There are many issues affecting the health of women and girls that still remain off-limits. But speaking about women’s health has never been more important.

The stigma surrounding women’s health often causes women to ignore concerns about their wellbeing, while the fear of embarrassment can leave them suffering in silence. We must do more to address this and break down taboos surrounding women’s health.

Women make up 51% of the population and healthcare professionals have unique opportunities to positively influence the health of women across their life course. Many of these interactions are not about ill-health but helping them to do normal things like have safe sex, prevent pregnancy, become pregnant and have a healthy menopause and post-menopausal life. To make the most impact, we must promote the importance of preventative measures to improve the health of all women at every age and stage of their lives.

Cervical screening is at a 20-year low*

It is disheartening to see that gynaecological health remains a taboo subject among the public, despite more than 21,000 women being diagnosed with one of the five forms of gynaecological cancer each year in the UK¹. Cervical cancer, which leads to the death of two women a day, is a largely preventable disease, yet screening rates have dropped to their lowest level in two decades.

Evidence shows that routine screening – which can detect pre-cancerous abnormalities – prevents up to 75% of cervical cancers. However, one in four women don’t take up their screening invitation. Early detection is vital to increase survival rates. We must continue to raise awareness about the disease, its symptoms and these simple measures to prevent it.

Later maternal age and weight can impact fertility

The 21st century has brought with it the largest ever group of adolescents in history and we must ensure that they can take control of their own reproductive health. To do this successfully, we need to better educate young women and men in our society about their health so we can empower them to make informed choices.

Currently, one in seven couples experience difficulty in becoming pregnant; that’s around 3.5 million people in the UK. By the time a woman decides to have a baby or is already pregnant, she may not realise the impact maternal age and body weight can have on her ability to conceive or have a healthy pregnancy. We know that female fertility starts to decline gradually from the late-20s and more rapidly from the mid-30s onwards. As well as potentially taking longer to get pregnant, later maternity and being overweight can involve a greater risk of miscarriage and a more complicated labour.

As healthcare professionals, we must capitalise on all of the opportunities available to influence women’s behaviour and ensure they have the right information to make informed decisions about their health.

*The Latest figures by NHS Digital for the NHS Cervical Screening Programme 2016-17 show that there has been a decrease in attendance rates from 75.7% in 2011 to 72% in 2017 for women aged 25-64 in England. 

The post Breaking down women’s health taboos: cervical screening at 20-year low appeared first on Health Awareness.

When Bobbi and her husband started trying to conceive, her dream of having a baby began to dissolve into feelings of despair. Months of failed pregnancy tests turned into several years of struggling to both get pregnant and stay pregnant.

Bobbi decided it was time to take more control over her fertility. She traded her spreadsheet for a fertility tracking app.

“I got the idea after seeing a friend do something similar and realised it would give me a greater feeling of control,” she explained. “We visited a fertility doctor for a few months, so it was useful to have something to show.”

Faster and simpler tracking with the app

The amount of information needed for the fertility treatments went beyond the information about menstruation that she was keeping in her spreadsheet. “At some points, I was tracking my temperature four to five times a day,” she says, “but with the app on my phone, I could pop to the bathroom at work, take my temperature, and record the result in just a few moments instead of having to remember the numbers to put into my chart on the computer.”

Bobbi found that the app was helpful, not just in tracking her cycles and temperatures, but also other symptoms like her mood. She remembers, “I knew that I would feel down at certain points, and with the app, I was able to go back and compare to previous cycles. Right now, I’ve got data going as far back as 2013; that was invaluable.”

I knew I needed to push for answers

“When everyone was saying that there wasn’t a problem, the data that I had backed me up through a lonely time,” she says. “Even when the tests came back saying that my thyroid was fine, I felt able to stand up and say, ‘No, you need to do more tests’. Eventually I got my diagnosis and suddenly everything made sense.” Indeed, this data meant that Bobbi was eventually diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, after tragically losing her first few pregnancies in early miscarriages.

As Hashimoto’s affects almost seven times as many women as men, Bobbi found herself in a more supportive community with vital knowledge that clarified her infertility. The miscarriages she experienced were due to the untreated hypothyroidism, which is associated with a high risk of miscarriage during the first trimester.

