FAQs

It is your responsibility as a patient to ensure that you have enough medication until your next appointment. Proper medical practice requires regular monitoring of persons taking any medication and as such you must be seen by a physician. Patients requiring prescription renewals will be accommodated as soon as possible.

At Synergy Women’s our goal is to have your IUD inserted within 1 week of your request. We have several experienced female physicians available to provide you with this service. We also provide insertion of a copper IUD for emergency contraception.

We offer same day counselling and IUD insertion provided certain conditions are met:

1. You bring a driver to your appointment.
2. You are within 7 days of the start of your normal menstrual period or have not had intercourse since the start of your normal period.

OR

You have not had unprotected intercourse for 12 days prior to your appointment(100% use of condoms or hormonal/reliable birth control) and have a blood pregnancy test 24-48 hours before your appointment. This will arranged when you call for an appointment. Discontinue Biotin 48 hours before your blood test. Biotin can be found in many supplements and natural health food products.

In preparation for your visit we ask that you eat a snack or a meal about 1 hour prior to your appointment time. Immediately following this we recommend that you take 1000mg of ibuprofen. Since we do not yet know your medical history, if you are unsure if this is safe for you to take please consult with your family doctor or pharmacist. If you have any concerns you can bring your ibuprofen to your appointment and take it after consultation with our physician. You must bring a feminine pad with you to your appointment as you may have some bleeding after insertion. Screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea will be performed during your visit.

You can expect to be in our clinic for 1-2 hours for your appointment. You will receive comprehensive counselling from our nurse or physician regarding your IUD options. A prescription will be provided for you and can be obtained from the pharmacy within the building. When you return to the clinic your IUD will be inserted for you as soon as our physician is available. If your family doctor provides you with an IUD prescription we recommend that you wait until your visit with us to purchase your IUD in case your choice of IUD’s changes after our discussion.

After insertion of an IUD, some women are able to resume normal activities immediately and others may need to plan for reduced activities for 1-2 days.

PLEASE NOTE: You will be asked to attend a follow-up visit 4 weeks after your IUD is inserted.

Important things to know

1. We recommend that you take 800mg – 1000 mg of ibuprofen with some food 1 hour prior to your endometrial biopsy to reduce discomfort. If you are unsure if this is safe for you please contact us.
2. If you are still having periods(and not in menopause), please read the section below. it is important to rule out pregnancy prior to your biopsy.

You must be within 7 days of the start of your normal menstrual period or have     not had intercourse since the start of your last normal period.

OR

You have not had unprotected intercourse for 12 days prior to your appointment(100% use of condoms or hormonal/reliable birth control) and have a      blood pregnancy test 24-48 hours before your appointment. Withdrawal is not        considered reliable birth control. Discontinue biotin 48 hours before your blood            test. Biotin can be found in many supplements and natural health food products.

3. If you are still having periods it is not ideal to do the biopsy when you have heavy bleeding. The best time is before your expected period but it is not mandatory.

Why do I need an endometrial biopsy?

 An endometrial biopsy is performed to evaluate the uterine lining for the presence of cancer or precancerous cells. Most women who have this procedure done have abnormal uterine bleeding or an abnormal finding on their ultrasound.

How is it done:

 An endometrial biopsy is a safe and effective method for evaluating the tissue lining inside the uterus. A plastic catheter is slipped into the uterus and some of the lining is sucked into the catheter.

Is an endometrial biopsy painful?

It is uncomfortable for most people. The placement and movement of the thin plastic catheter can produce cramping and the ibuprofen you take before the procedure will help. The procedure takes only a few minutes and most women tolerate it well.

What complications may develop after endometrial biopsy?

You may experience vaginal bleeding for a few days following the procedure. It is important to rule out pregnancy because a pregnancy can be affected by the procedure. An infection or a perforation (if the catheter makes a small hole in the wall of the uterus) are very rare.

What happens to the sample that is removed from the lining of my uterus:

The cells from the tissue in the sample will be looked at under a microscope by a pathologist. Our office will contact you with the results. this can take up to 3 weeks.

Following Endometrial Biopsy

1. If you have any discomfort after the procedure you may take ibuprofen 400mg every 6- 8 hours as needed. Acetaminophen can also be taken but is not as effective.
2. Some vaginal bleeding or spotting is common following the procedure and can last up to a week. If you experience worrisome heavy bleeding please contact us.
3. Infection is uncommon but if you experience ongoing pain, fever or foul smelling discharge please contact the clinic.
4. Please do not place anything in your vagina and avoid sex, hot tubs, pools and baths for 48 hours

COVID Immunization Proof

We have been getting a number of calls regarding getting a record of COVID immunization.

The easiest way to get this is to:

• Go to the My Health Alberta web site https://myhealth.alberta.ca/ and create an account under MyHealthRecords.
• Once you register, it takes 5 to 10 days to get a verification number in the mail.
• Once signed up, the vaccinations are easily displayed.

The MyHealthRecords app for mobile phones is available on the Apple Store and Google Play Store.

This is the easiest and most effective way to get the records.  You can even print them off at home from your computer.

September 23, 2022

NOTICE Regarding Dr. Andrea Freitas

Dear patient of Dr. Andrea Freitas,

I regret to inform you that I am ending my family medicine practice at Synergy Womens Medical Center on
December 31, 2022. I (or locum physician) will be available to continue to provide you with medical care until
this date. At this time, there are no physicians accepting patients at the clinic and as such I encourage you to
find a physician as soon as possible. Locum physicians or other staff physicians at the clinic will be unable to
provide you care after December 31, 2022. Please use the following resources to find a new family physician:

To find a new family physician, please:
– Visit https://albertafindadoctor.ca or
– Visit https://search.cpsa.ca/physiciansearch or
– Call the Sherwood Park-Strathcona County Primary Care Network (PCN) at (780) 410-8000
or – Call Healthlink at 811

Your medical records will remain in Synergy Womens Wellness Center unless your written authorization is
received to transfer them to another physician outside our clinic, as is required by the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Alberta. Your new family physician may request a copy of your medical records by faxing the
authorization to our office.

You may also access some of your health records at:
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/myhealthrecords

It has been a pleasure to be able to provide medical care for you and I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,
Andrea Freitas, MD, CCFP

We make every effort to see patients in need of care when their practitioner is fully booked or unavailable. Please call your practitioner’s office and our staff will arrange to have you seen by your practitioner or one of his/her colleagues. When you have completed your visit you are referred back to your practitioner.

At present, there are no practitioners accepting new patients.