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The importance of prevention

One of the essential elements of my profession as a gynecologist is undoubtedly the subject of prevention, pursued through the prescription of a correct diet and lifestyle, even in the presence of rather important diseases, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, for which I recommend an integrated program of diet and physical activity and, only at a later stage, drugs, which are also very useful.

Chiara Riviello – OB/GYN Firenze

Photocredits: Emiliano Nesi

My main fields of interest and expertise are: management of high-risk pregnancy, recurrent fetal loss, reproductive medicine, gynecological endocrinology from young age to menopause and gynecologic and obstetric ultrasonography, in addition to acupuncture in gynecology and obstetrics and forensic medicine.

I believe that the majority of benign gynecological diseases should be treated in a conservative way, without resorting to surgery, which in any case must be as less invasive as possible. Invasive surgery such as the removal of the uterus in women who are still young, say 40 years old, in presence of fibroids and metrorrhagia, without having tried the many medical therapies available today, is a method of the past that constitutes a defeat of preventive medicine, or a solution dictated by interests that go beyond the medical purposes and that I am committed to fight: some of my publications particularly demonstrate this commitment.

Respect for the woman’s and the couple’s choices

The greatest respect for each person’s choices and for the self-determination of women and couples – especially with regard to fertility, reproduction and pregnancy – is another fundamental principle of my work. In my opinion, the physician’s task is essentially to inform as objectively as possible, without manifesting their own ethical and moral point of view. So I always try to explain the pros and cons of each choice without being conditioned and, with the same coherence, refraining from judging the painful choices of women, I’m not a conscientious objector for what concerns the delicate issue of abortion (italian law 194/78).

As a doctor and woman I have always supported and followed any choice of motherhood and fertility treatment, from egg donation to embryo donation, pregnancies for single women or gay couples: more than one person has been seeking my attention because they felt judged elsewhere for their choices, and here they have been listened to.

I also believe that it is necessary to do everything possible so that everyone of my patients can fulfill her desire for motherhood with the means science makes available: with the latest therapeutic advances indeed, many “cases” that were once considered “hopeless” can happily evolve in a positive way and allow women to finally crown their dream.

This is why I decided to undertake innovative and international collaborations like the one with the Ginemed center of Seville and the assisted reproductive technology center Future Family of Udine, or even with the Iakentro in Thessaloniki.

My approach to integrative medicine

For years I have been also dealing with acupuncture for gynecology and obstetrics, and many of my patients who underwent assisted reproduction have benefited and drew support from this medical discipline: the experience has taught me that there is no one medicine and that Western medicine can, and often should, be accompanied by other alternative medicines, each of which can help achieving the well-being of a person. So I embarked on the path of Traditional Chinese Medicine which to me is helpful in many obstetrical gynecological situations.

My clinical experience is documented in a book (in Italian), written in collaboration with Franco Cracolici. At the Futura Diagnostica Medica center, I can join a customized program of sessions with needles to the assisted reproduction path.

Dr. Chiara Riviello
For consultancy and specialist visits, you can contact me at my email
dottoressa@chiarariviello.it