What is PMS? PMS is the name given to the physical and emotional symptoms affecting your daily life in the 2 weeks before you have your period. These symptoms usually get better once your period starts and often disappear by the end of your period. Nearly all women...

Wellbeing Scan Including Dopplers / Fetal Growth Scan including Dopplers This ultrasound scan is usually carried out at about 28 weeks of pregnancy. This scan aims to determine the growth and health of the fetus. Some obstetricians advise that this scan is offered...

A Nuchal Translucency Scan is carried out from 11 - 13 weeks and six days. The scan is usually performed transabdominally. The aims of this particular scan are to date the pregnancy accurately, to diagnose multiple pregnancies, to diagnose major fetal...

This is an ultrasound examination that is usually carried out vaginally at 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. The aims of this scan are to determine the number of embryos present and whether the pregnancy is progressing normally inside the uterus. This type of scan is...

A cyst is a fluid filled sac. It is normal to find cysts on the ovaries and most are as a result of the normal ovarian functioning (functional cysts). Occasionally these cysts will grow too big and may cause symptoms. If they are small, they usually disappear...

The three main features of PCOS: -irregular periods– which means your ovaries don't regularly release eggs (ovulation) -excess androgen – high levels of "male hormones" in your body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair (see signs and...

Inducing pregnant women at around 39 weeks could reduce term stillbirths by up to half. If the induction is done under carefully controlled conditions and both mother and baby are healthy, then the avoidable tragedy of stillbirths could be reduced drastically....

GBS (Group B Streptococcus) is the UK’s most common cause of life threatening infection in newborn babies but recent surveys have shown that many pregnant women feel inadequately informed about the illness. On average two babies a day develop the infection, with...

Bleeding after sexual intercourse is described as provoked bleeding and is due to contact with the cervix. This may be due a benign polyp on the cervix, a vascular and inflamed cervix and more importantly may be due to a pre-cancerous abnormality on the cervix. It...

Pregnancy related bleeding can be a reason for abnormal bleeding, even if you have not missed a period. Many women believe that if they have not missed a period then it is not possible to be pregnant; this is not true. It is possible to have had bleeding as results...

Cancer of the cervix is more commonly seen in women over the age of 30 and rarely before. It can cause irregular bleeding but usually leads to postcoital bleeding. It is normally diagnosed by a simple examination and sometimes by a smear test. Occasionally the use...

Cancer of the lining of the uterus is an important cause of abnormal bleeding particularly after the age of 44 years and especially after the menopause. It can usually be diagnosed by vaginal ultrasound but sometimes an outpatient endometrial biopsy is necessary to...

Fibroids or Myomas are benign lumps in the muscular walls of the uterus. They occur most commonly in women over the age of 30, and more notably in those without children. They can develop in the wall (intramural), project outside the uterus (subserous) or into the...

Adenomyosis occurs as a result of some of the cells lining the inside of the uterus migrating into the wall of the uterus. Since these cells respond in the same way to the hormones secreted from the ovaries i.e. Oestrogen and Progestrone, it will grow, and bleed a...

Polyps are benign growths which occur in any body cavity due to an overgrowth of the cells of the lining. When they occur in the endometrium, they can lead to irregular bleeding. They can usually be seen by vaginal ultrasound, but sometimes it is necessary to...

This is the most common reason for abnormal bleeding and occurs commonly after puberty and before the menopause. As a result of non- ovulation, or improper function of the developing follicle or Corpus Luteum, one or both hormones which control the menstrual cycle...

The act of menstruation takes place as a result of a complex interaction between hormones called FSH and LH which are secreted by a small gland in the brain called the Pituitary Gland. At the start of the menstrual cycle, FSH stimulates one of the follicles in the...