Women’s Health Awareness: Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT) on the Benefits and Importance of OBG/Gynae Physiotherapy (Part-1)

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Hi! I’m Dr. Juhi Saxena, an obstetrics and gynecology physiotherapist. I have completed my master’s in obstetrics and gynecology physiotherapy and hold a BPT degree as well. I’ve also done several courses related to women’s health. So yes, I would introduce myself as an obstetrics and gynecology physiotherapist.

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Gynae. I remember thinking—just for pregnancy, there’s a whole two-year course? I sat with my faculty, spoke to them and my Dean, and they explained that it’s not just pregnancy. The master’s degree covers everything from adolescence to old age—starting from first periods and menstrual awareness to prolapse, pelvic incontinence, and urine flow issues. So it’s actually a very vast field that covers women’s health at every stage of life.

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): From a very early age, I was fascinated by the human body and human science. It used to mesmerize me—how does this happen, how can things be so automated? So yes, I naturally had more interest in the human body.

Streamwise, I chose science, then moved to biology because it was fascinating. I took biology in school, appeared for NEET, but that year, the cut-off was very high. I wasn’t quite there, and I started thinking—being a doctor doesn’t only mean doing MBBS; there must be other options.

I learned about BDS, but honestly, I couldn’t imagine working with teeth. Then I discovered physiotherapy. The most amazing thing about it was that we don’t have to give medicines—we can help people through natural means like exercises and mobility work. No medicines also means no side effects. That really drew me in, and I thought, “Okay, this is something interesting. I should go with it.”

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): The challenge actually started in the college itself. When we entered the Master’s program, initially for 6 months, we all had the same curriculum to review our basics. At that time, when we told others that we were pursuing Obs and Gynae physiotherapy, they’d say, “What do you do in that? Are you just doing it for pregnancy? You’re wasting two years!”

Then, when we talked to other medical faculties—like anatomy or hospital staff—they’d curiously ask, “Which branch have you taken?” When we said, “Obs and Gynae,” they’d give us wide eyes like, “Obs and Gynae physiotherapy? Really? What do you want to do in it?”

It actually took us six months to make people realize there is such a branch and what scope we have. Then, when we started hospital postings, we’d approach gynecologists to give us cases and show them our results. They initially felt that only medicines could help, or that some issues were untreatable without medication.

We made friends with them, convinced them to let us try. We said, “Even if we don’t get results, we won’t harm the patient, so please allow us to try.” That’s how we started getting patients from the Obs and Gynae department. When people saw our results, awareness grew—both in our college and hospital.

Still, whenever I say I’m an Obs and Gynae physiotherapist, people ask, “What do you do with that?” Even physiotherapists and doctors with 15 to 20 years’ experience ask me to explain my work. They’re often mesmerized and shocked that these problems can be treated without medicine or surgery, sometimes by physiotherapy alone.

So yes, there are challenges because of a lack of awareness. But gradually, people are becoming more aware—thanks in large part to social media.

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): Doubts and questions are part of growth. If you don’t have doubts or questions, you won’t grow—you’ll become stagnant. So whenever you’re treating, studying, or going through anything, if you don’t come across questions, that means you haven’t studied deeply enough. Not everything is available in one place. Even when you search online, you’ll find articles that only cover certain parts. You have to find the connections. Until then, your questions won’t be answered, and you won’t have a complete solution.

Honestly, I had a lot of questions. If I tell you about the journey, when I started my master’s, I didn’t even know what the pelvic floor was—beyond the bones of the pelvis, I had no idea about the muscles. In BPT, the pelvic floor is barely touched; it’s just brushed over. So when I began my master’s, I thought, “I don’t even know the anatomy of this area. How will I manage?” That’s when I started digging and going back to basics.

My teachers helped me a lot. All my professors and staff were very supportive. They held my hand through it. I used to go to them and say, “I read this but don’t understand it.” They would say, “Come on, we’ll teach you, or we’ll do cadaver dissections.” I was lucky because we were in a medical college with access to anatomy labs and cadavers, with staff permission. From there, I started, and at every step, questions came up.

But I was blessed with good faculty who supported me and helped me find answers. One thing I want to mention: you don’t question just to question—you question to learn. No one will come and teach you unless you ask.

Dr. Juhi Saxena (PT): That moment happened at many points, but I’d say one stands out during my master’s rural posting. We worked with rural communities where talking about gynecological or reproductive issues is taboo. In India, people feel uncomfortable discussing menstruation or sexual health.

During one camp in a village near our college, I met a girl around 15 years old. She was born at home, had some basic schooling, but dropped out. I started a general conversation and asked why she left school. Gradually, she opened up about menstrual health issues that caused her to quit.

I befriended her and encouraged her, saying, “We can help you. Talk to us. Come to us. We’ll be here every week. Bring your family, and we’ll speak to them. We want to help you get back to school.”

After a month of weekly visits, she came back during the next camp round and told me, “Now I’m going back to school—just because you helped.”

That was a really touching moment for me. Since then, with almost every patient or mother I meet, there’s a moment where I feel we’ve done something meaningful to help them.