Megan Pallister, MD

Megan Pallister, MD OBGYN

Let’s chat about colonoscopies. Since my big day is tomorrow, I asked my good friend Dr. Andrew Miller (), a colorectal ...
03/19/2026

Let’s chat about colonoscopies. Since my big day is tomorrow, I asked my good friend Dr. Andrew Miller (), a colorectal surgeon in Austin, for 4️⃣ very important things he thinks you should know about colon cancer.

1️⃣ Colonoscopy is the only screening option that can find precancerous lesions and remove them before they become colon cancer.

2️⃣ Colorectal cancer is now the #1 cause of cancer related death in both men and women under the age of 50

3️⃣ Re**al bleeding is a signal that something is wrong in the digestive tract and should prompt early and quick evaluation.

4️⃣ Young people present with late in disease because the last thing on our minds is cancer. There is no amount or color of blood per re**um that is “normal”. Blood is blood and is abnormal —> Don’t assume it is hemorrhoids, let a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon confirm it!

🔹 When to get screened? 45! OR if your parent or sibling has a history of polyps/colon cancer, then age 40 or 10 years prior to their diagnosis. Which ever is earlier.

‼️Of course, there is no age limit for symptoms. Re**al bleeding, subtle changes in bowel habits, weight loss, abdominal bloating —> call your doc!

🏨 What is a LEEP? 🦠HPV, or, Human Papilloma Virus, is the virus that causes abnormal cells in the cervix that can lead t...
03/04/2026

🏨 What is a LEEP?

🦠HPV, or, Human Papilloma Virus, is the virus that causes abnormal cells in the cervix that can lead to cervical cancer. Depending on your Pap smear and HPV results, your OBGYN may recommend a biopsy (colposcopy) of your cervix. If this results of this biopsy are CIN2 or worse, then you may be in need of the LEEP procedure.

This surgery is where we remove the portion of your cervix where the abnormal cells are. We use cautery to do this. We send this portion of the cervix to pathology to make sure the edges are negative and there was no evidence of cancer.

This is a very common procedure for OBGYNs. It takes about 15 minutes. Recovery is super important, so we often recommend a significant amount of time off from exercising, in*******se, swimming, etc.

📅 When is your first ultrasound during pregnancy?▫️We usually schedule your first scan somewhere between 8-9 weeks. ▫️Th...
02/27/2026

📅 When is your first ultrasound during pregnancy?
▫️We usually schedule your first scan somewhere between 8-9 weeks.
▫️The reason for this is to increase the chance of seeing a heartbeat, and therefore decreasing unwanted anxiety.
▫️While some people are 100% sure of their last menstrual period (LMP), some are not.
▫️We leave a little room on either side, and see you at 8-9 weeks in case you are somewhere between 7-10 weeks.
💗 The goal is to minimize the anxiety in the first trimester by seeing a heartbeat!
🔸 Let’s give an example. Someone comes in, believing they are 7 weeks but they are really 5.5 weeks (very common!) In these situations, sometimes the fetus is too small to see or hear a heartbeat —-> this causes increased anxiety in the mother, often thinking she has miscarried, when in fact, we just did the ultrasound a little too early!
▫️ in addition to the unwanted anxiety this may have caused, this patient now needs another (sometimes very expensive visit and ultrasound, as@these visits are often not covered under the “Global” OB insurance plan.
▫️Of course, there are often times we need to see you earlier than 8-9 weeks. Some women are already anxious, (maybe they have had a miscarriage before) and we will do our best to accommodate an earlier scan, explaining the caveats to this. Some women have bleeding before 8-9 weeks (also common!) and we will request to see you earlier.
▫️In addition, some women would like to confirm the pregnancy as early as they can. We can always (if requested) do beta Hcg hormone blood tests (usually every 48hrs) until we confirm an adequate rise.

