Around the globe, women’s health care is rapidly evolving, often against a backdrop of persistent and frustrating challenges.
Central Ohio is no exception, as meaningful advancements exist alongside deeply-rooted struggles affecting women of all ages. Still, some of the region’s passionate medical professionals say that staying optimistic is just as important as staying informed.
Every step forward – from personalized postpartum treatments to more candid conversations about perimenopause and menopause – is a victory worth recognizing.
Reshaping postpartum care
Located at 7450 Hospital Dr. in Dublin and active since July 2024, OhioHealth’s Fourth Trimester Clinic was created as a dedicated space to provide complex medical care for birthing parents during the postpartum period.
Eleanor Byrum, a certified nurse practitioner and lactation counselor at the clinic, says the idea for the facility emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many new parents facing reduced access to comprehensive care and advice, Byrum made a big push to do home video visits to help fill in the gaps.
Through this effort, Byrum met Dr. Jessica Tucker, who also recognized the intricate and diverse needs of postpartum patients. Together, they worked to develop and launch a clinic aimed at addressing core issues such as breastfeeding difficulties, high blood pressure, inadequate rest and more. Just over a year later, the clinic and its patients are thriving.
OhioHealth and Stephanie Stanovich
Dr. Jessica Tucker (left) and Eleanor Byrum, CNP (right) lead OhioHealth's Fourth Trimester Clinic, a dedicated space to provide complex medical care for mothers during the postpartum period.
According to Byrum, one of the clinic’s differentiating features is its intentional approach to treating the mother-child dyad, or the deeply interconnected relationship between a parent and their baby.
“If you go to your (obstetrician), they’re focused on mom; if you go to your pediatrician, they’re focused on baby,” Byrum says. “We’re doing that care together at the same time.”
With approximately 11 years of experience in family medicine, Byrum says her specialty – lactation medicine – is a relatively new field that many people may not be familiar with.
Though she is trained to help patients breastfeed in a healthy and sustainable way, Byrum also recognizes that breastfeeding may not be the most ideal option for every parent and wants people to know that alternative feeding methods are always available.
“If you decide you want to stop tomorrow, I’ll help you stop tomorrow,” Byrum says. “I have no skin in the game other than to keep you well, and keep you happy and help you navigate this journey.”
Beyond its day-to-day medical operations, the clinic aims to advance postpartum care by mitigating the guilt and shame new parents can experience due to the highly-curated nature of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, Byrum says.
“There’s just this perception that people around us maybe have it all together. Most of us don’t, especially in the postpartum period,” Byrum says. “Seek help early. It’s a tough time. We would really encourage people to reach out early for support if they feel like they need it, and even if they’re not sure, but they have some inkling that they need it, we’re here to help.”
Notably, OhioHealth is slated to open a new Women’s Center on its Riverside Methodist Hospital campus in 2027. According to OhioHealth’s website, the center will offer an additional fourth trimester clinic, high-risk obstetrics and fetal diagnostics, laboratory testing, mammography services, midlife care and more.
For Byrum, this announcement marks an exciting development for lactation medicine and women’s health care as a whole. Combined with other research efforts across the country and world, she hopes the new center will empower clinicians to make a positive impact on more central Ohioans than ever before.
Overall, Byrum says the clinic’s success thus far has left her feeling both proud and encouraged. The upcoming expansion only augments these emotions.
“I have children myself,” Byrum says. “I say, ‘I hope my kids never know that this wasn’t a standard of care.’”
OhioHealth and Stephanie Stanovich
Inside OhioHealth's Fourth Trimester Clinic, located at 7450 Hospital Dr. in Dublin.
Breakthroughs in midlife care
Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center remains a key facet of central Ohio’s health care network, with seven hospitals and thousands of patients it aides each year.
Lily Zimmermann, a certified nurse midwife, joined the center in 2016 with the goal of improving health care for women and children. Since then, she has become one of just four Menopause Society Certified Practitioners – or MSCPs – at Ohio State.
Zimmermann says this certification allows her to provide perimenopausal and menopausal care on a deeper, more individualized level. This detail-oriented care is crucial, as many people may struggle to fully understand these pivotal periods in countless women’s lives.
“Unfortunately, our training as midwives, and as practitioners and physicians does not lend itself to a deep focus on the midlife of women,” Zimmermann says. “And that is a disservice because we take care of many women in midlife, and that has not changed, right? Women have gone through perimenopause and menopause as long as time.”
Considering the myriad symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, Zimmermann says clinicians who already have heavy workloads may be underprepared to pinpoint the exact problems that may be at hand.
“We have estrogen receptors from our brains to our bones,” Zimmermann says. “And so, when we have concerns like shoulder pain, or hip pain or tinnitus ringing in our ears, a lot of clinicians don’t realize that can be a result of estrogen depletion, and how to support that woman through those concerns.”
As an MSCP, Zimmermann can devote more focus and attention to women’s midlife health. However, she says carving out enough time for in-depth appointments is an obstacle many medical professionals grapple with, and between the underlying pressures and health care providers’ cramped schedules, it can be difficult to ensure patients receive the best care while also not overloading clinicians.
Despite these challenges, Zimmermann says she and her coworkers foster a strong sense of teamwork to relieve the logistical burdens they face.
Besides seeing an MSCP, women experiencing health issues in midlife can find support through Ohio State’s Center for Women’s Health or weight management programs.
Though she believes much research remains to be done on women in midlife, Zimmermann says she and other Wexner Medical Center employees are committed to learning more and providing higher-quality medical care.
“We need to validate what women are saying to us, even when it feels like a heavy or an overwhelming situation,” Zimmermann says. “We need to educate ourselves, and we need to challenge our educational institution to have a broader and more robust clinical training around this midlife.”
Lucy Lawler is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
