Gynecology FAQ

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 immediately or proceed to the nearest emergency room.

Princeton Medical Group OBGYN is affiliated with Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center (1 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536). We have an ObGyn physician in our practice on call 24 hours a day, 7 days per week available to emergencies.

If you have a gynecologic medical emergency, you call our main number 609-924-9300 to reach the on-call physician.

Prescription refills and routine questions are not considered a medical emergency and should be addressed Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

You may request a prescription refill through your Patient Portal account or by contacting your pharmacy to request the pharmacy submit an e-refill request to our office. Prescription refills take up to 72 hours for your physician to approve.

Routine prescription refill requests are NOT emergencies and will not be answered after hours.

New Patient Paperwork

HIPAA Form

Out of respect for our patients, we make every effort to see patients on time. Therefore, if you are 15 minutes or later for your appointment, please expect that we may reschedule your appointment. Please call the office if you are going to be late to reschedule your appointment. We cannot guarantee the same physician/ office or on the same day.

We offer in-office ultrasound, colposcopy, LEEP, and biopsy procedures at our Princeton location for your convenience.

You should try to schedule your annual exam when you are not having your period. However, sometimes bleeding is unexpected. You can have a pap smear during your period as long as the flow is not very heavy.

Routine HPV testing is performed with your pap smear for women age 30 and over. HPV testing can also be performed in other circumstances based on guidelines and after a review of your medical history.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus. HPVs are a group of more than 150 related viruses. Each HPV virus in the group is given a number, and is called an HPV type (for instance, HPV-16).

HPVs are called papillomaviruses because some of the HPV types cause warts or papillomas, which are non-cancerous tumors. But some types of HPV are known for causing cancer. HPV causes most cases of cervical cancer, as well as many vaginal, vulvar, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the throat and mouth).

Though there is no evidence that the HPV vaccination is harmful during pregnancy, it is NOT recommended during pregnancy. The HPV vaccination series can be delayed until after pregnancy.

While most women expect to have a decrease in their period flow when they are on birth control pills, it is not unusual for the period to get so light that there is no obvious bleeding, even on the placebo pills. If you are taking your pill properly, this is perfectly normal and not a cause for concern. There is no need to “take a break” from the pill to have a period.

Sometimes you may have light bleeding or spotting randomly on birth control pills. This is called “breakthrough bleeding” and is a common side effect with birth control pills. This can be due to irregular pill taking, sickness, stress, other medications, or can happen for no obvious reason. Most of the time, you will go back to normal in one or two cycles. If the bleeding is concerning to you, please contact the office to discuss this issue further.

If you are not taking the pill properly, please use back up contraception (condoms).

If you have not had a period for a long time (not on hormonal birth control) or your uterine lining has built up, your doctor may give you a prescription for progesterone to help your period start. It is important that you take all the pills prescribed, even if your period starts while you are taking them. It may take up to two weeks past the time that you finish the last pill for your period to start. Every woman’s body may react a little differently.

Princeton Medical Group OBGYN follows the American College of OBGYN guidelines regarding mammography.

Women age 40 and older should have mammograms every 1 – 2 years. However, the likelihood of developing breast cancer is higher if a close blood relative has been diagnosed with the disease, especially if they were diagnosed before the age of 50. Likewise, women who began having their periods before the age of 12 or who went through menopause after the age of 55 are at higher risk, as are women who had their first child after age 30 or who never had a child.

Mammography is performed at a radiology facility. Please make sure the radiology facility you choose accepts your insurance.

If you believe you may be at a higher risk, ask your PMG OBGYN physician when you should start screening mammography.

Pelvic floor PT involves exercises and feedback to encourage relaxation and strengthening of the muscles of the lower pelvis. A physical therapist places biofeedback sensors on the vaginal wall to measure muscle tone and the strength of muscle contractions, which are then printed on a machine for you to see. After practicing your exercises at home, you can see your improvement on the machine the next time you visit the physical therapist. Sometimes the therapist will use a massage-like technique called myofascial release to help stretch and release the connective tissue between the skin and the muscles and bones in your pelvic region.

Pelvic floor physical therapy can help address sexual problems by improving chronic vaginal or pelvic pain and urinary incontinence. Typically, several sessions of pelvic floor physical therapy are needed to achieve satisfactory results.

Center for Pelvic Wellness

Infertility is caused by a problem that prevents conception or the ability to carry a pregnancy to delivery. The duration of unprotected intercourse with failure to conceive should be about 12 months before an infertility evaluation is undertaken, unless medical history, age, or physical findings dictate earlier evaluation and treatment.

