Health Care For Women, By Women

Meet four female practitioners addressing some of the many facets of women’s health. 

Written by ALLISON ARBUTHNOT SANDERS

MARGARET THATCHER FAMOUSLY SAID, “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” Fortunately, Savannah has a large and diverse collection of female health practitioners who can get the job done — including those who cater to (and relate to) the unique needs of women. Read on to learn about four of our area’s outstanding providers.

Dr. Abby Abisogun, M.D., Shoreline Endocrinology

Dr. Abby Abisogun loves a good mystery.

“Hormones are kind of elusive,” says Abisogun, explaining what drew her to the field of endocrinology. “They are chemical messengers in the body that do so much. Often we take them for granted, but when something goes awry, we realize their importance.”

While Abisogun sees both male and female patients in her practice at Shoreline Endocrinology, there are a number of endocrine disorders that disproportionately affect women. In the U.S., 80% of those affected by thyroid disease are women. Abisogun frequently treats other women’s endocrine disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), osteoporosis, and obesity.

“Obesity is a health issue that affects women directly,” says Abisogun. “As women go through different stages of life, especially perimenopause and menopause, weight can become a challenge. The metabolism changes, and we as women have unique pressures within our society to look a certain way.”

Along with those unique pressures, Abisogun says that women often feel unheard in the American healthcare system.

“When women notice changes in their mood, energy level, libido, or weight, sometimes it can be difficult to put a finger on exactly what’s going on,” says Abisogun. But she often hears from her female patients that their concerns were previously dismissed by male and female doctors alike. “They’re told they aren’t sleeping enough, or that they’re depressed. Then, it turns out it was a thyroid issue. Once that’s corrected, their mood instability is gone.”

That’s why listening is a cornerstone of Abisogun’s medical practice, and her number one suggestion for what we as a society can do to take better care of womens’ health.

“Sometimes there isn’t an obvious solution whatever the issue is. But just listening allows that individual to feel like their experience matters,” she says. “The word ‘crazy’ comes up a lot, when maybe their concern is one that many other women are dealing with. Just acknowledging that can give a person so much relief.”

When it comes to keeping your endocrine system healthy, Abisogun emphasizes stress management, along with healthy lifestyle choices.

“Women carry a lot. We are typically the nurturers in our homes, and we often put our own health and wellbeing on the back burner because we want to show up for everyone else in our lives. When people are starting to show signs of thyroid disease, for example, there’s potential to correct with just lifestyle changes. If a person can take some things off her plate, prioritize sleep, begin an exercise routine, avoid processed foods and dietary inflammation triggers, sometimes the body just heals itself.”

Christina Harley, Christina’s Healing Hands

As a young member of the Apostolic Faith Church, Christina Harley was told by a prophetic minister that her gift was in her hands. It was a prophecy now fulfilled with Christina’s Healing Hands, a medical massage and wellness center in Pooler.

“I’ve always been a healer,” says Harley. “Massage therapy is my calling, not just a way to make a living.”

Harley specializes in medical massage, also known as therapeutic massage, which goes beyond the goal of simply unwinding.

“It’s different from a massage intended for relaxation,” she explains. “I’m asking questions, assessing the area, then using different techniques to help relieve tension and pain, and break up fascia and fibrotic tissue.”

Most of the conditions Harley treats with medical massage relate to the shoulders, neck, and back. While she sees both men and women in her practice, sufferers of chronic shoulder pain such as frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, tend to be women.

Harley also practices lymphatic massage and post-op lymphatic drainage.

“I see a lot of cancer survivors suffering from lymphedema,” says Harley. This chronic condition causes swelling from accumulated fluids, such as in the arms or legs. “Some of them just want to be able to walk again. Lymphatic massage can give them an opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive.”

Helping people is a passion of Harley’s beyond bodywork. She is actively involved in a number of local charities, most recently competing in the local Dancing with the Savannah Stars event to benefit Brightside Child and Family Advocacy, an organization that works to prevent child abuse and support children and families in the foster care system.

Karen Bouchard, PA-C, Savvy Skin Medical Aesthetics

Karen Bouchard, owner of the new Savvy Skin Medical Aesthetics, may appear to be in the beauty business, but that would be an oversimplification. Really, she’s in the business of building confidence.

“Beauty is very individual,” says Bouchard. “I love to help women look like the best version of themselves right here, right now, so that they have the confidence to go out there and do their best every day.”

Bouchard brings nearly two decades worth of experience as a physician’s assistant to Savvy Skin Medical Aesthetics, including eight years as an aesthetic PA at a plastic surgeon’s office. Behind this extensive technical and medical experience is a background in art and design, which influences her work and informs her creative, customized approach.

Bouchard sees medical aesthetics as a form of self-care, and is quick to call out the societal double standard imposed on women.

“Society puts a lot of pressure on women to be perfect, but yet women are often judged for doing anything cosmetic to help them look and feel their best,” she says. “You’re supposed to be born beautiful and stay that way and never change. It’s really frustrating. We need to stop criticizing women for doing the things that help them feel good about themselves.”

Bouchard says that while neurotoxins like Botox still top the list of client requests, she is also seeing more inquiries about regenerative medicine, which uses your body’s own ability to make new collagen to improve your skin. “Women are also looking for a place that will take care of them on many levels. In the future, I’m hoping to offer wellness treatments like peptides, vitamin therapy, and hormone replacement therapy that help women look good, and also feel good from the inside out.”

Bridget Cross, LCSW, Founder of the Georgia Fund for Perinatal Mental Health

Bridget Cross is a licensed clinical social worker and perinatal mental health therapist who started the Georgia Fund for Perinatal Mental Health in 2022. The fund provides free therapy to women in the perinatal period, which refers to the time beginning with a pregnancy until two years postpartum, including experiences of pregnancy or infant loss, termination, and infertility.

Cross started the Georgia Fund for Perinatal Mental Health as a grassroots program. She says, “It was a response to how many calls colleagues and I were receiving from people who were struggling and either didn’t have insurance, or who were on Medicaid and couldn’t afford even super-reduced rates of therapy. Our state is hugely under-resourced in mental health. We had nowhere to send them.”

In 2024, the fund became a program of the Georgia Chapter of Postpartum Support International. Since then, it has provided over 1,400 therapy sessions to people all over the state.

“There is a great need, but also so much stigma around the need for maternal mental health support and just the idea that when you have a baby — including one that was really wanted — you might not feel good,” says Cross. “Some of the maternal mental health issues women face are taboo or politicized, like postpartum depression, miscarriage, and abortion. This makes it more difficult to seek out care, even if you have resources and access. I hope that by just learning about programs like this, it helps to reduce that stigma. There is so much shame in silencing.”

Cross sees maternal mental and physical health as an issue with far-reaching implications for community health, especially in Georgia, which consistently ranks among the worst states in the country for maternal mortality rates.

“There is a culture of self-sacrifice in mothering: Whatever the baby needs, you give, and it doesn’t matter how it affects you,” says Cross. “It should be the reverse. If mothers are well, children are well, families are well, and communities are well. It has a huge impact on economic health and more. Yes, we need to work on issues like paid leave and child care, but also, we just need to start asking moms how they are doing.”

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Find this story and so much more in the May/June issue of Savannah magazine.