Aurora Medical Center - Bay Area raises awareness for women’s health

MENOMINEE, MICH. – The Aurora-Bay Area Women's Health department held a Women’s Wellness Event at the Riverside Country Club on Nov. 14 where women could hear from local doctors and peruse booths set up by local businesses.

U.S. News and World Report named Aurora Bay Care as the best hospital for maternity care in the area in 2023, a standard the hospital is striving to uphold in 2024.

There were nine businesses with booths at the event, some of whom donated a raffle basket to be given out at the end of the night. Elly Krumrei of Reflections Massage Therapy gave out free five-minute massages to interested participants.

Four Aurora healthcare workers gave educational sessions, three of whom are local to the Marinette medical center.

Aurora Advocate’s Business Development Manager Katie Esposito started the educational sessions by introducing each speaker and addressing the core message Aurora hoped to spread via this event.

“Patients benefit from same day multidisciplinary care, receiving expert consultation and personalized treatment plans. Aurora Bay Care’s program, nationally recognized by the Commission on Cancer, provides comprehensive services from surgery to clinical trials and genetic counseling, ensuring patients have access to the latest advances in gynecologic oncology close to home,” Esposito said.

The first speaker was Doctor of Obstetrics Emily Ermis, who presented on the topic of menorrhagia and abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

“Upon graduation from residency, Dr. Ermis became active-duty Air Force and she served at the Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill. as an OB/GYN physician. After four years as a physician in the Air Force, she separated and moved to her current position here at Aurora Bay Area,” Esposito said in her introduction.

Dr. Ermis began her educational session by clarifying what normal uterine bleeding looks like for a healthy woman at different stages in her life.

“Before we talk about the abnormal, we need to talk about the normal. So what’s normal for a menstrual cycle?” Dr. Ermis asked.

According to Dr. Ermis, a normal menstrual cycle ranges from every 21-35 days, with seven or less days spent bleeding each month.

“Let’s say I see a patient come in, 35 years old, and they are having menstrual cycles that occur maybe every 28 days, but they are bleeding for eight or nine days and they’re starting to feel lightheaded or dizzy,” Dr. Ermis said. “That is certainly abnormal and warrants an evaluation.”

The first thing Dr. Ermis does for a patient with AUB is run through the acronym PALM-COEIN. The first half of the acronym, PALM, stands for polyps, adenomyosis, leiomyomas and malignancy or hyperplasia, which are structural causes of abnormal uterine bleeding. The second part of the acronym, COEIN, stands for coagulopathies, ovulatory disorders, endometrial disorders, iatrogenic causes and otherwise non-classified non-structural causes.

“It helps pinpoint what our evaluation is going to be,” Dr. Ermis said, “I would do some blood work, check the thyroid and check testosterone levels. I’d also do some imaging studies with an ultrasound or an MRI.”

Dr. Ermis said there are a variety of treatment options available depending on the cause of an individual’s AUB, ranging from Ibuprofen and tranexamic acid to IUDs and hormones.

Dr. Ermis was followed by Dr. Kristin Kniech, also a doctor of obstetrics and OB/GYN, who presented on the topic of local deliveries and service offerings provided by Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area.

“She completed her undergraduate degree at St Norbert College in Green Bay, Wis., attended medical school at Liberty University in Virginia and completed her OB/GYN residency at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Oklahoma City,” Esposito said of Dr. Kniech, “She is excited to come back to Wisconsin and practice medicine in our community.”

Dr. Kniech started her session by describing some of the services offered by Aurora Medical Center - Bay Area.

“We have a fantastic labor and delivery unit. They have showers, bath tubs, personal refrigerators, microwaves, TVs and sleeper sofas – everything to keep mom and her guests comfortable,” Dr. Kniech said.

There is a designated C-section suite and level one nursery, and Dr. Kniech says the hospital has a great relationship with Aurora Bay Care, which has a level three nursery, in case of an emergency.

The Aurora Bay Area centers are also looking forward to adding new technology.

