Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology

Sup­port­ing your child’s gyne­co­log­i­cal health can require spe­cial­ized care. Our pedi­atric and ado­les­cent gyne­col­o­gist in Naperville pro­vides skilled, com­pas­sion­ate sup­port for young patients nav­i­gat­ing puber­ty, repro­duc­tive health ques­tions, and oth­er gyne­co­log­ic concerns.

What Is Pedi­atric & Ado­les­cent Gynecology?

Pedi­atric and ado­les­cent gyne­col­o­gy is a spe­cial­ized area of wom­en’s health focused on car­ing for infants, chil­dren, teens, and young adults whose repro­duc­tive health needs dif­fer from those of typ­i­cal adult gyne­col­o­gy. Our pedi­atric gyne­col­o­gist has the exper­tise to address the unique chal­lenges that arise dur­ing the devel­op­men­tal years.

Vis­its may range from con­ver­sa­tion-based appoint­ments that help young patients nav­i­gate puber­ty ques­tions to treat­ment for con­di­tions that require surgery. When surgery is need­ed, min­i­mal­ly inva­sive and robot­ic gyne­co­log­ic pro­ce­dures are per­formed at Edward Hospital.

Think your child could ben­e­fit from gyne­co­log­ic care? We’re accept­ing new patients.

To sched­ule an appoint­ment, call 630−348−3080.

When to Con­sid­er a Visit

You might con­sid­er sched­ul­ing an appoint­ment with a pedi­atric gyne­col­o­gist for:

• Vul­var con­di­tions – such as labi­al adhe­sions, lichen scle­ro­sis, vul­vo­vagini­tis, labi­al hyper­tro­phy, hidradeni­tis sup­pu­ra­tive, ure­thral pro­lapse, vagi­nal dis­charge, hymenal vari­ants, and STI lesions
• Puber­ty ques­tions and peri­od con­cerns – if your child is expe­ri­enc­ing ear­ly puber­tal devel­op­ment, irreg­u­lar cycles, heavy bleed­ing, lack of menses, painful cycles, PCOS, endometrio­sis, menses inter­fer­ing with qual­i­ty of life and dai­ly activ­i­ties, or has ques­tions about their development
• Devel­op­men­tal dif­fer­ences – care for con­gen­i­tal con­di­tions that may affect repro­duc­tive health, includ­ing Mül­ler­ian anom­alies, MRKH, OHVI­RA, con­gen­i­tal adren­al hyper­pla­sia, and Turn­er’s syndrome
• Con­tra­cep­tion coun­sel­ing – safe, age-appro­pri­ate options and edu­ca­tion for teens and young adults
• Sur­gi­cal con­sid­er­a­tions – if your child has ovar­i­an cysts, endometrio­sis, hymenal vari­ants, vagi­nal sep­tums, IUDs under seda­tion, and ovar­i­an torsion 
• Pre­ven­tive and edu­ca­tion­al vis­its – well­ness check­ups to dis­cuss puber­ty, devel­op­ment, and any concerns

Many vis­its are dis­cus­sion-based rather than exam-focused, cre­at­ing a com­fort­able space for learn­ing and address­ing concerns.

What to Expect at an Appointment

Dr. Silk takes an evi­dence-based approach that empha­sizes part­ner­ship between provider, patient, and fam­i­ly. Her care phi­los­o­phy cen­ters on cre­at­ing an inclu­sive, safe envi­ron­ment where ques­tions are wel­comed and every patient receives holis­tic care. 

Con­sis­tent with the Amer­i­can Col­lege of Obstet­rics and Gyne­col­o­gy and with the state of Illi­nois rec­og­niz­ing age 12 as the age of repro­duc­tive rights, most 12+ year olds will be asked to come back to the exam room first by them­selves to allow an oppor­tu­ni­ty to ask any ques­tions and pro­vide a con­fi­den­tial his­to­ry pri­or to invit­ing guardians and par­ents back to the exam room. 

Par­ents can feel reas­sured know­ing that phys­i­cal exams are often not need­ed dur­ing first vis­its. When exam­i­na­tions are nec­es­sary, your child’s com­fort and safe­ty are the top pri­or­i­ty, and you’ll be involved in every step of the process.

About Dr. Jen­nifer Silk, DO, MBA

Dr. Jen­nifer Silk, DO, MBA, com­plet­ed fel­low­ship train­ing in pedi­atric and ado­les­cent gyne­col­o­gy at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Alaba­ma at Birm­ing­ham. Her clin­i­cal exper­tise includes con­tra­cep­tion, Mül­ler­ian anom­alies, min­i­mal­ly inva­sive surgery, and patient edu­ca­tion, with recog­ni­tion includ­ing the WVU Pedi­atric and Ado­les­cent Gyne­col­o­gy Award, the WVU Soci­ety for Gyne­co­log­ic Oncol­o­gy Award, and elec­tion to the Gold Human­ism Hon­ors Society.

Her approach com­bines med­ical exper­tise with gen­uine care for young patients and their fam­i­lies, mak­ing even sen­si­tive top­ics approach­able and manageable.

Pedi­atric & Ado­les­cent Gyne­col­o­gy in Naperville 

Our Naperville loca­tion makes gyne­co­log­ic care easy to access for fam­i­lies across Chicago’s sub­urbs. With her hos­pi­tal affil­i­a­tion at Edward Hos­pi­tal, Dr. Silk can pro­vide every­thing from rou­tine vis­its to advanced pro­ce­dures, so your child’s care stays close to home.

Fre­quent­ly Asked Questions

Does my child real­ly need a gyne­col­o­gist before 18? 

Most kids won’t need a gyne­col­o­gist, but some ben­e­fit from spe­cial­ized care. If your pedi­a­tri­cian refers you, or if your child has puber­ty con­cerns or peri­od issues, Dr. Silk can help with expert guid­ance that’s age-appro­pri­ate and often conversation-based.

Will my child need a pelvic exam? 

Phys­i­cal exams are not rou­tine for first vis­its and are often unnec­es­sary. Many appoint­ments focus on edu­ca­tion, ques­tions, and build­ing com­fort. When exams are need­ed, Dr. Silk pri­or­i­tizes your child’s com­fort and explains every step.

Spe­cial­ized care isn’t just for prob­lems; it’s for guid­ance, pre­ven­tion, and reas­sur­ance through every stage of grow­ing up. Sched­ule an appoint­ment with Dr. Silk to learn how she can help your child reach their health goals with confidence.

To sched­ule an appoint­ment, call 630−348−3080.