It is not only women whose endometriosis has been either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed who experience such self-recriminating attitudes. Even when endometriosis is properly diagnosed at an early stage, many women still wonder if there is a psychological cause of the disease and feel guilty that they have developed endometriosis. They often believe that they have [...]

Ten years ago, at the age of 27, I was eventually diagnosed as having mild endometriosis after many months of pain, discomfort and one miscarriage. I then tried a variety of treatments — Duphaston, Danazol and laparoscopic surgery — and had some positive short-term results but no full-term pregnancies. I very much wanted children so [...]

Traditionally gynaecologists have described the typical woman with endometriosis as being white, middle class, career-oriented, intelligent, a perfectionist, over-anxious, ambitious, obsessive, and underweight, in her 30s or 40s with a stressful career and who has deliberately delayed childbearing to pursue an education or career. Such a description is a myth, derived from the impressions and [...]

When you have your laparoscopy you will be in hospital for one or two days. An increasing number of hospitals are now doing laparoscopics as a day procedure, which means that you will be admitted early in the morning and discharged later the same day. After you have been admitted to the ward a medical [...]

Some other STDs cause genital ulcers that may be mistaken for the ulcers of syphilis or genital herpes. These are chancroid, Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) and Donovanosis, which are mainly found in impoverished parts of the world. In the case of Donovanosis, this includes northern Australia. These three infections are caught by sexual contact with a [...]

Here is a brief outline of how to strengthen your pelvic floor. • While seated, contract your pelvic muscles as if you were trying to lift your genitals from the seat. Hold the contraction for three seconds at least. Then relax. Repeat until you’re tired or up to 10 times, trying to contract the muscles [...]

Endometriosis can cause a wide range of symptoms, which may be quite differed from one sufferer to the next. Some women have no symptoms at all, and the condition is discovered by chance during surgery for some unrelated condition (including sterilisation, showing that endometriosis isn’t always associated with subfertility). Other women have few or no [...]

Bartholin’s cyst and abscess If the duct of one of these glands becomes blocked, its secretions are trapped to form a Bartholin’s cyst, which will be felt as a swelling, usually painless, beside the entrance to the vagina. Often the cyst remains small and soft and needs no treatment. If it becomes large and tense [...]

• If you think you’ve reached the menopause, see your doctor about the possibility of HRT. There are menopause clinics in all the large women’s hospitals, and most doctors in private practice have up-to-date knowledge about the menopause. • Look after your general health. a     Whether or not you decide to take hormones, have regular [...]

What health conditions can cause problems in pregnancy? Any chronic health disorder can make pregnancy more difficult. Antenatal supervision needs to be more frequent and detailed in conditions such as diabetes, disorders of the blood or blood clotting, chronic heart disease and lung disorders, and kidney problems. Women on long-term medication may need a different [...]