Please click here to learn more about PMG OBGYN infertility evaluation.

Each individual insurance plan has a formulary of covered medications. This information can be located on your insurance website. Many prescription drug plans only cover generic medication. Be prepared that the pharmacist may switch your medication to a generic medication that is covered by your insurance. if you wish to have a specific or name brand medication, please indicate this to your physician so that it can be sent in “dispense as written / no substitutions.”

Yes, Princeton Medical Group has an electronic health record and you are welcome to be seen in any of our offices. ObGyn currently works out of the Princeton and Plainsboro locations.

Princeton Office: 419 N Harrison St, Princeton, NJ 08540

Plainsboro Office: 3 Liberty St, Plainsboro, NJ 08536

We open our schedules approximately three months in advance, and appointments are usually booked approximately two months in advance. Please take the time to schedule your appointment as soon as you receive a reminder message. It is always recommended that you check with your insurance company to familiarize yourself with your insurance benefits. You will be asked to present your insurance card and a photo ID at your visit. We recommend that you bring your medication list and any pertinent outside medical records to your appointment.

Due to COVID-19, Princeton Medical Group is not allowing visitors at this time. These restrictions may change. Please consult the main PMG page for visitor information.

When visitors are allowed: our exam rooms are not childproofed and we cannot provide supervision during exams. Infants and toddlers are welcome in carriers or strollers or with another person who can provide supervision. We respect parents’ judgment in the case of older children. Children are not permitted to be in the room during any special procedures.

Cervical cancer screening (pap smear) guidelines from the ASCCP change frequently. It can be hard to know what is right for you.

In general, women who have not had any significant Pap smear abnormalities in the past or have not required treatment for significant abnormalities (laser, cryosurgery, LEEP or cone biopsy) may not need a pap every year.

There is more to a women’s health than having a Pap smear. We continue to recommend that you receive a gynecologic exam every year including a breast and pelvic exam. It is also an opportunity for your doctor to review any other concerns you may have.

Please check with your insurance provider to verify your coverage for routine gynecologic check-ups.

Unless there is a medical problem, you should have your first pelvic exam around the age of 21 years or sooner if you begin sexual activity.

The HPV vaccination is offered at Princeton Medical Group.

The HPV vaccine series is recommended for ALL women ages 9 – 26. The vaccine is ideally given before the woman is sexually active. The HPV vaccination is FDA approved for women up to age 45. For women age 27 – 45, please discuss with your physician whether the HPV vaccine is right for you.

Most young women are vaccinated at their pediatrician’s office around the age of 11. It is typically 2-3 injections given over the course of a year. If you are unsure whether you received the HPV vaccination as a teen, please check with your pediatrician’s office.

As of 2020, Gardasil 9 is the only HPV vaccine available in the United States.

In general, you should either start taking birth control pills on the first day of your period (the first day you start bleeding) or the first Sunday after the start of your period (not the end), whichever your doctor recommended.

This ensures that you are not pregnant, and helps maintain your period on the pill close to the time it would normally occur. It is very important to take your pill at the same time every day and take every pill. If you ever forget, take it as soon as you remember. If you miss more than one pill, take two pills a day until you catch up, but expect to get some irregular bleeding. If you do not take your pill properly, or need to catch up on pills, you will need to use back-up contraception with a condom. As you finish each pack of pills, make sure you have already received your next pack from your pharmacy so you can go straight from one to the next.

There is no established amount of time that it is “safe” to take the pill, and depends entirely on your history and particular circumstances. Your doctor will discuss this with you when you come in for your annual exam.

If you are having a problem with one or both breasts, such as pain, a lump, or something else, please call our office first. In some cases, we may need to order a different/additional test, or we may need to see you first. If you are having a breast problem and radiology tests are ordered, you will need diagnostic (not routine) imaging.

Call the office at 609-924-9300 to schedule an exam. If you get frequent urinary tract infections, you may be asked to leave a urine sample at the lab.

Please contact the office at 609-924-9300 to set up a consultation with one of our physicians if you are having urinary issues or the sensation that your uterus or bladder is falling.

After your office evaluation, you may be referred to a urogynecologist or urologist and / or referred for pelvic floor physical therapy.

Kegel exercises strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. This can help you manage or prevent physical problems such as incontinence and improve your sexual health.