American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Obstetrics and Gynecology
An obstetrician/gynecologist focuses on the health of women before, during and after childbearing years, diagnosing and treating conditions of the reproductive system and associated disorders.
Training required prior to initial board certification
Four (4) years
Board eligible period (+practice requirement)
7 (+1) years
Subspecialties
Certification in one of the following subspecialties requires additional training and assessment as specified by the board.
Critical Care Medicine
An obstetrician/gynecologist who specializes in Critical Care Medicine has expertise in the diagnosis, treatment and support of critically ill and injured patients, particularly trauma victims and patients with multiple organ dysfunction.
Complex Family Planning
A subspecialist in Complex Family Planning is a physician who diagnoses and treats women with medically- and surgically-complex conditions. These physicians consult with obstetrics and gynecology specialists and other clinicians to provide an advanced level of care for improving the reproductive health of women facing medically challenging situations.
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
This subspecialist provides consultation and comprehensive management in cases involving complex benign pelvic conditions, lower urinary tract disorders, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Comprehensive management includes those diagnostic and therapeutic procedures necessary for the total care of the patient with these conditions and complications resulting from them.
Gynecologic Oncology
A gynecologic oncologist is a subspecialist who provides consultation and comprehensive case management for patients with gynecologic cancer, including overseeing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and any resulting complications.
Maternal–Fetal Medicine
This subspecialist provides consultation and comprehensive case management expertise for patients with pregnancy complications, including the effects of those complications on both the mother and the fetus.
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
These subspecialists also are trained to evaluate and treat hormonal dysfunctions in females outside of infertility.
Lifelong learning requirements
- Three times per year (January, May, and August), ABOG delivers approximately 150 journal article options to Diplomates’ ABOG Physician Portals. Of those options, diplomates choose and read 30 practice-relevant articles and answer the corresponding article-based assessment questions. Each article has four assessment questions (for a total of 120 questions from a diplomate’s 30 article selections).
- To maintain certification, diplomates must score 80% or higher on the 120 article-based assessment questions and complete by the due date of December 15th. Upon successful completion of the ABOG reading assignments and assessment questions, diplomates will earn 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ from ACOG.