Gynecologist and Obstetrician - What’s the difference?

Both gynecologist and an obstetrician are associated to women’s health care. Most of us must have heard the terms obstetrics (OB) and gynecology (GYN), but many of us fail to understand their difference. However, it is important to understand the about each of these specialties so that you can easily find the right type of doctors for your health concerns.

A gynecologist is a medical specialist providing diagnosis and treatment for conditions of the female reproductive organ while an obstetrician is concerned with a women’s pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. An obstetrician is also concerned with the health of the fetus; all the modern Gynecologists are also Obstetricians.

Read on the below mentioned points to understand the difference between gynecologist and obstetrician. 

Gynecologist	Obstetrician
A gynecologist is a medical practitioner who specializes in the medical care of women and their reproductive system (vagina, ovaries, and uterus).	An obstetrician is a medical practitioner who specializes in the surgical care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal care.
The gynecologist who will test for pregnancy and then if confirmed will send the woman to the obstetrician	Obstetricians will then take care of pre-natal care, conduct various tests and perform the delivery.
Specializes in mammograms, pap smear, uterine/ vaginal infections, contraception, fertility issues, hysterectomies and tubal ligations.	Specializes in Pregnancy, post-natal/post-partum care and delivery. Performs regular ultrasounds usually in the first trimester, at 12th week and 20th week of pregnancy to determine healthy of the fetus, identify any complications and determine gestational period
Education – both are trained together	Education – both are trained together
Typical surgical procedures performed are - hysterectomy, oophorectomy, tubal ligation, laparoscopy, laprotomy, cystoscopy.	Typical surgical procedures performed are - Vaginal and Cesarean deliveries, episiotomy.
Gynecologists will treat infections and other disease as well as help with infertility problems. They also treat cancer of the reproductive system, including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus.	Obstetricians do not treat diseases; they only treat health issues related to pregnancy and women who want no future pregnancies.
While 90% of gynecologists also deliver babies	While obstetricians, limit their practice to pregnancy and childbirth.