We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Jen Mushtaler was featured in NSIDE Magazine’s July/August issue. Read the article to find out how OB JEN got started in her medical career and what the future holds for Capital Ob/Gyn Associates of Texas!
Dr. Jennifer Mushtaler grew up fascinated by science. Her father was a NASA engineer who worked on projects like the Mars Land Rover, Hubble telescope and Mission Control.
In school, classes would always stop to watch the space shuttles launch into space.
With a mathematics teacher for a mother and surrounded by engineers, astronauts and PhDs, Mushtaler thought she would become an engineer.
In fact, she did, earning a degree in electrical engineering at UT. However, she soon became drawn to medicine and continued on to medical school at UT Southwestern Parkland Memorial Hospital.
“It brings together science, innovation and healing people,” Mushtaler says of her chosen field. “The surgical specialty of ob/gyn was truly my calling. For me, there is very little that rivals the miracle of birth.”
The incredibly important journey of pregnancy and childbirth, along with general women’s reproductive health, is clearly something Mushtaler deeply loves and respects.
After 10 years of private practice experience, in October 2010, she founded Capital Ob/Gyn Associates of Texas, which operates on a collaborative philosophy of partnering with women in their health care needs, rather than the more traditional medical atmosphere of doctor and patient. The office setting is warm, intimate, compassionate and private.
“Each woman presents with her own unique health concerns and philosophies, so care plans are developed to address that uniqueness while adhering to the highest professional standards,” Mushtaler says. “My patients are so pleased with the atmosphere and the high level of care we offer. I sincerely hope there continues to be a future for this style of practice in the new age of medicine before us.”
Mushtaler is excited about today’s advances in minimally invasive surgery, which allows her to routinely perform major gynecological surgeries in an outpatient setting. Complete cancer resections and lymph node samplings are being done robotically.
“Patients avoid lengthy hospital stays and recoveries,” she says, “and the cosmesis is beautiful.”
She chuckles when answering a question about a “typical day.”
“There is nothing typical about ob/gyn, managing my own practice, balancing marriage, two wonderful young daughters and time for athletic endeavors,” she says. “I often find myself thinking, ‘Well, that was an exciting day. I wonder what will happen tomorrow!’”
Indeed, Mushtaler is incredibly active, counseling by example for her patients, as well as her daughters. She encourages women’s fitness and athletics, and is highly involved with causes such as LIVESTRONG, breast and cervical cancer awareness, triathlon training and much more.
Affectionately known as “OB Jen,” she constantly updates her blog at www.whosyourobjen.com with news and resources on these topics.
“I swim, I bike, I run because I believe there is a strong relationship between the physical and nutritional lifestyles we choose and our complete health,” she says.
In fact, her expertise with women’s fitness issues has led to her invitation to speak in forums such as the GOTRIbal podcast, which focuses on female endurance athletes.
“You don’t have to completely stop training when you get pregnant,” Mushtaler told GOTRIbal CEO Tanya Malasch. “You shouldn’t be going hard, but get out there for the love of it, and continue your base.”
Mushtaler recommends training at about 80 percent of your maximum heart rate while pregnant to stay safely in your aerobic zone; and for pregnant women who decide to begin a fitness routine, she recommends beginning very moderately and building up.
“I try to get them started by walking,” she says. “My recommendation is 30 minutes a day, five days a week. I do not recommend training in the anaerobic zone, as that has been shown to compromise blood flow to the baby.
“My patients come in all shapes, sizes, lifestyles, and no matter where they are in their health needs, I want them to feel empowered and encouraged.”
“Dr. Mushtaler is amazing,” says Tessa Spencer, who has been a patient for three years. At 35 years old, Spencer discovered she was pregnant, which came as a big surprise.
“Dr. Mushtaler and I worked out a plan of treatment for me and the baby, and she monitored me weekly,” Spencer says. “I had a very high-risk pregnancy, and she spent a lot of time talking to me and helping me make the right choices for my baby.”
Spencer had a Caesarean delivery at 34 weeks, but she and her baby were able to go home in two days.
“I always feel a sense of being at home with a good friend when I am with Dr. Mushtaler,” Spencer says. “She treated me and my baby with respect and love. I really felt she cared about us as individuals, not just patients.”
Such experiences and outcomes are very rewarding to Mushtaler.
“I find it particularly rewarding that my patients know that my interests are synonymous with theirs and trust that if medical intervention is needed, I will use it judiciously,” she says. “I love the long-term relationships I have developed with my patients and the opportunities to heal by simply listening, by medicine and by surgery when it is needed. The relief to a patient following a successful surgery and delivering healthy babies to happy, healthy mommies are equally gratifying.”
For more information, contact Dr. Jennifer Mushtaler and Capital Ob/Gyn Associates of Texas at 512-83-OBJEN or visit www.capobgyn.com.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our Barbara, Ethan and Corbin. We are so grateful for the excellent care they are receiving from our medical colleagues. We also wish to express our heartfelt condolences to Jeremy Barta’s family for their loss. All of them need our love and support.
assortment of small chocolates. Please help yourself, and we won’t tell anyone if you take two pieces.
