Women's Services

Together with our staff of physicians and nurse practitioners, Portsmouth Regional Hospital provides a complete spectrum of women's health services. Through all the ages and stages of your life, we're here to maximize your health and well-being.

Topics featured on this page:

Women & Heart Disease
Breast Care
Cosmetic Surgery 
Education- Women's Care Lecture Series
Gynecology
Maternity Care 
Behavioral Health Services 
Midlife Issues
Nutrition 
Osteoporosis/Bone Densitometer
Rehabilitation Services 
Wellness Programs
Alternative Therapies

Breast Care

LOCATION - The Breast Center has moved to 155 Borthwick, West Building, Suite 101. Evening and Weekend appointments available.
Schedule an Appointment - 603-559-4190

Take a virtual tour of the hospital's new Breast Center!

• All mammograms will be at The Breast Center, now at 155 Borthwick Avenue, West Building, Suite 101
• All biopsies and breast MRI's at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, 333 Borthwick Avenue

For more information about the Breast Center, please refer to our list of Frequently Asked Questions. We hope these answers are helpful, and that you will feel free to contact us at 603-433-5191 with additional questions and concerns.  

This Information Guide to Breast Cancer outlines treatment options for the woman newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Feel free to share this brochure with your physician and family members or friends. If you have questions, please contact your physician or your local hospital.

Sensitive, State-of-the-Art Breast Care

At Portsmouth Regional Breast Center, our focus is on total breast health. Our location, designed by women for women, offers privacy and warmth, plus the convenience of noon time and late afternoon appointments. All of our technologists are women who are registered mammographers.

Our Breast Center reflects our commitment to the importance of early detection and to promoting breast health with the best leading edge technology and highly trained staff available anywhere.

Our Breast Center was among the first on the Seacoast to offer digital mammography.  Our two digital mammography units which includes full field incorporate a Computer-Aided Detection.

Computer Aided Detection (CAD) systems use a digitized mammographic image that can be obtained from either a conventional film mammogram or a digitally acquired mammogram. The computer software then searches for abnormal areas of density, mass, or calcification that may indicate the presence of cancer. The CAD system highlights these areas on the images, alerting the radiologist to the need for further analysis. A radiologist, a physician specifically trained to supervise and interpret radiology examinations, will analyze the images and send a signed report to your primary care or referring physician, who will discuss the results with you.

In September 2005, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced that digital mammography clinical trial results found that women with dense breasts, women younger than 50, and those who are peri-menopausal may benefit from digital mammograms. According the NCI, "This digital mammography study demonstrates how new technologies are expanding our ability to detect breast cancer earlier in more women.”

The Portsmouth Regional Breast Center brings our breast care services together - mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, ultrasound, even access to breast MRI's if needed. This facility reflects our commitment to importance of early detection and to promoting breast health with the best possible technology and highly trained staff available.

We are committed to providing the very best in prevention, screening, education and patient care. Our services include:

• Mammography -- fully accredited by the American College of Radiology
• Surgery -- with an emphasis on alternatives to total mastectomy for breast cancer patients
• Chemotherapy
• Cosmetic and reconstructive surgery
• Rehabilitation after breast surgery to maximize comfort, mobility and appearance

Two Digital Mammography machines are available at the Breast Center located at 155 Borthwick Avenue. Evening and Saturday appointments are available in Portsmouth.

Advanced Technologies & Treatment Options

Our mammography department is fully accredited by the American College of Radiology, our MRI unit performs gadolinium-enhanced breast scans, and we use the stereotactic system for breast biopsies - a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive technique for early diagnosis of breast cancer. When surgery is necessary, our breast surgeons place an emphasis on alternatives to total mastectomy. Chemotherapy options are available, as are post-operative breast reconstruction surgery and a rehabilitation program to maximize comfort, mobility, and appearance.

Cosmetic Surgery

Our Board Certified plastic surgeons perform hundreds of cosmetic surgery procedures each year, including:

• Liposuction
• Eyelid lift
• Nose restructuring
• Face lift
• Breast surgery
• Tummy tuck
• Laser treatment

Most cosmetic surgery does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. However, we offer the option of an overnight stay at the elegant SISE Inn in Portsmouth, to allow you an extra day to recuperate before returning home.

