive health visit between ages 13 and 15. It is mostly a conversation, and a pelvic exam is usually not needed unless there is a specific problem. Read more: A Teen's First Gynecologist Visit: When to Go and What to Expect.

Yes. Ask your current office to send your prenatal records, and confirm the new practice takes your insurance and delivers at a hospital you want. Read more: Switching OB/GYNs During Pregnancy: When It Makes Sense and How to Do It.

Use the license verification search on the NYS Office of the Professions website, which covers physicians, midwives and nurse practitioners. Board certification for OB/GYNs can be checked on the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology website.

Confirm your exact insurance plan, whether the clinician is accepting new patients, which hospital they deliver at, how soon you can be seen, and who covers after-hours calls. Read more: Questions to Ask a New OB/GYN: What to Ask at Your First Visit.

Call the office with the exact name of your plan, not just the insurance company, and ask whether the clinician is in network; then confirm in your insurer's online provider directory. Networks differ between plans from the same company.

New York Medicaid covers pregnant people with household income up to 223% of the federal poverty level, and the pregnancy counts toward household size. Immigration status is not a barrier during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Read more: NY Medicaid, Essential Plan and Child Health Plus for Pregnancy: How Coverage Works.

New York Medicaid and Child Health Plus continue coverage for 12 months after a pregnancy ends, however it ends and even if your income changes.

Often, yes. In New York, licensed clinics that provide prenatal care screen pregnant patients for presumptive Medicaid eligibility, which lets prenatal visits be covered while the full application is processed.

Since January 1, 2020, fully insured large-group plans (employers with more than 100 employees) must cover up to three IVF cycles. Individual and small-group plans must cover infertility diagnosis and basic treatment such as IUI, and self-funded employer plans are exempt. Read more: New York IVF Insurance Law: Who Is Covered and What It Includes.

Usually. Medicaid covers contraception, and New York's Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act requires state-regulated private plans to cover FDA-approved methods without a copay, with up to a 12-month supply dispensed at once. Read more: Free and Low-Cost Birth Control in New York: Coverage and Clinics.

Yes. New York Medicaid covers doula care at no cost, including up to 8 visits during and after pregnancy plus support during childbirth, and a statewide standing order means you do not need an individual referral. Read more: Does NY Medicaid Cover a Doula? How to Get Free Doula Care in New York.

The New York Attorney General's office states that Medicaid and state-regulated private plans must cover abortion. Self-funded employer plans, federal plans and plans issued in other states may differ. Read more: Abortion Care in New York: Types, Where Care Is Provided and Coverage.

Call as soon as you have a positive pregnancy test. Many practices schedule the first prenatal visit around 8 to 10 weeks, and new-patient spots can fill up. Read more: First Prenatal Appointment: What to Expect, When to Book and What to Bring.

For an uncomplicated pregnancy, typically every 4 weeks until about 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then weekly until birth. High-risk pregnancies are seen more often. Read more: Prenatal Visit Schedule: How Often You'll See Your OB and What Happens at Each Visit.

For a healthy, low-risk pregnancy, both are safe choices; certified nurse midwives work with physicians and transfer or share care if complications arise. If you have a significant medical condition, start with an OB/GYN. Read more: OB/GYN vs Midwife vs Family Doctor: Who Should Care for Your Pregnancy?.

New York designates hospital maternity services as Level I, II, III or Regional Perinatal Center. Level I hospitals care for low-risk pregnancies and newborns; higher levels handle increasingly complex pregnancies and sick or premature babies. Designations are listed on the NYS Health Profiles website.

No. Freestanding birth centers do not offer epidurals; if you want one, you would transfer to a hospital. Read more: Birth Center vs. Hospital vs. Home Birth in New York: How to Choose.

Yes, with a New York licensed midwife or physician. ACOG advises planned home birth only for low-risk pregnancies with a plan for prompt hospital transfer, and lists conditions such as a prior cesarean, twins or a breech baby that make it unsafe.

Federal law requires most health plans to cover at least 48 hours after a vaginal birth and 96 hours after a cesarean if you and your clinician want that time. Many healthy patients go home sooner.

ACOG recommends contact with your OB/GYN or midwife within the first 3 weeks after birth and a comprehensive visit by 12 weeks. Call sooner for heavy bleeding, fever, severe headache, chest pain or thoughts of harming yourself. Read more: Postpartum Checkup: When It Happens and What to Expect.

An OB/GYN is trained in both pregnancy care and gynecology. Some stop delivering babies and practice gynecology only, so ask if you may become pregnant.

Maternal-fetal medicine specialists are OB/GYNs with extra training in high-risk pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, twins or a concern on ultrasound. Most patients keep their regular OB/GYN or midwife and see MFM for consultations. The directory lists more than 310. Read more: High-Risk Pregnancy: What It Means and When to See a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist.

See a reproductive endocrinologist after 12 months of trying if you are under 35, after 6 months at 35 or older, and right away over 40 or with irregular periods. Read more: When to See a Fertility Specialist: Timelines, Red Flags and What to Expect.

Gynecologic oncologists diagnose and treat cancers of the ovaries, uterus, cervix, vulva and vagina, and see people with a suspicious mass or high inherited risk such as a BRCA variant. Read more: When to See a Gynecologic Oncologist: Referral Reasons and What to Expect.

A urogynecologist specializes in pelvic floor disorders: bladder leakage, overactive bladder and pelvic organ prolapse, treated with therapy, medication, pessaries or surgery. Read more: What Is a Urogynecologist? What They Treat and When to See One.

Complex family planning is an OB/GYN subspecialty focused on contraception and abortion care for patients whose medical situation makes care more complicated.

Both are licensed by New York State. A certified nurse midwife is also a registered nurse; only someone licensed as both a nurse and a midwife may use the title "nurse-midwife." Midwifery in New York covers normal pregnancy, birth, postpartum care and preventive reproductive health care.

Women's health nurse practitioners provide well-woman exams, cervical screening, contraception, STI care and menopause care, and can prescribe. They refer to physicians for surgery and high-risk pregnancy.

Provider names, credentials, specialties and addresses come from the federal NPPES NPI Registry and the CMS Doctors and Clinicians file, supplemented by public practice websites. See About and data sources.

No. Listings are not endorsements, and insurance, hours and availability can change. Always confirm directly with the practice before your visit.

Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, Rockland County, Orange County, Putnam County, Dutchess County: more than 5,650 providers at more than 2,870 practice locations.

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