Knowing when to test

Enlightened by her diagnosis, she continued to use the app, so – importantly – she knew exactly when to take a pregnancy test. Identifying the pregnancy early, her doctors were able to adjust her thyroid medication to support the pregnancy and prevent miscarriage.

Finally, last year, Bobbi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Aurora. Bobbi is now using the app to help her with her natural fertility goals and hopes to use the app to continue building her family in the near future. “I know that I’m approaching 40 now, so I’m on the wrong side of the cliff edge, but I feel confident that, with the help of the app, I’ll be able to tell exactly what my body is doing,” she said. “It’s like having a friend that remembers everything.”

For more information, to learn about your body, and track menstrual cycles with an app, visit www.kindara.com

The post Women are turning to fertility apps to get pregnant and to learn about their bodies appeared first on Health Awareness.

I personally underwent a LLETZ operation, which is the laser treatment used to remove a large area of abnormal cells in the cervix.

Without Wellbeing of Women research over the past 54 years, I – and many others – could be at this very moment suffering from cervical cancer or, heaven forbid, not be here at all.

The fact that, in 2018, women’s reproductive health is still a taboo subject is shocking and is more reason to support the underfunded research.

Something needs to change. Women are the future.

The post Laura Anderson – TV personality and Ambassador, Wellbeing of Women appeared first on Health Awareness.

This March, for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, we’re working hard to raise awareness and save lives. Here’s how:

A national campaign is needed

Target Ovarian Cancer is calling for a government-funded symptoms awareness campaign to educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Awareness is alarmingly low, with just one in five women able to name bloating as one of the key symptoms of the disease. Our recent research shows that the same proportion of women wrongly think a smear test can detect ovarian cancer. In reality, there is no screening for the disease, and awareness of the symptoms is crucial for women.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are:

• Persistent bloating, not bloating that comes and goes
• Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual

Solving the problem of late diagnosis

There is huge variation in diagnosis of ovarian cancer across the UK. In some parts of England, over half of women are diagnosed at an early stage, which makes the disease easier to treat. In other areas, just one in five women is diagnosed early. Some of this may be due to population differences such as age, but we know that more work needs to be done to ensure women go to the GP if they are worried, and are sent for the correct diagnostic tests without delays in the system.

We need to tackle delays in diagnosis

Delayed diagnoses are a major reason that two thirds of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread. Delays are often due to women not knowing the symptoms and not thinking it is urgent to visit their GP, gaps in GP knowledge and misdiagnosis, and delays in getting the right diagnostic tests. The effect of all of this means some women are simply too ill by the time they receive their diagnosis to be able to withstand the invasive surgery and chemotherapy needed to treat ovarian cancer.

Late diagnosis is a complex problem that needs a multipronged approach if we are to improve the outlook for women with ovarian cancer.

Futureproofing ovarian cancer diagnosis

Educating GPs and GP practice nurses is an essential part of solving this puzzle. Target Ovarian Cancer’s primary care programme challenges healthcare professionals to set aside their misconceptions about ovarian cancer and skills them up in best practice so more of them can diagnose ovarian cancer earlier.

This includes online learning modules that count towards GPs’ and nurses’ professional development, and a GP toolkit to support GPs and general practice nurses to update their knowledge and deliver the right diagnostic tests at the right time. Collaboration with leading educational partners puts ovarian cancer on the agenda at GP conferences and learning days.

It is crucial that ovarian cancer diagnosis guidelines for GPs stay relevant, accessible to the GP and flexible. For example, GPs must now consider ovarian cancer if any women over 50 is having new bladder problems or new IBS-like symptoms. These changes are part of Target Ovarian Cancer’s ongoing work to support primary care professionals.

Together, we will accelerate change and transform the futures of more than 25,000 who are living with the disease and thousands more who will be diagnosed.

The post Ovarian cancer – awareness of the symptoms is crucial appeared first on Health Awareness.

Society would have you believe, from a young age, that periods should be silenced. But finally, we’re changing the way periods and menstrual conditions like endometriosis are spoken about.