Women's Health Education

Helping women of all ages make informed choices about their health is a vital objective for the Hospital and for our affiliated physicians and nurse practitioners. Our educational offerings include:

• Women's Health Lecture Series
• Diabetes education
• Childbirth education
• Community lectures/workshops on a variety of mental health topics
• Sibling classes
• Rehabilitation lectures on a variety of topics
• Speakers Bureau

For a calendar of upcoming educational events at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, please visit our Education page.

For more educational offerings, check with your women's health provider. Some physicians and nurse practitioners offer lectures, workshops and educational materials as a service to their patients.

Contact the Marketing Department at 433-4054 for information about our Speakers Bureau.

Gynecology

Maternity Care

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, we're proud of our maternity services. Please visit our Maternity Care page for detailed information.

Fibroid Treatment Options

If you have fibroids talk to your doctor about your options, and weigh all the risks and benefits of each before making your decision. No single treatment option is best for all women. Many factors influence which choice is right for you, including age, medical history, symptoms, and the number and location of fibroids.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization- this procedure blocks the blood supply that nourishes the fibroid tumors, causing them to shrink.

A physician specialist called an interventional radiologist does the procedure. After sedation a small needle is placed in the groin followed by placement of a small tube (catheter) to the blood vessels that supply the fibroids with blood. The blood supply to the fibroids is then blocked with the injection of small particles through the catheter. Without blood, the fibroids shrink, which relieves the patients symptoms. May women report uterine cramping for hours to days after the procedure. The patient is in the hospital for less than 24 hours.

It can take several weeks for the fibroids to shrink, but symptom relief often comes much sooner. Ninety percent of women who have undergone this procedure find relief from symptoms. For more information, please contact the Radiology desk at Portsmouth Regional Hospital at 603-433-4008.

Midlife Issues

Taking care of your health is especially critical during your middle years -- a time of transition and new opportunity, and a time when the changes in your body and family life require special attention.

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, experts in women's health use a multidisciplinary approach to:

• Heart health
• Menopause
• Osteoporosis
• Incontinence
• Rehabilitation after childbirth, surgery and illness
• Weight management
• The management of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, cancer & chronic pain

To diagnose disease at the earliest stage, we employ the latest diagnostic approaches:

• Bone density scanning
• MRI and CAT scanning
• Hormone level analysis
• Comprehensive cardiac testing: from stress tests to cardiac catheterization

To help you make vital lifestyle changes, we offer fitness evaluations, nutrition counseling, weight management programs, health education and emotional support through the Wellness Connection.

Bone Density Measurement for Osteoporosis

Women's Care Services is equipped with a state-of-the-art HOLOGIC bone densitometer, the premier device for dual x-ray measurement of bone density. Significant bone loss can be identified in just 30 seconds.

The earlier the bone loss is detected, the sooner drug therapy can be instituted and bone loss halted. Bone density measurements can also evaluate response to treatment to help determine whether prescribed therapy is effective, or needs to be modified.

For further information, call 433-5190.

Behavioral Health Services

Behavioral Health Services at Portsmouth Regional Hospital  specializes in programs and services that address the challenges of dealing with the changes, transitions and traumas in a woman's life:

• Post partum depression
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Substance abuse -- including Alcohol 12-step programs
• Domestic violence and sexual abuse

Integrative Healthcare Approaches

Many women supplement their regular medical care with alternative health care approaches including:

• Herbology
• Yoga
• Reiki
• Tai Chi
• Massage -- full body and foot reflexology

For information about these alternative health programs and practitioners, please call (603) 433-4015.

Nutrition

Eating right is vitally important during your middle years, to promote energy, maintain strong bones, prevent cardiovascular disease and manage a healthy weight.

Our staff of Registered Dieticians works throughout the hospital to support and supplement the work of other departments. They provide physicians, patients and their caregivers consultation and education regarding:

• Prenatal nutrition for optimal growth development
• Postpartum nutrition for breast feeding moms
• Weight management
• Eating disorders
• Pediatric growth and development
• Cardiovascular disease prevention
• Recovery from heart disease and stroke
• Osteoporosis prevention and treatment

Rehabilitation Services

Please visit the Rehabilitation Services page for general information about this department. Rehabilitation services especially for women include:

• Prenatal/postpartum exercise programs
• Urinary incontinence treatment
• Pregnancy related musculoskeletal rehabilitation
• Pelvic pain treatment
• Menopause treatment
• Osteoporosis prevention and treatment
• Breast rehabilitation

Many problems can be treated right in your doctor's office. However, if surgery or a hospital stay is required, our compassionate nursing staff will work to maximize your comfort and your privacy.