She is a sharp minded, talented, attentive physician whose broad smile and simple yet polished and chic attire grabs your attention immediately.

Azam Saeidi has been in practice as an OB-GYN, an obstetrician-gynecologist, for the past 21 years and after three years of doctoring she opened her own office.

The fifty-three-year old doctor sees an average of 200 patients per month. It is thus is safe to say that when it comes to female patients she has pretty much seen it all.

She is not just a great doctor but a consultant for many women who need to discuss their medical or sometimes psychological concerns and worries with her, tell their untold stories, and share secrets and painful tales. Over all, they seek refuge in her.

To that end, you can say she is a psychologist in addition to being a physician, but without the degree in psychology, and just through a lot of experience.
Saeidi can write entire books on women and not just in biology but psychology and her every word can have impact on patients.

I recently sat with her in a grand, modern coffee shop in Tehran, very close to her not very long ago office, over a cup of coffee in the company of her son, Amir Reza.

The well-respected Saeidi worked 16 years in a state-run medical facility, Najmieh, where she was officially hired with full benefits. She held various management positions in the center given her skills. She made many changes in the center, opened a painless labor and delivery ward and brought the place to prosperity.

“Pursuing a life of luxury leads a woman to feel run down, that she lives in a rut as if she has been running on a treadmill going nowhere.”

It was informative to hear what Dr. Saeidi had to say on Iranian women’s issue, giving them a list of valuable tips.

1. Saeidi believes that 50 percent of her clients are not physically sick but are in desperate need of consultation.

“After years of experience, I discovered clients referred to me with pelvic pain mostly suffered from psychosomatic disorders.”

She believes part of the problem is that when women receive no love and attention at home from husbands, they tend to get some attention back by expressions of pelvic pain, all related to their emotional needs.

2. She believes when a woman is valued in a society, she enjoys higher self-esteem.

“If a woman is respected in her own society, she can make a better family and consequently a society, as it is known the foundation of a society is practically put in the hands of mothers.”

3. She believes if a woman is capable of understanding her community and has the smarts to analyze her society, she is put in a higher seat of power, because after all, she can examine ideas which can shape the world she lives in.

4. She believes that Iranian women are yet to discover their own self-worth.

“I can say with conviction that out of every 100 women I meet maybe only five to six believe in themselves.”

 “If Iranian women believe in their skills, talents, capabilities, wisdom,  and the capacity to work out their problems, express their bottled up emotions and feelings and release them properly, our society will certainly show signs of improvement.”

5. She believes that a woman who seeks cosmetic surgery like in rhinoplasty or nose jobs, or gets breast augmentation, has forgotten that her true beauty lies inside and she no longer should seek it outside her.”

Saeidi brought up her mother as a clear case of a strong woman who was well-aware of her self-value.

“She gave births to nine, 5-kilo babies out whom one died. She never considered any plastic surgery on her body because she was comfortable with herself. She always was very well-respected by my father because she cared for herself.”

5. She believes Iranian women are not well acquainted with books and don’t read enough.

“Young women in Iran have limited themselves to academic books and more religious types have restricted themselves to religious books and teachings. This is while sociology, psychology and self-help books, as well as novels, are left to collect dust.”

She says reading broadens one’s perceptions and expands mind. This helps women to think outside the box, while it improves analytical thinking and general knowledge.

6. She believes Iranian women are luxury oriented, and waste money to live in expensive and exclusive styles, expensive clothes and jewelry.

“This type of l lifestyle leads a woman to feel run down, and even worse, that she lives in a rut as if she has been running on a treadmill going nowhere.”

7. She also believes women ought to stay active and play a strong role when it comes to social affairs and gatherings. But she admits that social functions are not much encouraged in the country.

“Women themselves are blamed for being ignored as they have taken a passive role in the family and society.”

“Young women in Iran have limited themselves to academic books and more religious types have restricted themselves to religious books and teachings. This is while sociology, psychology and self-help books, as well as novels, are left to collect dust.”

8. She believes Iranian women lack management skills in various aspects of life such as in managing time, finances and even love relationships.  

“Some women even asked me to speak to their husbands and ask them to be attentive and kind to them. That obviously shows they have not mastered communication skills with their hubby.”

9. She says Iranian women don’t pay enough attention to their personal hygiene. She believes that is partly due to the separation of less costly state-run health care centers versus more expensive private medical hubs.

“Economic distress has pushed less fortunate women to seek medical treatment in less expensive but more crowded health care centers where they may not receive enough training for self-care.”

Saeidi’s comments didn’t end there. She had a few words with her own colleagues in the medical profession.

She strongly believes satisfaction in the field of medicine in Iran ends with MONEY.

She says some physicians seek fame, some seek wealth, while some are after both, but among Iranian doctors there are those who love their job for just the sake of tending patients.

“The trend has had Iranians lose faith and trust in doctors, and not to seek medical care until it might be too late to help a sick woman.”