Women are key to maintaining healthy families. They access the health system more than men, both for themselves and on behalf of their children. Many become pregnant and give birth which is a significant health event, then typically become their child’s primary caregiver, a role that greatly influences household health overall.

They deal with other health issues when they get older like menopause and gynecological problems. Across her lifespan, a woman’s health status matters to herself, her family, and the community.

To ensure that the health care needs of women are addressed efficiently and to promote women's health and wellness and prevent illness, The Medical City opened its Women's Health Care Center (WHCC) in 2010. The WHCC was designed to be a One-Stop Clinic for Assessment of Risk (OSCAR), a concept that is a first of its kind in the Philippines.

The WHCC offers assessment of risks for abnormalities in almost all aspects of obstetrics and gynecological care including risk for pregnancy complications under the High-Risk Pregnancy Unit of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Section; risk for reproductive and gynecologic endocrinology abnormalities under various clinics, and risk for gynecologic cancers under the Endometrium, Cervix and Ovaries (ECO) Clinic.

The ECO Clinic was established in 2015 to offer screening and diagnostic tests for the prevention and early detection of cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers. The clinic is manned by highly skilled and experienced gynecologic oncologists led by Dr. Ronald Augustine Campos.

"The primary goal of the ECO Clinic is to catch gynecological cancers early through screening which is aligned with the objective of The Medical City Cancer Center. Finding and treating cancer at an early stage can save lives," Campos said.

Cervical cancer, said to be the second most common cancer among Filipino women, is the easiest gynecologic cancer to prevent, with regular screening tests and follow-up.

Screening for cervical cancer is an essential part of a woman’s routine health care. It is a way to detect abnormal cervical cells, including precancerous cervical lesions, as well as early cervical cancers. Both precancerous lesions and early cervical cancers can be treated very successfully. Routine cervical screening has been shown to greatly reduce both the number of new cervical cancers diagnosed each year and deaths from the disease.

The ECO Clinic offers two screening tests - Pap test (or Pap smear) and HPV test- that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early. The Pap test looks for precancers, cell changes on the cervix that might become cervical cancer if not treated appropriately while the HPV test looks for the virus (human papillomavirus) that can cause these cell changes.

Other tests available at the ECO Clinic are colposcopy and endometrial biopsy. A colposcopy is a simple procedure used to look at the cervix, the lower part of the womb at the top of the vagina. It's often done if cervical screening finds abnormal cells in the cervix.

An endometrial biopsy, on the other hand, is the removal of a small piece of tissue from the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. This tissue sample can show cell changes due to abnormal tissues or variations in hormone levels.

An endometrial biopsy may be performed to help diagnose abnormalities of the uterus. It can also be done to find the cause of postmenopausal bleeding or abnormal uterine bleeding, evaluate fertility, or screen for endometrial cancer.

For inquiries, please call the Women's Health Care Center at 9881000 ext. 6336.