July Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter. We will regularly bring to your attention any new developments in the clinic and highlight various aspects of womens health which may be of interest to you. We hope you find this helpful and informative.

We are delighted to announce that Emma Dilley has recently joined us as our new Practice Nurse. Emma is a qualified nurse and midwife with many years of experience in women's health. She has extensive experience in running her own independent clinics, and among the services she will provide will be smear taking, antenatal visits and STI screening. These nurse only clinics will be at a reduced cost to patients.

Did you know that as a patient of the clinic you are entitled to use the services of the local out of hours cooperative GP Service (DL Doc).

Dr. Mackey is a member of the DLDOC out of hours service which is run from the outpatient department in St Michaels Hospital, Dun Laoghaire. This is a service provided by a co-operative of local General Practitioners. This is an appointment system which greatly reduces waiting time for patients as well as avoiding A&E departments. The fee is €70. Details regarding the out of hours consultation are faxed directly to the Womens Health Clinic the same day to allow for continuity of care.

The DLDOC opening times are Monday - Friday 6pm-10pm and Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays 10am-6pm.

Stress is unfortunately part of every woman's life, particularly in more recent times. But for some women this can be more serious and take the form of an anxiety disorder. This is when your worries and fears are so constant that they interfere with your ability to function and relax. This can cause both physical and psychological symptoms. The physical symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest tightness and a racing pulse. The psychological symptoms include difficulty sleeping, irritability and inability to concentrate.

Treatment includes both helping yourself with lifestyle changes such as learning to cope with stress through relaxation techniques, eliminating caffeine, improving your diet and introducing an exercise regimen. Sometimes professional help is required and this is usually in the form of therapy.

Medication can be helpful in the short term, but long-term resolution of anxiety lies with therapy and self awareness.

Many women think that "the pill" is the only option when it comes to contraception; that is, the combination of oestrogen and progesterone in a pill form taken for 21 days with a 7 day break. This is a great form of contraception and suitable for most women. However there are other options:

• Remembering to take a pill every day can prove difficult and Nuvaring can be the answer - a flexible small vaginal ring which is inserted for 21 days at a time and provides the same level of contraceptive cover.
• If headaches, PMS and painful periods are a problems for you on the pill then Yaz might suit you better - a 24 day pill which greatly reduces these unwanted symptoms.
• If you have epilepsy, suffer with severe migraine or have a personal history of blood clots a new progesterone only pill might be the answer - Cerazette is a daily progesterone pill which provides the same contraception cover as the combined pill but is no longer has to be taken within a 3 hour period, as with the older progesterone only pills.