INDIANAPOLIS — Dr. Coryn Love said she knew she wanted to be a doctor when she was a little girl.
"I believe God creates you for one thing, and this was very much what God created me for," said Love.
Love is an OB-GYN for Ascension St. Vincent in Brownsburg.
"My mom, when I was little, told me about where babies came from, and so I felt like it was my job to talk about where babies came from in daycare," said Love.
Today, Love is part of a practice with four doctors and one nurse practitioner, all women of color.
"I think that it's huge that sometimes, when you want to find someone who may have similar backgrounds or experiences or just talking to you in different ways or understanding in different ways because they've gone through it, that's something I can offer to my patients, and that's something my partners can offer patients," Love said.
Love admits finding an OB-GYN of color is a challenge.
"I don't know of any other group of women, OB-GYNs, that we're all women of color," Love said. "I've never even heard of it before in Indiana or anywhere, honestly. We don't shy away from it. We believe it is a strength. We help all women."
For many women of color, it can be challenging finding a doctor who looks like them.
"We're all women, we're all women of color, we're all mothers and so that is something that is really important to me," Love said.
Studies show pregnant women of color are at an increased risk of developing things like high blood pressure or diabetes.
"I myself experienced post-partum, pre-eclampsia and I knew those warning signs, but I'm not sure if I would have if I weren't an OB-GYN," Love said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. There are multiple factors that contribute to disparities, such as quality health care, underlying chronic conditions and implicit bias.
Love said, depending on the area, women may have to travel to find an OB-GYN within Ascension.
"There's a lot of offices in Indianapolis, a lot of offices in Carmel and places like that, but this is the only Ascension location that has an OB, I'm the only one in the whole area," Love said.
Challenges accessing OB care aren't just in central Indiana.
According to Indiana Department of Health, 33 counties don't have adequate OB-GYN care, meaning they lack a hospital or a birth center with inpatient delivery services. These counties are considered "maternity deserts."
A 2018 March of Dimes report showed 255,425 women live in these counties with no or little care in Indiana.
"I feel like because of that reason, when patients find you, they want to be taken good care of, and so I feel responsible to take care of a larger group of people in a wonderful way," Love said.