Doctors and patients in obstetrics and gynecology: the next 15 years.

The major impact on the development of obstetrics-gynecology during the next 15 years will come from the substantially increased number of of practicing physicians in the specialty and less rapidly increasing patient population they will serve. Even at present record low fertility rates, the annual number of births in the United States will increase slowly to a level near 4 million by the early 1980's; children already born will contribute to a 16 per cent increase in the female population 15 to 44 years of age between now and 1990. Over the same time interval, the number of practicing specialists will increase dramatically, based on rising numbers of medical school graduates and more Ob-Gyn residents; there will be a 52 per cent increase in certified specialists per unit population over the next 15 years.