Newswise — The University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) now offers an alternative for women who are hesitant to see a male physician for colon-related health issues—just in time for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Aliya Hasan, MD, assistant professor in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, has created a women-only colonoscopy clinic allowing her to offer her care to women at UCH every Monday morning.
The Women-Only Colonoscopy Clinic was created to ensure a safe, comfortable environment in which women can be screened for colon cancer. The physician doing the procedure and the nurse in the endoscopy room are both women so that a female patient can have the option of having her procedure done without embarrassment. Studies suggest that most women prefer the idea of a female colonoscopist and will wait longer and even pay to have their procedure done by a woman.
"Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death and women are at as much risk for it as men," said Hasan. "Colon cancer has been referred to as the 'silent killer' because it usually does not cause any symptoms until it is quite advanced. That is why it is vitally important for women to be screened " and to have a place to go where they feel comfortable to do so." Dr. Hasan is one of only a handful of female gastroenterologists in Denver and in Colorado. According to the American Medical Association (Jan. 2006), only 10 percent of gastroenterologists are female. The average for other specialties is 26.7 percent.
"When I decided to go into gastroenterology, I knew I was going into a field where there were a lot of female patients, but not many female gastroenterologists," said Hasan. "I wanted to figure out how my gender could have an impact on the women around me. One thing I found was that gender preference was a barrier to many women in terms of colonoscopy, which is the preferred modality for colon cancer screening in women. I decided this was how I could best help the women in my community - encourage them to come for a colonoscopy, create a safe and comfortable environment for them to have the colonoscopy, and in doing so save lives by preventing colon cancer or detecting it when it is still curable."
Hasan said her female and male colleagues were supportive and relieved when she started the clinic because so many women use any excuse not to make an appointment and are reluctant to have this procedure because they don't want to go to a man.
"In creating this Women-Only Colonoscopy Clinic, I want to target women like my mother," said Hasan. "Women who work hard to take care of their families but don't necessarily worry so much about their own health. We need to spread the word to these women that colon cancer is a very real threat, one they should take as seriously as heart disease or breast cancer."
Hasan's hope is that once women understand the importance of a colonoscopy, they will be more likely to have it done, especially if they know a woman doctor and nurse will be performing the exam.
For more information, please call (720) 848-9474 or visit http://www.wishforwomen.org.
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