Volume 1, Number 2, July-Aug-Sept 2009

POPULAR
TOPICEDITORIALEditorial
Dr Anne Connolly

First, thank you for your very positive feedback to our first issue. We have received an excellent response, and you tell us that we are giving busy GPs and nurses the need-to-know information and practical tools they need to manage their female patients.

EVIDENCE IN PRACTICEEvidence in Practice

There are just not enough hours in the day to read all the research journals, even if you wanted to. This section of PCWHJ – Evidence in Practice – will keep you on top of relevant research without having to spend hours in the library. Each review gives you a bite-size summary of new research, pulling out key points for primary care and recommending the action that you might consider taking.

THERAPEUTICS REVIEWFrom poison to promise: botulinum toxin and the bladder
Brice Rodriguez

Generally considered a cosmetic treatment for facial wrinkles, botulinum toxin (BT-A) is proving a promising treatment for bladder disorders. But what actually is botulinum toxin, how does it work, and are there any risks? This article aims to answer these questions to help primary care professionals advise women contemplating this treatment.

POPULAR
TOPICDISEASE FOCUSThe right treatment for abnormal vaginal discharge

All women have vaginal discharge, some more than others. But it is usually a change in the amount or type of discharge that causes a woman to consult her GP or practice nurse. This article explains how to distinguish between normal and pathological vaginal discharge, and how to choose the approach most likely to reassure the patient and resolve her symptoms.

BACK TO BASICSBack to Basics: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

POPULAR
TOPICPREVENTION IN PRACTICEHPV vaccination: an injection of success in primary care
Julie Oliver

Since the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination programme was introduced in autumn 2008, most PCTs have been very successful in reaching the routine target group of girls aged 12-13 years. It has been more challenging to deliver the vaccine to older girls but, as this article explains, both patients and practices can benefit if vaccination is offered as part of more general health promotion.

POPULAR
TOPICQUALITY MATTERSLifting the curse: NICE's approach to heavy periods
Andrea Joy Hotchkin, Fiona Marsh

Heavy periods have a major impact on a woman’s quality of life. In the past, hysterectomy was the firstline treatment. But there is now a wide range of NICE-endorsed options that very effectively lift the curse of heavy menstrual bleeding.

MONITORINGGoing with the flow in urodynamics
Stephanie Kinight

Women presenting with urinary incontinence can often be successfully treated in primary care with bladder retraining, pelvic floor muscle exercises and anticholinergic medication as appropriate. But some do not respond to conservative treatment and need referral to secondary care for investigation with urodynamics.

POPULAR
TOPICWHILE I'M HERECould it be early menopause?
Debra Holloway

A 40-year-old woman with hot flushes, tearfulness and low libido could be going through early menopause. But there might be other explanations for her symptoms, and a careful history and investigation are essential to ensure that she receives the right treatment.

PATIENT INFOTreating your heavy periods

CLICK HEREWelcome to verity-pcos.org.uk
Kathy Abernethy, Debra Holloway

There is a wealth of information online, but assessing a website takes time that is just not available in a busy general practice. So Click Here does the job for you. This issue, we review Verity, a site designed to provide support and information to women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

HAVE YOU HEARD?Have you heard?