With international photographer, Rankin, turning his lens to endometriosis this month at an exhibition in London and Edinburgh, alongside the education system changing to teach children about menstrual wellbeing, we’re finally starting to change the way society sees invisible illnesses like endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body – causing symptoms including chronic pelvic pain, bowel problems, infertility and painful sex. It affects 10% of women from puberty to menopause – although the impact can be felt for life.

New curriculum is a step forward, but it must be done right

From an alarming average diagnosis time of 7.5 years, to an education system that has failed to equip young women with the knowledge and confidence to talk openly about our bodies, women deserve a better deal when it comes to our health.

There was backlash in the midst of the positive news about teaching boys and girls about menstrual wellbeing.

Breaking the taboo from a young age is the first step to making this happen. The very nature of endometriosis is that it affects gynaecological health; and at a young age, this can be a difficult conversation to have.

Last month, following pressure from Endometriosis UK, the government announced long overdue changes to the Sex & Relationship curriculum, which will undoubtedly help eradicate misconceptions around menstrual wellbeing at school. For too long, young girls have been left confused and unprepared for dealing with potential conditions, such as endometriosis. By teaching children what is and isn’t normal in a safe and controlled environment when it comes to their menstrual cycle, we hope that we will encourage young people to seek help when something is not right.

Working with government and schools to educate young people

Endometriosis UK now looks forward to working with the government to ensure the new curriculum is implemented across the country to empower children, parents and teachers to talk openly about menstrual wellbeing.

There was some predictable backlash in the midst of the positive news about teaching boys and girls about menstrual wellbeing, but Endometriosis UK urges parents and teachers alike to understand the critical importance of young people understanding about their bodies to not only break down the taboo around periods, but to also be a key role in encouraging children to seek help when something is not right. The education you receive can pave the way for your whole future, and the government must provide the guidance teachers need to get this right. We can’t change the lives of women who weren’t given the education they deserved, but we can get it right for the next generation.

Together, we can send out the right message that conversations, and invisible illnesses like endometriosis, are normal and shouldn’t be silenced.

To find out more about endometriosis, visit: www.endometriosis-uk.org

The post Invisible illnesses like endometriosis, are normal and shouldn’t be silenced appeared first on Health Awareness.

As infertility rates get higher it might be time to look at how we are contributing to our biological clock ticking faster.

One in six couples now struggle with some form of infertility and more men and women are seeking information to help them. But with a myriad of statistics out there, it can be confusing to understand.

‘Prevention is better than treatment’ is a message that Saghar Kasiri, Director of European Operation at Cryos International, is trying to spread. She says, “Whether male or female we all have a biological clock and our lifestyle choices can make that clock tick faster. The sex education discussed at school, in society and media focuses more on preventing pregnancy, not preserving fertility. So, for some people, when they do want to have a baby, their lifestyle is often incompatible, and this takes time to reverse – if that’s at all possible.”

A lack of knowledge on the causes and risk factors is what Kasiri believes contributes to the rise of infertility. “The World Health Organization has classed infertility as a disease” she said.

Extreme lifestyle choices

Research shows more adolescents are smoking and drinking, and extremes in body weight are now more common than ever. Furthermore, the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has been steadily increasing in youths aged 15-21. Kasiri says, “Consequences of such unhealthy lifestyles are greatly publicised in pregnancy, however, young people are less aware of how such a lifestyle affects the quality of their eggs and sperm, how it causes hormonal imbalance and leads to infertility.”

Almost 50% of infertility cases are male-related

The misconception that infertility is a female disease still needs to be addressed and it should not come as a shock that almost 50% of infertility cases diagnosed are male-related. Men’s fertility is dependent on the same social risk factors that affect women, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, STDs, extreme body weight and stress. Ageing also affects men’s fertility as the quality of sperm decreases with age.

Avoid overheating testes

Kasiri adds, “some men may think they lead a healthy lifestyle by spending many hours exercising – such as cycling and marathon running or going to hot saunas, however these activities can lead to increasing the temperature of their testes and result in reduced sperm production and quality. Testes stay outside of the body for a reason; sperm needs to stay around two degrees lower than core body temperature as too much heat can damage them. Even men who spend long hours driving or frequently work with their laptops on their laps are found to be at higher risk of having their sperm DNA damaged.”