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✨this moment✨Thanks to my sweet patient for capturing and sharing this photo. Forever grateful to do what I do*shared wi...
11/10/2025

✨this moment✨

Thanks to my sweet patient for capturing and sharing this photo. Forever grateful to do what I do
*shared with permission

When the patients love your Nurse and PA, it makes the world of a difference! So thankful for this team! 💕
09/12/2025

When the patients love your Nurse and PA, it makes the world of a difference! So thankful for this team! 💕

There are multiple ways to make patients feel more comfortable during these procedures.3 things I offer everyone:1. Cyto...
05/20/2025

There are multiple ways to make patients feel more comfortable during these procedures.
3 things I offer everyone:
1. Cytotec (misoprostol)- This is an oral medication you’ll take the night before and the morning of which helps to soften your cervix.
2. High dose ibuprofen 30 minutes before
3. Anti-anxiety medication like Xanax 30 minutes before

Let’s talk about the cervical block. This is injected lidocaine into four quadrants of the cervix. A cervical block can numb the cervix and the lower part of the uterus, but it does not numb the portion of the uterus where the IUD is placed. While a typical IUD procedure takes 2 minutes, this additional procedure can take another 5 minutes. It also requires a ~4 inch spinal needle —The needle alone can cause patient severe anxiety. Also, the procedure of injecting those four quadrants can be quite painful. We can do this, but you should know the facts!

IUDs can be placed under sedation or general anesthesia in the operating room after thorough counseling. We do not have anesthesiologists or sedation equipment in the office - so this is done in an OR setting.
Other things I have and will try/have tried:
- hurricane spray/spraying lidocaine on the cervix
- Inserting lidocaine into the endometrial canal

One other thing I have changed in the last few years is not using a tenaculum on the cervix. This is a sharp instrument that we used to use to grab the cervix and help maneuver the IUD into the correct position. I find that using a different type of softer clamp is much less uncomfortable for the patient and still gets the job done. It doesn’t cause any bleeding as it doesn’t poke holes in the cervix like a tenaculum does.
I have definitely changed my practice since I first started out in private practice 9 years ago. I am always trying to learn the best practices and make any procedures easier for my patients.
I truly believe the faster the procedure is, the better. You need someone quick (who does these a lot). The use of distraction is also key!

Turning 40 this year really brought perimenopause to the forefront for me. I also have at least 10-15 patients ask me ab...
03/25/2025

Turning 40 this year really brought perimenopause to the forefront for me. I also have at least 10-15 patients ask me about this a week, so I’m invested into educating and continued learning about this topic!

It’s a tough subject for many reasons, which I’ll breeze through a few below. Just know, I am committed as much as you to getting to the bottom of this!

🔥 There is no true ‘definition’ of perimenopause, like there is for menopause 12 months with no periods)
🔥There is no test to determine if you are in, going through, or meeting perimenopause.
🔥 While there are many reasons to test your hormones, testing them in this phase of life is not helpful —- what IS helpful is reviewing your symptoms with your doc, and treating them one by one. This is difficult to grasp for some (mainly because there are all these companies testing your hormones—but the reality is at the core of this, we’re all using the same treatments! So shouldn’t this be tailored to SYMPTOMS and not NUMBERS?)
🔥 Nearly every woman’s symptoms are different. There is lots of overlap, but most symptoms vary in frequency and severity.

Happy everything!! From my family to yours ❤️
12/23/2024

Happy everything!! From my family to yours ❤️

What’s the peanut ball for?🥜 the peanut ball has been used for decades during labor 🥜 positioning it between the legs he...
10/30/2024

What’s the peanut ball for?
🥜 the peanut ball has been used for decades during labor
🥜 positioning it between the legs helps to widen the pelvis and mimic the patient in an upright position, which can be more helpful for the fetus to descend in the pelvis
🥜 some studies have shown it can help reduce maternal pain in labor
🥜 one study showed a decreased length of the 1st stage of labor

Your labor and delivery nurse will often whip out the peanut ball when your labor is not progressing or we think the baby is not in the right position for descending into the pelvis. You can use it at any point in labor though.

There is no risk to using the peanut ball!

Did you use it during labor?

I may not get to physically be the one to deliver all the moms/babies I take care of, but please know the 9+ months of t...
09/24/2024

I may not get to physically be the one to deliver all the moms/babies I take care of, but please know the 9+ months of taking care of you are still an honor!

I am now a certified robotic surgeon! 🙌🏻🎉
08/20/2024

I am now a certified robotic surgeon! 🙌🏻🎉

Address

1111 Augusta Drive
Houston, TX
77057

Telephone

+17134422400

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