Tonight my guest was Helen Tebbutt, consultant gynaecologist at Spire Hartswood Hospital, Brentwood.
Helen is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and has been medically qualified for over 30 years.
Gynaecological problems can affect any woman of any age, and about 15% of Helen’s patients are teenagers.Every experience of puberty and menstruation is different. General problems are heavy periods or abdominal pain, but these can lead on to potentially more serious symptoms such as spotting or bleeding between periods, which can be symptoms of endometriosis, cysts, fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease.
Endometriosis is when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the pelvis. It can cause pain or cysts or infertility.
Pelvic inflammatory disease is a bacterial infection of the female upper genital tract. One in 50 sexually active women are diagnosed with this every year, typically between the ages of 15 and 24.
Treatments are available , and it is possible to contact Helen direct at Spire Hartswood without the need to go through the doctor.
Polycistic ovary syndrome is another common complaint which affects how the ovaries work, but is treatable through medical and surgical procedures.
Thankfully there is now an increased awareness of cervical and ovarian cancers, and all women are encouraged to have regular cervical screenings from the age of 25.