Pain during sex – also called dyspareunia can occur for a number of reasons:
Endometriosis
Women suffering from endometriosis may also experience pain during sex. Please see the endometriosis blog for more information on this condition.
Vaginal Drynes...
Problems with sex or sexual dysfunction is common. According to the Sexual Advice Association, around 30% of young and middle-aged women, and 50% of older women are affected. It is often complex and both physical and psychological factors have to be considered.
Redu...
Contraceptives are designed to prevent pregnancy. They work by stopping the male sperm from reaching the female’s egg. There is a variety of contraceptive methods available and they all work slightly differently. Most contraceptive methods do not prevent sexually transmitted di...
Periods can temporarily stop and usually this isn’t a problem. If it happens, check if you are pregnant and that you are feeling generally well. If so it’s fine to wait and see what happens. If it has been going on for longer than 3 months check in with your doctor.
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Many women experience an ache in the lower abdomen, back and tops of their legs, especially in the first few days of their period. The first couple of days are usually the worst and then it lessens. Sometimes conditions such as endometriosis can make period pains become worse....
What is Menorrhagia?
Periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding.
Menorrhagia means periods with abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding that occur every month. Although heavy menstrual bleeding is a common concern, most women do not experience ...
Periods Periods are a normal part of growing up for girls. The body starts to go through a number of changes including breast development, pubic hair growth and periods between the age of 8 and 15. On average, most girls start their periods around the age of 13 and ...
A fibroid is a benign (non-cancerous) tumour in the uterus. They are also called uterine myomas, fibromyomas or leiomyomas. Their size can vary, they can be as small as a pea or as big as a melon and you may have more than one. They are common and may be found on an ultrasound sc...
Adenomyosis is a painful condition where the uterine lining starts to develop in the muscle wall of the uterus. It is common and gradually becoming more recognised. When you have your period, this condition will cause the uterus to swell as the lining in the muscle wall will a...
The female genitals are made up of the vulva-the outside lips, the clitoris and the urethra, the vagina is the opening beyond which connects to the cervix.
There are many conditions that can affect this area and all parts of the genitals can be involved.
Common cond...
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is common. It affects 8-13% of Australian women of reproductive age. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is diagnosed when at least two of the following occur and often all three: At least 12 tiny cysts (follicles) develop in your ovarie...
The endometrium is the tissue that lines the inside of the womb (uterus). Endometriosis is a common condition where endometrial tissue is found outside the uterus. This often causes pain and sometimes problems with fertility.
Currently it is not known what causes ...
Cystitis means inflammation of the bladder. It is an uncomfortable sensation when or immediately after you pass urine. A common cause for cystitis is a urinary tract infection but it may happen for other reasons as well. If you have cystitis and it isn’t clearing up when yo...
Urinary incontinence is leakage due to loss of bladder control. Stress incontinence and urge incontinence are the two main types. It is more common in women than men as the pelvic floor weakens over time. Urinary incontinence is not a normal part of aging, and it can be treated...
What is a prolapse? A prolapse is the name used when the vaginal walls have somewhat collapsed. The organs in the pelvis push on the collapsed walls. There are 3 different types of prolapse and you can have any of these or a combination of them.
A rectocoe...
We believe regular sexual health screening and follow-up are important for everyone. A follow-up meeting to discuss the results of your screening is also a good opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. (Please note - Integriti Women's Clinic...
Bowel cancer screening
There is a national screening programme which offers bowel screening every 2 years for women between the ages of 50 and 74. You will be invited to do a test every 2 years. Please do this test, however uncomfortable it seems, it could save y...
As we age our bones naturally thin and we become at risk of osteoporosis. This concerns us because it leads to a higher risk of fractures when we fall. There is a national programme in place to screen people who are at risk of this condition using a special scan which measure...
Breast cancer is something all women worry about. It is common, roughly 13 out of every 100 ladies will suffer from breast cancer, but on a positive note, most ladies survive! The earlier we can detect problems, the better your chances of survival-make sure you go to your sc...
Cervical screening has changed since October 2017. We now look for more than we ever did before and we can detect change and risk earlier than ever. If we notice a problem, we can step in even before cancer develops. We now know that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the c...
If you have had unprotected sex, that is, sex without using contraception, or think your contraception might have failed, you can use emergency contraception. There are different types of emergency contraception: The emergency intrauterine device (IUD). An emergen...
Menopause management is best tailored to each individual. You may not want anything other than the confirmation that your symptoms are menopause related. Without management, the symptoms we’ve discussed can last a few years in most women. There are many ways of ...
All women go through the menopause and a few will have no problems. In reality, most women will experience some kind of symptoms due to reduced oestrogen. In every 10 women, about 8 will have some kind of symptoms and 2 of those will have severe symptoms. Everybody is...
Menopause actually means ‘when periods stop’. We often think of the menopause as the time of life leading up to, and after, your last period. Your periods may just stop but usually they will become more unpredictable and may even become heavier before they stop. It may tak...
Our bodies never stop changing! Later In later life when oestrogen hormones start to decrease. This initial stage of lowered oestrogen is called ‘perimenopause’, while ‘menopause’ refers to the stage when periods stop. This process usually starts between the ages of 45 an...