Chlamydia and gonorrhoea can cause infertility

Certainly, as attitudes change and young people look at preserving their fertility through sperm and egg banks, there is a swing towards acknowledging their biological clock. But for some, a misspent youth might have already done damage. Kasiri says, “The cause of infertility for some patients may be due to having contracted a sexually transmitted infection in their younger days and for whatever reason have let it go untreated or caught the same strain multiple times. Frequent bouts of chlamydia and gonorrhoea can leave the body susceptible to infertility without receiving any symptoms until it is too late.”

There is always a way

For some people fertility treatment is unavoidable. Those who have had cancer treatment, suffer from genetic or congenital diseases causing infertility or people who are at risk of passing a genetic disease to their offspring. For some, donor sperm is the only option if they want to become a genetic parent, e.g. single women and same sex couples.

“Today, Cryos is a widely recognised international sperm and egg bank and our mission is ultimately to make childless families’ dreams come true, whether that is by increasing fertility awareness in young women and men or by providing high quality donor sperm and eggs.” Kasiri concludes: “So, despite a rise in infertility rates, we will endeavour to provide a way for those who have the dream of becoming parents. This is the reason Cryos has the highest number of registered donor sperm pregnancies in the world and we make every effort to make the journey as satisfactory for our parents-to-be as possible.”

The post Infertility, are you at risk? appeared first on Health Awareness.

Whether you’re thinking of starting a family or would simply like to know how to improve your fertility chances for the future, there are some key factors that you need to be aware of. 

Monitor your general health

It’s no secret that leading an unhealthy lifestyle by being overweight, smoking and/or regularly drinking alcohol can have a negative effect on mental and physical wellbeing. However, many people are surprised to learn just how much these factors can also put their fertility at risk. If looking to conceive, men and women should maintain a healthy BMI, moderate their alcohol intake, and cut out smoking altogether in order to give themselves the best chance of success.

Whilst maintaining good general health is very important, extreme diets or lifestyles which involve having too low a body fat percentage can cause hormone imbalances which are detrimental to fertility. Therefore, it’s critical for men and women to keep testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen levels balanced and healthy.

Think about egg freezing

After the age of 35, female fertility starts to decline at a quicker rate. However, today more women are choosing to have a baby later in life due to career and lifestyle factors. In response to this, many women are now choosing to freeze or preserve their eggs to enhance their chances of conceiving through IVF when they are a bit older and feel ready to have a child.

If women wish to delay motherhood, then egg freezing is something to consider. With the introduction of new freezing techniques, the current success rates make it a viable option with some studies suggesting that frozen eggs do as well as fresh ones.

Consider your surroundings

Recent studies have shown that there has been a 50% decline in sperm counts in Western men over the last 40 years. One of the factors that is believed to be causing this decline is an increased exposure to harmful toxins, which are produced by industrial and agricultural sectors.

Men who want the best chance of conceiving can take measures to lessen the amount that they are exposed to these damaging toxins by eating organic or locally produced food with less pesticide exposure, minimising the use of plastic and PVC containers, avoiding extremely high temperatures for long periods of time, and evading environments where radiation is present.

Have an ‘MOT’

Even before trying to conceive, both couples and individuals may have concerns about their fertility health or be keen to optimise their fertility for when the time comes. A fertility ‘MOT’ involves a series of lifestyle and medical assessments which check for abnormalities and fertility risks.

For a lot of men and women, fertility doesn’t tend to be a priority until they decide to try for a baby, this is most often the time when underlying fertility issues come to light. Undergoing an MOT can be a worthwhile investment to help both individuals and couples gain clarity on their fertility health and plan for the future.

The post How to improve your chances of starting a family appeared first on Health Awareness.

If you need IVF to start a family, expect to pay for it – that’s the appalling and unfair situation in the UK.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, six out of ten people pay for their medical treatment. Where you live, your personal circumstances, medical situation and age are all factors determining whether you and your partner will be facing a potentially financially-crippling IVF bill of more than £10,000.

