Urgent Care vs. Your Gynecologist: Why Continuity of Care Matters for Women’s Health

When something feels off — a sudden UTI, unusual discharge, or pelvic discomfort — it’s natural to head to the nearest urgent care. They’re open late, they take walk-ins, and you can usually be seen quickly. For certain issues, that’s a perfectly reasonable choice.

But here’s what many women don’t realize: urgent care treats the symptom, not the full picture. When it comes to your reproductive and gynecological health, having a dedicated GYN provider who knows your history can make the difference between a quick fix and truly comprehensive care.

What Urgent Care Can Do for Women’s Health

Urgent care clinics are equipped to handle a range of non-emergency medical issues. For women, that typically includes:

• UTI diagnosis and antibiotic prescriptions
• Yeast infection treatment
• Bacterial vaginosis evaluation
• Basic STD testing
• Pregnancy testing
• Emergency contraception

If you need fast relief for one of these issues and can’t reach your gynecologist right away, urgent care is a reasonable short-term option. The key words there are short-term.

What Urgent Care Can’t Do

Urgent care providers are generalists. They’re trained to treat a wide range of conditions across all patients — men, women, and children. What they typically cannot provide includes:

• Comprehensive gynecological exams — full pelvic exams, breast exams, and cervical cancer screening with Pap smears
• Ongoing contraceptive management — IUD insertion, Nexplanon placement, or adjustments to your birth control based on your history
• Abnormal bleeding evaluation — understanding whether irregular periods point to fibroids, hormonal imbalance, PCOS, or something else
• STD follow-up and treatment plans — not just testing, but treatment, partner notification guidance, and retesting
• Abortion care — medication abortion or surgical procedures are not available at urgent care
• Menopause management — hormone therapy, symptom management, and long-term bone health monitoring
• Prenatal consultations — pregnancy evaluation, counseling, and coordination of care

These are the services that require a specialist who understands women’s bodies — and yours specifically.

Why Continuity of Care Matters

One of the biggest advantages of seeing the same gynecologist consistently is that your provider builds a complete picture of your health over time. This matters more than most people realize.

Your Medical Records Tell a Story

When you visit urgent care, your records stay at that facility. They don’t automatically transfer to your gynecologist, and the urgent care provider doesn’t have access to your GYN history. That means they’re making decisions without knowing about your past Pap results, your contraceptive history, previous infections, family history of reproductive cancers, or any patterns in your symptoms.

At a dedicated gynecology practice, every visit builds on the last. Your provider can see trends, catch changes early, and connect dots that a one-time urgent care visit simply cannot.

Pattern Recognition Saves Lives

A recurring UTI might just be a recurring UTI. But it could also signal an underlying condition that needs investigation. An urgent care provider treats infection number three the same way they treated infection number one — with antibiotics. Your gynecologist, looking at the full pattern, might recommend further testing, imaging, or a different approach entirely.

The same is true for abnormal bleeding, recurring yeast infections, chronic pelvic pain, and changes in discharge. These symptoms can look routine in isolation but tell a very different story when viewed together over months or years.

Preventive Care Happens Over Time

Cervical cancer screening, HPV management, breast exams, contraceptive planning, fertility evaluations, and menopause care all require long-term follow-up. Urgent care doesn’t provide this. Your gynecologist does — and they track it across years, not visits.

When Should You Go to Urgent Care vs. Your Gynecologist?

Go to Urgent Care When:

• You have a straightforward UTI and your GYN office is closed
• You need a pregnancy test and can’t wait for a scheduled appointment
• You have flu-like symptoms or a non-gynecological issue
• You need emergency contraception outside of business hours

See Your Gynecologist When:

• You’re due for an annual exam, Pap smear, or breast exam
• You have recurring infections (UTIs, yeast, BV)
• You’re experiencing abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, or unusual discharge
• You need contraception — especially IUDs or implants
• You want STD testing with follow-up care and treatment
• You’re considering pregnancy or need a prenatal consultation
• You need abortion care — medication or surgical
• You’re approaching or going through menopause
• You have a family history of reproductive cancers

In short: urgent care is for isolated, one-time issues. Your gynecologist is for everything else.

What We Offer at Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center

At our Bronx clinic, we provide the kind of comprehensive, long-term gynecological care that urgent care simply cannot match. Our board-certified OB/GYN physicians — Dr. Brian E. Park and Dr. Vivian Roston — each bring over 30 years of clinical experience to your care.

Our services include:

• Annual gynecological exams and well-woman visits
• Pap smears and cervical cancer screening
• STD testing, treatment, and follow-up
• IUD and Nexplanon insertion and removal
• Birth control counseling and prescriptions
• Medication abortion (abortion pill) up to 9 weeks
• Surgical abortion with anesthesia up to 21 weeks
• Abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain evaluation
• Menopause care and hormone management
• Prenatal consultations
• Hysteroscopy and other in-office procedures

Every visit is documented in your patient record, creating a continuous health history that helps us provide better, smarter, more personalized care over time.

We accept Medicaid from all five NYC boroughs and most major insurance plans. Visit our insurance verification page or call 718-585-1010 to confirm your coverage before your appointment.

The Real Cost of Skipping Your Gynecologist

Urgent care visits may feel more convenient, but they can actually cost you more in the long run — both financially and medically. Without continuity of care, conditions get missed, treatments get repeated unnecessarily, and preventive screenings fall through the cracks.

A single annual visit with your gynecologist can catch cervical abnormalities years before they become cancer, identify an ectopic pregnancy before it becomes an emergency, adjust your contraception before it fails, or recognize early signs of conditions like endometriosis or PCOS.

That’s not something urgent care is designed to do. And it’s not something you should leave to chance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can urgent care do a Pap smear?

Some urgent care clinics can technically perform a Pap smear, but they’re not set up for the follow-up care that abnormal results require. Your gynecologist can perform the screening, interpret the results in the context of your history, and manage any necessary next steps like colposcopy or HPV monitoring.

Should I go to urgent care or my GYN for a UTI?

If your gynecologist’s office is open, call them first — especially if you’ve had recurring UTIs. They can evaluate whether there’s an underlying cause. If it’s after hours and you need immediate relief, urgent care can prescribe antibiotics, but make sure to follow up with your GYN.

Can I get birth control at urgent care?

Urgent care can prescribe basic oral contraceptives or provide emergency contraception. However, for long-acting methods like IUDs or Nexplanon, you’ll need to see your gynecologist. Your GYN can also help you choose the right method based on your health history and lifestyle.

Does urgent care share my records with my gynecologist?

Usually not automatically. You’ll need to request that your urgent care records be sent to your GYN office. Without this, your gynecologist won’t know about treatments, prescriptions, or test results from your urgent care visit — which can lead to gaps in your care.

Do you accept walk-ins at Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center?

We offer same-day appointments when available. Call us at 718-585-1010 and we’ll do our best to see you promptly. Unlike urgent care, when you see us, your visit becomes part of your ongoing medical record with providers who specialize in women’s health.

Your Health Deserves More Than a Quick Fix

Urgent care has its place. But your reproductive and gynecological health deserves a provider who knows you, tracks your history, and provides the full scope of care you need — from your first Pap smear to menopause and beyond.

At Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center, we’ve been providing that kind of care to the South Bronx community since 2004. Call us at 718-585-1010 or book your appointment online today.

Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center | A Bronx Women’s Medical Pavilion P.C. | 642 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY | 1 block from the 6 train at East 149th Street | Serving the South Bronx since 2004