Insiyyah Patanwala

UChicago Faculty Physicians

Insiyyah Patanwala, MD

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

25 Insurance Plans Accepted

Meet Dr. Patanwala

I'm Insiyyah Patanwala. I am one of the minimally invasive GYN surgeons, and I'm also a chronic pelvic pain specialist. I'm part of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and what that means is that after I did my OB/GYN residency, I went on and did fellowship in minimally invasive GYN surgery. So I no longer do obstetrics, but I still provide the full range of care for gynecology.

I have wanted to be a doctor since I was a little kid. If you look at my first-grade journal, you can see me drawing pictures and saying that I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. And of course, as we get older, things usually change, but my passion for medicine stayed. And I think it just really combines my interest in science and society and community and puts it all together.

I actually started my time at University of Chicago as a resident, so I moved here from California at that time. And I really enjoyed residency. I loved my coresidents. I loved the faculty and really the patient population, and I knew this was the type of place that I wanted to practice in long term.

I did leave for a fellowship, and I was faculty elsewhere for a little bit, but then I decided to come back. And the main reason I was recruited back was so that we could start a Chronic Pelvic Pain Center here.

I really think that we need to individualize care. So it's very easy to fall into algorithms and, this type of patient needs this, and this person needs this. But in general, based on all the patients that I've seen, and especially in the pelvic pain population, we really have to figure out what exactly is the root cause for this patient's pain.

And so a lot of patients have already seen other doctors before they come to see me, and a lot of times they've been told, oh, you don't have endometriosis. You don't have fibroids. We don't know why you're having this pain. And there are still other reasons that we need to explore, and a lot of those are not always kind of visible right at the surface. And so I do like to provide more individualized care and really delve deep into their lives to figure out why they're having that pain.

Insiyyah Patanwala, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who specializes in women’ health. Dr. Patanwala’s practice focuses on gynecologic care and chronic pelvic pain conditions, such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, uterine polyps, abnormal bleeding, pelvic floor muscle spasms, sexual pain, vulvodynia and more. With her compassionate approach to patient care, Dr. Patanwala has established a reputation for providing personalized and comprehensive healthcare services to her patients.

She is committed to staying updated with the latest medical advancements in gynecology to provide the best possible care to her patients. Dr. Patanwala is an expert in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and performs laparoscopic and robotic procedures to offer a quicker recovery and faster return to normal activities. She is well versed in excisional procedures for endometriosis, robotic removal of fibroids and complex hysterectomies. Dr. Patanwala also has a comprehensive chronic pelvic pain practice, which includes medication management for pain conditions and interventional procedures such as pelvic floor trigger point injections and pudendal nerve blocks.

Along with a dedication to her clinical practice, Dr. Patanwala is also passionate about using research to improve care for gynecologic patients with pelvic pain. Her work has been published in numerous, peer-reviewed journals, including Obstetrics & Gynecology, Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders, Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology and American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Specialties

Areas of Expertise

Memberships & Medical Societies

  • International Pelvic Pain Society
  • American Association of Gynecology Laparoscopists

Practicing Since

  • 2011

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Spanish
  • Urdu
  • Hindi

Medical Education

  • University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

Internship

  • University of Chicago Medical Center

Residency

  • University of Chicago Medical Center

Fellowship

  • Florida Hospital Medical Ctr

  • Aetna HMO (specialists only)
  • Aetna POS
  • Aetna PPO
  • BCBS Blue Precision HMO (specialists only)
  • BCBS HMO (HMOI) (specialists only)
  • BCBS PPO
  • Cigna HMO
  • Cigna POS
  • Cigna PPO
  • CountyCare *see insurance page
  • Aetna Better Health *see insurance page
  • Medicare
  • Multiplan PPO
  • PHCS PPO
  • United Choice Plus POS/PPO
  • United Options (PPO)
  • United Select (HMO & EPO) (specialists only)
  • United W500 Emergent Wrap
  • Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
  • BCBS Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO
  • Humana Medicare Advantage Choice PPO
  • Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Choice PFFS
  • Humana Medicare Advantage Gold Plus HMO
  • United Choice HMO (specialists only)
  • University of Chicago Health Plan (UCHP)

Our list of accepted insurance providers is subject to change at any time. You should contact your insurance company to confirm UChicago Medicine participates in their network before scheduling your appointment. If your insurance company is not listed here, or if you have any other questions, please contact Managed.Care@uchospitals.edu.

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