Dr Miskell
and
Dr. Stumbo
Women for Women

Written By Taylor Hunter
Photos by Sarah Griffin

If you look at the some of the flyers explaining services at Women for Women, Obstetrics and Gynecology, you will see phrases such as “It’s your body, be selective,” “Restore your life” and “Take control.” It’s these kinds of messages that Dr. Melissa Miskell and Dr. Keeli Stumbo want women to heed when it comes to taking care of their health.
They began their partnership after they discovered they shared the same philosophy on women’s health – that women should have options and should be in charge of their health. Women for Women, 598 N. Union Ave., is a unique practice because it offers non-conventional medicine and some of the least invasive procedures in the area, Miskell says.
Women who are perimenopausal can learn about options such as bioidentical hormones – the same hormones that are produced by the ovaries. NovaSure – a minimally invasive procedure (no incisions) that stops heavy menstrual bleeding by removing the lining of the uterus. And Vaser LipoSelection – a less invasive option to liposuction that uses ultrasound technology to remove unwanted fat.
Women for Women also offers Titan Laser – a type of laser skin renewal that penetrates the third layer of skin where collagen resides.
NovaSure offers a quick turnaround time and may help a patient avoid an unwarranted hysterectomy.
Stumbo says she spends a lot of time just talking with her patients.
“It’s something I feel very strongly about,” she says. “A lot of my focus is to sit and talk with them and let them know there are thousands of other women who feel the same way.”
One area that Miskell and Stumbo spend time talking to their patients about is the treatment of menopausal symptoms.
“ When it comes to menopause there is basically one question to ask – Does the patient have a uterus?” Miskell says. “If the patient has a uterus, they get prescribed Premarin and Provera with maybe some Zoloft thrown in. If they don’t have a uterus, they get Premarin prescribed.”
The problem, Miskell says, is that symptoms of menopause cannot be addressed with a one-size-fits-all pill.
“Probably the No. 1 question I get in the office is ‘Am I crazy?’ Miskell says.

Even as a little girl, she knew she wanted to be a doctor, Miskell says. Miskell’s husband Terrence, a former pro-golfer, gave up his career to become a stay-at-home dad so Miskell could go back to medical school.
“When I started my residency, we had a 4-month-old, a 22-month-old and a 6-year-old,” she says. “Miskell graduated from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center in 1996 and completed her residency in obstetrics/gynecology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center where she served as chief resident. She is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist; member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology; consultant for Johnson and Johnson; and serves on the Advisory Board for the Abstinence Council. She has been practicing in New Braunfels since 2000.
“It is very rewarding to treat women that don’t feel good . . . to sit down and talk with them and figure out what it is that is going on,” Miskell says. “I do what I do so I can do my mission work.”
Miskell travels to Nicaragua at least three times a year. Through Central Texas Missions and Austin Samaritan, Miskell helps treat women for cervical dysplasia. She is the lead physician on a 45-member team that sees more than a 1,000 patients a day during a five- to seven-day period.
Miskell says. “My son (Zac Neill, 17) goes with me. He loves it.”
Her son Davis is now 13 and daughter Shelby is 11.
Stumbo, who graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, worked in the field of radiology for more than six years before she switched careers.
She applied for residence in OB/GYN and was accepted at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. She served as the chief administrative resident and was voted best teaching resident by the medical students. After completing her training, she moved to central Texas to join Miskell in her practice in 2003, the same year that Women for Women opened. He son Zack is 8 and her daughter Jade is 23,
A large part of Miskell’s practice focuses on bioidentical hormones and educating her patients. Women who are taking drugs for menopause may not even be aware of what is in the drug. But Miskell breaks it down.
“Pregnant Mare Urine – Premarin,” she states.
Premarin was developed by Wyeth-Ayerst in 1942 as a treatment for hot flashes, she says.
Provera was developed to counter affect the effects Premarin had on the uterine lining, Miskell says. But the use of Premarin and Provera have led to other health concerns such as breast cancer and heart disease.
Ideally, women would not have to undergo any type of hormone replacement therapy during menopause, Miskell says.
“But our goal is to listen to the symptoms and find out the underlying cause of the symptoms,” Miskell says.
And in some cases, patients use bioidentical hormones as part of their treatment.
In order to take charge of their health, Miskell recommends that women not only be educated about their health, but also be aware of their environment.
“We live in a society that is inundated with estrogen,” she says. “Cleaning solvents have estrogen. Exhaust fumes. Women become estrogen dominant.”
And too much estrogen is not a good thing.
Finally, in addition to the regular routines of proper diet and exercise, take supplements, Miskell advises.
“It is impossible for us to get all the nutrients we need from the foods we eat,” she says.
For more information about Women for Women OB/GYN, visit www.wfwobgyn.com or call 627-7979 to schedule a appointment.