Due to Dr. Childs’ pelvic pain specialty, he does not perform routine GYN exams, including PAP smears and mammograms, during pelvic pain appointments.

You may choose to continue care for your routine GYN appointments with your current doctor, or you may switch your routine care to one of our five OB-GYN physicians within our practice. Dr. Childs’ nurse practitioner, D.J. Franklin, is also happy to continue your GYN care.

After we close the office each day, or on the weekends, if you have a problem that cannot wait until the next business day, please do the following:

Call our main office number at (205) 397-9000 – wait through our menu options and our after-hours answering service will pickup. Please explain your problem, symptoms, or issues to the operator. They will contact the physician on call and he or she will return your call and instruct you further.

If you think you are in labor after hours, please call to speak with the physician on call BEFORE going to Labor and Delivery. This helps your doctor and our hospital staff be better prepared for your arrival!

Yes, if your flow is light, your physician can still perform an exam and PAP smear. If you are bleeding heavily, please reschedule.

Yes-Brookwood Medical Center is the only medical facility that our physicians currently have surgical rights with to perform surgical procedures.

Due to Dr. Childs’ pelvic pain specialty, he does not perform routine GYN exams, including PAP smears and mammograms, during pelvic pain appointments.

You may choose to continue care for your routine GYN appointments with your current doctor, or you may switch your routine care to one of our five OB-GYN physicians within our practice. Dr. Childs’ nurse practitioner, D.J. Franklin, is also happy to continue your GYN care.

Breast sonos cannot replace your routine yearly mammograms. We use breast ultrasounds to help distinguish between a fluid filled cyst and a solid mass, but may not reveal some abnormalities that a mammogram will pick up.

We understand that compression during a mammogram is very uncomfortable and painful!

However, the proper amount of compression is needed to separate the breast tissues. If inadequate compression is used, over-lapping tissues may hide and abnormality or even make normal tissue look abnormal. This results in you being called back for additional imaging and delaying the final results of your mammogram.

Your mammogram films are sent to a Board Certified Radiologist for the interpretation. This process usually takes five to seven business days. This process can take longer if you have had mammograms performed with another facility, as we will need to transfer that record to our radiologist for comparison.

Please inform us when you come to your appointment if you have had mammograms at another facility and provide us with that facility’s name and phone numbers.

After we close the office each day, or on the weekends, if you have a problem that cannot wait until the next business day, please do the following:

Call our main office number at (205) 397-9000 – wait through our menu options and our after-hours answering service will pickup. Please explain your problem, symptoms, or issues to the operator. They will contact the physician on call and he or she will return your call and instruct you further.

If you think you are in labor after hours, please call to speak with the physician on call BEFORE going to Labor and Delivery. This helps your doctor and our hospital staff be better prepared for your arrival!

Usually, you will feel fetal movement at or around 18 weeks gestation.

In most cases, this is NOT covered by your insurance policy, because it is not a diagnostic ultrasound.

Our out of pocket charges for this special ultrasound is very competitive, at $160.00.

Please make sure you call to schedule this if you know that you would like it performed, as we are only able to accommodate four of these scans each week. This ultrasound can only be done between the fetal gestation of 28-30 weeks. Further than 30 weeks, we cannot guarantee good images of your baby.

Fluid in the bladder created a “window” that enhances the image. Additionally, a full bladder changes the position of the uterus and moves the loops of the bowels out of the way. This gives us a much better view of your baby and it’s organs!

The mammogram room is a radiation area, so by state regulation, only the patient and your technician is allowed to be in the exam room. Friends or family members may wait in our main lobby.

It is important for the radiologist and the mammogram technician to know your breast health history. Please be sure to fill out this extra paperwork carefully and to the best of your knowledge, so that we can give you the best care and interpretation of your mammogram. Always speak up about any and all symptoms, pain, lumps, or concerns you might have!

Please make sure that while in your doctor’s presence, you ask questions if you are unsure about how to take your medicine. One of our nursing staff members would also be able to help answer your questions about medications. Our staff members in the Front Office area are not licensed medical professionals, and cannot advice on medical questions.

If you leave your appointment and still have additional questions regarding your prescriptions, please call during office hours and ask to speak with a nurse. Additionally, your pharmacist may be able to tell you this information and answer questions or concerns about your medications.

Elevate your feet and drink lots of water.

Because Dr. Alex Childs is the only Pelvic Pain Specialist in the Southeast United States, he does stay booked out approximately six months in advance.

All new patients for Dr. Childs go on a waiting list, and most new patients get moved up 2-3 times from the initial appointment we will give you when you call. So, it’s still a wait to get in with Dr. Childs, but it’s not quite as bad as it seems.

If you are available at a short notice, 24 hours to 2 weeks, please let our office staff know this when you make your initial appointment and we will note this on the waiting list. Please ensure we have all correct daytime phone numbers on your file.

No, we do not require referrals for you to schedule with Dr. Alex Childs for chronic pelvic pain. If you are being referred by another physician, please make our scheduler aware of this so she can make a note.

Please note that being referred by another doctor does NOT mean that we can give you a sooner appointment. Out of fairness to all of the patients waiting, we schedule as we receive the calls. You will be added to our waiting list and may be called as we have cancellations.

No, we do not require referrals for you to schedule with Dr. Alex Childs for chronic pelvic pain. If you are being referred by another physician, please make our scheduler aware of this so she can make a note.

Please note that being referred by another doctor does NOT mean that we can give you a sooner appointment. Out of fairness to all of the patients waiting, we schedule as we receive the calls. You will be added to our waiting list and may be called as we have cancellations.