Madison Reporter

Dr. Katie O’Brien, one of only two specialty-trained pediatric adolescent gynecologists in Wisconsin and the first at UW Health Kids, is focusing on improving care for girls and young women by diagnosing pelvic conditions earlier and connecting with patients through social media.

O’Brien completed a fellowship after her residency to treat rare conditions and perform advanced procedures. This additional training has only been available since the 1990s, resulting in just a few hundred such specialists nationwide, though more fellowships are being offered each year.

“A lot of women in this country don’t feel comfortable or validated by their experience with providers,” said O’Brien, who also serves as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “So, I think starting on a positive note, where you can talk to your doctor about anything without fear and shame, sets up for a successful interaction with the medical system long term.”

Since joining UW Health in 2024, O’Brien has provided care at the Teenage and Young Adult Clinic in Middleton. The clinic treats patients from birth to age 26 for issues ranging from painful periods and ovarian cysts to rare congenital anomalies such as being born without a uterus or having a duplicated uterus.

“Helping women feel seen and fostering a good relationship with a doctor early on are essential,” O’Brien said.

A key focus for her practice is reducing the time it takes to diagnose endometriosis—a condition where uterine lining cells grow outside the uterus—since it currently takes an average of six to ten years for diagnosis. The delay is often due to vague symptoms, limited physician training, and pain not being taken seriously enough.

“I think women and girls are sometimes taught to minimize the symptoms they have or that it is shameful to talk about a period,” O’Brien said. “I’ve had patients come to my practice with very severe symptoms with their period, but had been told those symptoms were normal.”

O’Brien emphasized that periods should not interfere with sports, school or quality of life because treatments exist. “Ten years is way too long to wait for a diagnosis,” she said. “It must be sooner.”

To connect better with adolescents who frequently turn to platforms like TikTok for health information, O’Brien incorporates social media into clinic discussions. She watches content together with patients as a way to address concerns or correct misinformation.

“We know that most adolescents get their medical information from social media, especially TikTok, so I talk about social media every day in the clinic,” she said. “I usually ask them what they saw on TikTok and watch it with them so we can have a jumping off point to either validate concerns or sometimes dispel myths.”

She encourages patients to write down questions prompted by online content for discussion during appointments.

“Take information from online with a grain of salt, but I think there is great value in social media,” O’Brien said. “It can be hard to start a conversation with doctors, particularly in gynecology, so this is a powerful way to relate.”

One topic discussed online involves pain management during intrauterine device (IUD) placement—a procedure used even among adolescents experiencing heavy or painful periods—which can cause discomfort despite its short duration.

“The talk online is about having different ways to control the pain, like sedation, numbing injections and anxiety medication,” she said. “These are not talked about enough, and I have had really excellent conversations with my patients about it because of TikTok.”

O’Brien’s overarching aim remains patient comfort: “When a patient opens up, it is the best part of my job,” she said.