Wellbeing

5 common women’s health issues you need to know about

Advertorial Feature

The specialists at Harley Street Health Centre explain the key women’s health issues that are vital to your health yet often overlooked

Whether it’s a busy lifestyle or feeling anxious about what the doctor might say, we often ignore the early warning signs of common women’s health concerns. However, even those of us who want to take control of our health can struggle to access the care we need. Women often suffer from gender bias, struggling to access fast and effective healthcare. Unfortunately this leads to many of us living in pain and discomfort. The Harley Street Health Centre wants to help change this.

By creating affordable and accessible women-centred services, the Harley Street Health Centre hopes to give more women a choice regarding their healthcare.

Private healthcare can feel daunting if you have not used it before. Some providers do not offer transparent fees or a welcoming approach to women accessing private healthcare for the first time. The Harley Street Health Centre understands this. Every person you speak to on the phone or at the clinic will be on your side to get you well as quickly as possible.

To support women’s health, Harley Street Health Centre has put various measures in place. The team has also set up women’s health clinics to provide women with a more holistic and efficient health service. Here, the team shares their top five common women’s health issues that you should be aware of, and how to seek treatment.

5 women’s health concerns you should know about

Urinary Tract Infections

When unwanted bacteria enters the urinary tract, it can cause a Urinary Tract Infection. Also known as UTIs, they cause a burning sensation when peeing and can be extremely painful.

Unfortunately, women have to wait an unacceptably long time before being treated. This is particularly dangerous as treatment is time sensitive, and a prolonged wait can be debilitating.

If you’re finding it difficult to locate or even book a GP appointment, Harley Street Health Centre has expanded its Family Planning and Sexual Health Clinic. With its highly experienced specialist nursing team, there are now an increasing number of UTI appointments available.

Gynaecological referrals

On average, women have to attend 10 GP appointments before they are referred for gynaecological issues such as endometriosis. The Harley Street Health Centre has created a fast-track specialist referral system, ensuring a single GP appointment that gives access to a specialist referral within a few days.

With national public services, referrals such as these can pile up. This can lead to backlogs that last for months and even years. However, a private referral can speed up your diagnosis and treatment enormously – from a matter of months to just a few days. The average gynaecology consultation fee is £200-£250. If you have previous test results and ultrasounds via the NHS, your specialist can utilise these to help you reach a diagnosis and take next steps.

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is an infection of the female upper genital tract. This refers to the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries. PID affects sexually active women aged 15-24 and those experiencing symptoms should visit a GP. What’s more, those suffering from severe pain should seek urgent medical attention.

The Harley Street Health Centre is female-led both clinically and in management. What’s more, the team focuses heavily on ensuring female clinicians have the knowledge and skills to diagnose PID and guide you regarding next steps and treatment.

Coil and implant fitting and removal

To prevent pregnancy, an Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) can be implanted into a woman’s uterus. You can have this little T-shaped device removed whenever you want. However, it should always be removed when it reaches the end of its lifespan or you experience unwanted symptoms.

Availability for family planning procedures such as coil fitting and removal, implant fitting and removal have decreased significantly since the start of the pandemic. This has left women with expired IUDs and implants, and nowhere to turn.

Harley Street Health Centre’s specialist nurses are able to conduct coil and implant fitting and removal within a week of booking your appointment, at affordable rates.

Ultrasound access

Ultrasounds use a high frequency sound wave to produce pictures of the inside of your body. Often, these take place at the hospital and come with a long referral and an even longer wait.

What if you were concerned about something or just curious and didn’t want to wait? Well, that’s where an ultrasound could be your best bet. The Harley Street Health Centre can provide a same-day GP appointment on the phone or in person. You can also benefit from a fast ultrasound referral and results within 24 hours.

Harley Street Health Centre: supporting women’s health

Harley Street Health Centre provides solutions to issues that are often ignored. Women’s health is huge and vital. That’s why their management team has put them at the core of their services.

The centre’s managing director, Alya Shakir, commented: “At our last clinical meeting, we recognised that procedures such as coil fitting and removal, as well as family planning services in general, are in high demand. What’s more, fast access to treatment for UTIs, sexually-transmitted diseases and gynaecological symptoms have become increasingly difficult to access.

“We took the decision to enrich our team with new, highly-experienced senior specialist nurses. We’re also deepening the training of our existing clinical teams and expanding our services. We work to ensure that trans and non-binary patients have access to appropriate gynaecological and sexual health support with appropriately-trained nurses and clinicians.”

Find out more about Harley Street Health Centre and its specialist women’s health services at harleyhealthcentre.com