A gynaecologist is the medical specialist for your uterus, ovaries, vagina and pregnancy. They perform physical examinations, ultrasounds and procedures a GP does not, and treat conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids and cysts. For many symptoms you can only get there through a referral.
What strikes me: most women only learn what a gynaecologist does once they are sitting there.
Below is what the field actually covers, where the line runs with your GP and your midwife, and which questions you can answer without a clinic appointment.
What exactly does a gynaecologist do?
A gynaecologist is trained in the medicine of the female reproductive system. That covers diagnosis, drug treatment and surgery. In the Netherlands gynaecology and obstetrics are a single specialism, so the same doctor can both treat your fibroid and attend your birth.
The work falls roughly into four parts: reproduction and fertility, pregnancy and birth, benign conditions of the uterus and ovaries, and oncology. Large hospitals split those into sub-specialties, smaller ones do not.
What is the difference with your GP?
The GP is a generalist and your first point of contact. They assess your symptom, do basic testing and treat what can be handled in primary care. The gynaecologist is secondary care and picks up what cannot, or what needs an ultrasound, a procedure or a specialist diagnosis.
Practically that matters a lot. A GP can take a smear, prescribe contraception, fit an IUD and order blood tests. Under the NHG guidelines a substantial share of gynaecological care belongs in the GP practice.
| Care provider | Does among other things | Referral needed |
|---|---|---|
| GP | Smear test, contraception, IUD, blood tests, first assessment | No |
| Midwife | Pregnancy care, birth without raised risk | No |
| Gynaecologist | Ultrasound, hysteroscopy, surgery, complex pregnancy, oncology | Yes, for reimbursement |
| Blood test | Hormone levels, thyroid, iron, vitamins | No |
When do you go to a gynaecologist?
Usually not first. The normal route is that your GP assesses your symptom and refers you on if specialist investigation is needed. Symptoms that often lead to a referral are heavy or irregular bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, pain during sex, pregnancy that is not happening, or abnormal results from earlier testing.
Unexpected bleeding after menopause is a separate category. In the Netherlands that is always investigated, however little it is. Do not sit on it.
What happens at a first appointment?
A first consultation starts with a conversation about your symptom, your cycle and your history. That is often followed by a physical examination, usually with a speculum and sometimes an internal ultrasound. You may always ask what is about to happen before it happens, and you may bring someone with you.
Bring your cycle data. When your period started, how long it lasted and how heavy it was: that saves a whole consultation of reconstructing. How to prepare for a conversation like that is in our article on preparing for your GP appointment.
What can you measure yourself?
A gynaecologist looks at structure: what your uterus and ovaries look like. A blood test looks at function: which hormones you produce and in what amounts. Those two answer different questions and do not replace each other.
If you suspect a hormonal cause behind your symptoms, you can have those values measured yourself with a hormone test for women, without a referral. Which hormones make sense at which point in your cycle is covered in our pillar on hormone testing in women. If PCOS is the specific question, our explanation of PCOS diagnosis is the place to start.
Which gynaecologist are you referred to?
In larger hospitals gynaecology is split into sub-specialties, and your referral decides which clinic you land in. That is not a detail: a referral to the general clinic can take longer than a referral to the specific clinic where your question belongs.
The common split is reproductive medicine for fertility questions, benign gynaecology for conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, obstetrics for pregnancy, and gynaecological oncology. In smaller hospitals the same doctor often covers everything.
So ask your GP explicitly which sub-specialty they are referring to. If you end up at the wrong clinic, an internal re-referral follows and you effectively start waiting again. How those waiting times look and what you can do about them is in our article on gynaecologist waiting times.
Frequently asked questions
Is a gynaecologist the same as a womens doctor?
Yes. Vrouwenarts is the Dutch term for gynaecologist and means exactly the same thing. You will meet both words on hospital websites.
Can my GP do an ultrasound?
Usually not. Some GP practices have an ultrasound machine for limited uses, but a gynaecological ultrasound is nearly always done in a hospital or a clinic.
Can I choose which gynaecologist I see?
Yes, you have free choice of doctor. Your referral is not tied to one hospital. Do check whether your insurer has a contract with the institution, because that determines how much is reimbursed.
References
- NHG, NHG guidelines for gynaecology and referral indications, 2026
- Thuisarts.nl, I am going to the gynaecologist, 2026
- Zorginstituut Nederland, Specialist medical care in basic insurance, 2026
Every blood test result through Lunara includes a professional assessment by a BIG-registered doctor. For a physical gynaecological examination, discuss your symptoms with your GP or gynaecologist.
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