The UCLA Health Nurse-Midwife Program, based at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, is expanding its services to provide well-woman health care – including annual checkups, Pap smears, and new birth control options – for women 35 and younger.

To accommodate new well-woman patients as well as an ever-increasing number of women who have already decided on midwife deliveries, the UCLA Health Nurse-Midwives clinic has moved to larger offices located at 1245 16th, Street, #312, in Santa Monica.

"We're excited to now provide women with more gynecological services," said certified nurse midwife Eyelle Sacher, one of the clinic's five full-time nurse-midwives. "We have years of experience delivering babies, and providing pre-natal and post-partum care. The additional services we're offering take our commitment a step further, enabling us to do more to promote women's health overall."

The midwives will continue to care for women during their pregnancy, labor and postpartum course, while the new services allow women to return to their midwives for annual check-ups even after their pregnancy-related care has ended. It also allows new patients to establish relationships with midwives should they later decide to start a family.

Nurse-midwives hold master's degrees in nursing, have passed the American College of Nurse Midwives exam, and are specialists in delivering low-risk expectant mothers who desire a more natural birth experience. Similar to nurse-practitioners, they can write prescriptions, order routine lab tests, and administer certain types of pain medications if desired.

The Nurse-Midwives Program, started in 2002, is part of UCLA Health's OB/GYN department. Nurse-midwives are available to women who plan their pregnancies and deliveries at The Birthplace at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.