“We’re getting wireless fetal monitors so our patients can actually walk the halls and not have to be hooked up to the monitors that are connected to the computer system in the room,” Dr. Kniech said.

The third speaker was Nurse Practitioner Alecia Sadowski, who presented on the topic of breastfeeding and the golden hour.

“Alecia attended UW-Marinette and NWTC-Green Bay for nursing. She worked as a labor and delivery nurse and triage nurse, and received her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Cincinnati,” Esposito said in her introduction.

Nurse Practitioner Sadowski spoke about the golden hour, which is the first 60 minutes of a baby’s life, and how new research shows staying with a birth parent maximizes the caregiver-child bond.

“If you have had a baby, your baby may have been put on your chest and dried off, but then they were probably whisked away to be weighed and bathed,” she said, “The activities that happen in that first hour can significantly impact a baby’s transition from the womb to life outside. This is a crucial time when mother and baby share the first intimate moment, initiating a bond that is not only emotional but also has significant health benefits.”

One of the health benefits NP Sadowski said can come from taking advantage of the golden hour is improved thermal regulation for the baby, which in turn helps blood sugars remain stable.

“There is less crying and fussiness with infants that have experienced the golden hour, and research shows these infants also have a better history of sleep quality, growth and breastfeeding rates,” she added.

NP Sadowski acknowledged that every situation is different as far as benefits of the golden hour go.

“Women who have a C-section, they can still have that first golden hour too, as long as baby’s stable and mom is stable,” she said.

“They can put mom and baby right next to each other on their chest or if, for whatever reason, baby has to be separated from mom, the birth partner can sit with the child skin-to-skin, and help that baby stabilize as well. Skin-to-skin time with dad after birth can also bestow similar benefits,” Sadowski said.
While research on the golden hour is still new, NP Sadowski is confident it will only continue to gain traction as more parents see the benefits.

The final speaker was Elizabeth Dickson, MD, who presented on the topic of the importance of cervical cancer screenings.

“Dr. Elizabeth Dickson is a board-certified gynecologic oncologist at the Aurora Bay Care Medical Center in Green Bay and the Aurora Health Center in Lena,” Esposito said, “She specializes in diagnosing and treating reproductive cancers, including cervical, ovarian, vaginal and vulvar cancers.”

Dr. Dickson began her speech with an overarching statement about women’s health, saying, “All of us here are passionate about women’s health, but the big thing that I want to focus on is that we are not just baby makers. Our women’s health and our reproductive health does not stop mattering when we’re done having babies. We need to keep taking care of ourselves and understanding what is normal and what is not normal and when to go in and get looked at.”

Dr. Dickson said every woman, regardless of age, should have a pelvic exam once a year, because any kind of sexual contact increases the chance of cervical cancer and a pelvic exam is more in-depth than a pap smear.

“We didn’t know many years ago that most cervical cancer is actually caused by a virus, and it’s a virus that we all get if we have sexual contact. Anyone on the face of the planet who’s had any intercourse ever has this virus. It’s called HPV. There’s over 150 to 200 different types of HPV now, but we know 70 to 90% of cervical cancer is caused by it,” Dr. Dickson said.

“HPV lays dormant, much like shingles, and stays until later in life, when if your immune system isn’t working very well, if you have another illness, maybe you have to have something that’s actually causing your immune system to be suppressed, then it pops up and it changes your cells. And so that’s the type of situation where people are like, ‘Well, I was told I didn’t have to have pelvic exams or cervical cancer screenings anymore,’’ she added.

Dr. Dickson said the most effective prevention of cervical cancer is getting vaccinated against HPV, which can be done at any age, followed by regular pelvic exams.

“The other thing I want to stress is, empower women. We all can take out from these talks today, go out and tell our friends, ‘Hey, have you gone? Have you gone and seen your PCP? Have you gotten looked at? Hey, you know what? Any bleeding after menopause is irregular, and you need to go get that checked out,’” Dr. Dickson said, “Talk to your friends, talk to the people around you, let them know that it’s not just about babies and cervixes. It’s about everything with our health, moving forward throughout our lives,” she added.