National recommendations

The national recommendation is for women under 40 to have three full IVF cycles, and women aged between 40-42 to have one full IVF cycle. This has been determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to be the most clinically-effective and cost-effective treatment for infertility. However, NICE’s guidance is not mandatory and, outside of Scotland, NHS fertility services are rationed unfairly. Fertility Network is campaigning hard to change this; last year over 100,000 people signed our #Scream4IVF online petition to end this unjust situation.

Scotland leads the way

Living in Scotland gives you the best chance of accessing NHS fertility treatment. Scotland provides three full IVF cycles for clinically eligible women under the age of 40, plus one full IVF cycle for women aged between 40-42.

Wales provides two full IVF cycles for clinically eligible women under the age of 40, plus one full IVF cycle for women aged between 40-42. Northern Ireland provides just one partial IVF cycle for women under 40.

England is an IVF blackspot

Access to NHS fertility treatment is at its worst in England and depends on your GP’s postcode. Six areas in England don’t offer any NHS IVF at all; 70% offer only one full or partial cycle; 15% offer two IVF cycles and just 12% offer three full cycles.

New ways to ration IVF

England’s Clinical Commissioning Groups also ration access to NHS IVF by introducing their own access criteria. These additional access criteria are not part of NICE’s guidance and should not be used to determine who is eligible for treatment.

A national disgrace

You may be denied access to NHS IVF because: you are over 35, your husband’s body mass index is deemed unacceptable, your husband is too old, either you or your husband has a child from a previous relationship, or you have not been trying to conceive for long enough (two years in some areas, three years in others). For the country that pioneered IVF, it’s a national disgrace.

www.fertilitynetworkuk.org  | www.fertilityshow.co.uk

The post Opinion: A national disgrace, the IVF postcode lottery appeared first on Health Awareness.

Since then, I have written another book and founded Fertility Fest – the world’s first arts festival dedicated to fertility. Oh, and I’ve also run the London Marathon, swum the English Channel and am training to climb Mount Everest next year – to raise awareness of what it means to struggle to create the family you long for.

I don’t necessarily advocate this is as a way to live a life – it’s come out of a lot of heart-break and sometimes it’s pretty exhausting – but I feel passionate about improving fertility education and helping more people create the families they dream of – with or without children, with or without reproductive science.

“IVF is a modern miracle”

IVF is a modern miracle – since it was pioneered in the UK, 40 years ago, it has created millions of babies worldwide. It’s no longer the preserve of heterosexual couples experiencing fertility problems, it’s increasingly being used by same sex couples and single people with no fertility problems at all.

Plus new and emerging reproductive technologies mean that it’s only a matter of time before it completely changes the way the human race is made – eradicating genetic diseases, even giving people the opportunity to select particular traits for their children. But – and it’s a big but – it doesn’t work every time for everyone and this is something that needs to be understood much more.

IVF can be an emotional, physical and financial roller-coaster

If you are on the fertility treatment roller-coaster you need to be prepared for the biggest physical, emotional and possibly financial journey of your life. The disappointing decline of IVF on the NHS means the majority of patients have to pay for their treatment and, like me, you may find yourself re-mortgaging your house.

So here’s a little advice from an IVF veteran. My top three tips for anyone going through fertility treatment:

1. Do your research

Choose your clinic carefully, seek a diagnosis and make sure that you understand the reason for the treatments you are being prescribed (remembering that this is an emerging area of healthcare and there’s still a lot we don’t know so you need to become an expert in your own body, listen to all the advice and trust your instinct). The HFEA (the Government Regulator of fertility treatment) is a great resource, as is The Fertility Show (the UK’s largest patient event) which takes place in Manchester in March and London in November.

2. Get yourself some emotional support

I always say that by far the worst part of IVF treatment is not what’s happening to your body, it’s what’s going on in your head. Infertility is possibly one of the hardest things any human can go through. But There’s an increasing amount of support available – from social media communities to trained fertility counsellors and coaches; from support groups to events like Fertility Fest. Check out the website of Fertility Network UK – the national charity supporting people with fertility problems for information.

