Endometriosis is a complex disease, most often affecting women with complex lives. In the past ten years there has been a startling increase of reported cases among women who have postponed motherhood to pursue careers or simply to bring home needed additional income. Although this ailment is not restricted to women who put professional achievement [...]

Relaxation techniques are now used extensively for the control of chronic pain. Many women with endometriosis coupled with chronic pain have forgotten how to relax. It is not a new skill but one that needs to be relearnt. It will take time and practice, but once mastered it will not only give relief from pain [...]

Dyspareunia means painful sexual intercourse. It is another common, but often unacknowledged, symptom of endometriosis. In the survey conducted by the Endometriosis Association nearly half (48%) of the women with endometriosis had experienced dyspareunia.

Dyspareunia often causes much heartache for women with endometriosis and it can have devastating effects on their [...]

Results of treatment (Reproductive Healthcare Clinic in St John’s Wood, London) showed that women between 32 and 43 years old who underwent 40 cycles of assisted conception achieved an astonishingly successful pregnancy rate of 50 per cent, compared to the standard 15 per cent.

These remarkable results were achieved by a combination of conventional and complementary [...]

Here are some likely questions and suggested answers, which should be adapted to your child’s age and needs.

What is AIDS?

It is an illness caused by infection with a virus (germ) called human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Why does AIDS kill people?

Everyone’s body has a natural means of fighting disease – the immune system. The HIV attacks this [...]

• See a specialist to find the cause of the problem.

• Always drink at least 2 liters per day.

• Make sure you empty your bladder completely when you urinate.

• Dab gently (instead of wiping) to dry your genitals after passing urine. After a bowel movement, wipe around your back passage from front to back.

• Avoid [...]

Ovarian cysts

A cyst is a fluid-filled cavity surrounded by
a well-defined wall. There are many normal cystic structures in the body, for example the ovarian follicles. The urinary and gall bladders become cystic when they не full (inflammation of these is called respectively ‘cystitis’ and cholecystitis’). An abnormal cyst develops when anything interferes with the drainage [...]

Women can stop menstruating for a variety of reasons. By far the most common is pregnancy. When I was a medical student we were taught ‘all women with secondary amenorrhoea are pregnant until proved otherwise’. A glib statement! But pregnancy should be ruled out first as a cause.

Other reason for secondary amenorrhoea includes disturbance of [...]

Assisted conception In some cases the cause can’t be corrected, but pregnancy may still be possible using a technique of assisted conception such as artificial insemination or in-vitro fertilisation. If any of these treatments are suggested, the medical, emotional, social and financial aspects should be fully explained and you’ll have plenty of time to think [...]

Mood swings

Mood swings are very common in pregnancy. You can feel wonderfully elated in the morning and really down in dumps and weepy on the same afternoon. You may overreact to small irritations and disappointments, but often the mood changes can’t be connected with anything that’s happened, and may be quite apart from any worries [...]