Methodist Physicians Westover Hills OB/GYN
Brings Full-Service Care to the Far West Side
By Paul J. Watkins
In April 2026, Methodist Healthcare officially opened Methodist Physicians Westover Hills OB/GYN, the newest addition to its Methodist Physicians network of primary care, specialist, and subspecialist providers. Board-certified OB/GYNs Christina E. Gutierrez, MD, FACOG, and Emily Bowden, MD, FACOG, lead the practice, located in the Far West Side of San Antonio.
Dr. Gutierrez was inspired to become a doctor by her mother, a former migrant worker who attended medical school after having children. “When I did my OB/GYN rotations as a medical student, I was drawn to the opportunity to form long-term relationships with patients and their families, sometimes spanning decades,” says Dr. Gutierrez, a San Antonio native with a secondary specialty in obesity medicine. “I’m still seeing patients today whose care journeys I’ve been a part of since 2003, and in many cases, I see young women that I delivered myself. I really value that long-term relationship across the reproductive spectrum while still being able to be in the labor and delivery room and the operating room and treat problems acutely. It’s the perfect blend of all the different aspects of medicine.”
Dr. Bowden, who also has a Master of Public Health degree, experienced a similar attraction to the OB/GYN specialty during medical school. “I saw the opportunity to help people create the families they want to have, in addition to helping women through the reproductive years, perimenopause, menopause, and beyond,” she recalls. “That, in combination with being able to do office procedures and GYN surgery, just made me fall in love with it.”
Drs. Bowden and Gutierrez mention five reasons for women to schedule an OB/GYN visit: screenings, symptom management, pregnancy planning, obtaining personalized guidance for each life stage, and identifying health issues that may require referrals to a different specialist. “Screening for health problems is such an important part of everyone’s life, especially for a woman,” relates Dr. Gutierrez. “As doctors, we can provide screening for problems like abnormal cervical cells, high blood pressure, diabetes or pre-diabetes, and breast health concerns. With the long-term relationships we have with our patients, we quite often are able to identify other health conditions and route patients in the right direction in the interest of prevention.”
Adds Dr. Bowden, “Another reason to schedule an OB/GYN visit is to get personalized guidance for where you are in your life. It makes sure that you’re doing what’s necessary to take the best care of yourself that you can. This might mean discussing reproductive health, pregnancy planning, or making sure you’re as healthy as you can be before starting your family. It might mean managing symptoms, such as heavy cycles, pain, or menopause symptoms, before they affect your daily life. We’re here as a trusted confidant to help you make safe choices, so you’re living the healthiest you can through every stage of your life.”
For women who discover during the summer that they’re pregnant, the OB/GYNs emphasize these key points. “We try to get patients into the office as soon as possible once they have a positive pregnancy test so we can help guide and support them at this important time in their lives,” informs Dr. Gutierrez. “We love to get them on a prenatal vitamin as soon as possible, provide guidance in terms of dietary changes, exercise recommendations, things to avoid— such as alcohol, tobacco, and certain medications—and screen for any conditions that could become complications as the pregnancy progresses.”
Dr. Bowden usually recommends that women come to see her between seven and eight weeks for an initial ultrasound. “If they have any risk factors that put them in a higher-risk pregnancy, I encourage them to reach out earlier. That way, if we need to minimize any risk and provide extra guidance, we can tackle that early on. At every visit, there are certain things that we’ll discuss, depending on the lab results that come back, and I’ll answer any questions the patient may have, including those about labor, delivery, and breastfeeding.”
Drs. Gutierrez and Bowden emphasize that their practice provides services beyond pregnancy care. “We provide care across a woman’s lifespan,” says Dr. Gutierrez. “We provide a lot of preventive and gynecological care. This includes well-woman exams, cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, and helping women manage their menopause transition. In addition, we manage fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly PCOS), and any gynecological surgery needs. With my specialized training, I’m also able to help women with obesity-related conditions.”
“Further, we provide contraceptive discussion and management, and we diagnose the cause of abnormal periods or heavy bleeding and offer medical or surgical management,” notes Dr. Bowden. “We often see women who need IUD insertions or biopsies to rule out endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, or vulvar cancer, and we provide those services. We also offer surgical options as well, including minimally invasive laparoscopy or robotic-assisted surgery if surgical intervention is required for a medical issue.”
There has been enormous population growth in the area that Methodist Physicians Westover Hills OB/GYN serves. Drs. Gutierrez and Bowden want women to know that they don’t have to go all the way downtown or to the medical center for their OB/GYN care. The doctors believe that the more convenient they can make it for busy moms to access care, the better. The new practice is that convenient option.
To schedule an appointment at Methodist Physicians Westover Hills OB/GYN, call 210-270-4210. The practice is located next to Methodist Hospital | Westover Hills at 5126 W. Loop 1604 N., Suite 328, San Antonio, Texas 78251.