3. Don’t give up on ‘Project You’ for ‘Project Baby

I lost a decade of life to my pursuit of motherhood, trying to control something that was ultimately out of my control. Creating a family is very important, but there are other things to achieve in life that can bring you joy as well. I’m not suggesting you necessarily need to go and swim a sea or a climb mountain. But it is an option and one that’s very fulfilling as well. The important thing is to live life as big and bravely as possible: whatever your fertility story, however it ends.

Jessica Hepburn is an author, arts producer and adventure activist. She has written two books The Pursuit of Motherhood (2014) and 21 Miles: swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood (2018). In 2016 she founded Fertility Fest, the world’s first arts festival dedicated to fertility, infertility, the science of making babies and modern families. This year’s flagship festival takes place at London’s Barbican 23^rd April – 18^th May – with smaller satellite festivals throughout the year including The Fertility Show Manchester on 23 & 24 March.

Other resources: The HFEA | The Fertility Show | Fertility Network UK

The post IVF and Me: Jessica Hepburn appeared first on Health Awareness.

“With up to 50% of women struggling to identify when they’re most fertile using traditional ovulation tests,¹ the use of myLotus a brand new technology, for anyone trying for a baby will, for the first time, accurately track their personal hormone levels at home.” says Matthew Walls.

How do I identify my most fertile days?

If you are trying for a baby, knowing when you are about to ovulate can improve your chances of conception. As your body prepares for ovulation, your luteinising hormone (LH) concentration levels rise; this is known as the ‘LH surge’. Now, with the latest lab-quality technology, women can track their LH levels and identify their surge to determine when they’re most fertile, providing them with knowledge of their cycle and ultimately boosting their chances of getting pregnant.

What if I don’t fit in the ‘average’ ovulation profile?

Over 50 per cent of women do not fit into the ‘average’ ovulation profile¹, and as such, may not be able to detect their most fertile days using standard fertility monitors. 

Fertility expert and myLotus ambassador Dr Larisa Corda says, “LH levels vary greatly from woman-to-woman, but even women with low LH levels can have an LH  surge. Knowing when you are about to ovulate is invaluable when it comes to trying to conceive. This technology is sensitive to even the lowest levels of LH and is personal to you.”

How will knowing about my LH surge help?

“Identifying your LH surge means that you can see which days you are most fertile. You can optimise your chances of success by having sex on the days just prior to ovulation and on the day of ovulation itself – normally giving a window of up to 48 hours,” says Dr Corda. “Your LH surge is a useful, reliable indicator of when you’re about to ovulate.”

What can affect my LH levels?

There are multiple conditions and lifestyle habits than can affect levels of LH, including fluctuations in weight, stress, emotional issues, dieting and the presence of other chronic illnesses. Conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which affects one in five women in the UK², can cause an imbalance in sex hormones. This is because women with PCOS typically over produce testosterone and LH. Dr Corda says, “Having higher levels of LH means that women with PCOS find it much more difficult to identify their LH surge and ovulation windows because they’re starting with higher levels anyway – sometimes they don’t know if they have ovulated or not.”

 “Ovulation is such a complex and sensitive process which is why a test that uses averages isn’t going to be as reliable. This new technology provides a real-time number for the LH surge and specifically indicates when you’re actually about to ovulate.” Dr Corda adds.

Knowledge is power

Sarah Shakib from Swansea says, “I wanted to pinpoint ovulation to make it easier for me and my partner, but with the tests I was using, I never got a positive result, which suggested that I wasn’t ovulating at all. However, with the myLotus Fertility Monitor, I now know where I am in my cycle at any given time. I have my LH numbers and the app shows my graph explaining my fertility levels – it’s like having your own little science lab at home. I now have control over my fertility and a stronger understanding of how my cycle works.”

For more information, visit www.mylotus.com

^{1 Alliende (2002) Mean versus individual hormonal profiles in the menstrual cycle; Fertility and Sterility}

The post Knowledge is power when it comes to fertility appeared first on Health Awareness.