Women's Health

Available treatment options

Because women's health covers so many areas, I categorise our pharmaceutical tools into four main groups:

• Combined Contraception: For standard contraception, I often start patients on reliable pills like Microgynon 30, Rigevidon, Ovranette, or Levest. If a patient struggles with hormonal acne or water retention, I might suggest Yasmin, Lucette, Marvelon, Mercilon, Femodene, Femodette, Katya, or Zoely. For those wanting a phased approach to mimic natural cycles, Logynon and Qlaira are excellent. If remembering a daily pill is hard, Evra Patches offer a brilliant weekly alternative.
• Progesterone-Only & Period Management: For women who cannot take oestrogen, progesterone-only pills (the mini-pill) like Cerazette or Noriday are my go-to. If you simply need to delay a period for a holiday or event, short courses of Norethisterone or Provera are highly effective.
• PCOS, Acne & Hair Growth: For hirsutism (excess hair) or severe PCOS-related acne, Dianette or generic Co-cyprindiol can be transformative. We also use the topical cream Vaniqa directly on facial hair. Occasionally, I manage patients using oral medications like Spironolactone and Finasteride off-label to block male hormones causing hair issues.
• HRT & Menopause: Transdermal oestrogen is my preferred starting point; gels like Oestrogel, or patches like Evorel and Estraderm MX, absorb directly into the bloodstream. Oral oestrogen options include Elleste Solo and Zumenon. If you still have a womb, you must protect it with a progesterone, ideally body-identical Utrogestan. We also have combination HRT options—both sequential (Femoston, Novofem, Trisequens) and continuous (Femoston Conti, Kliofem, Kliovance, Indivina). Livial is a unique synthetic alternative that can be particularly good for low libido.
• Pelvic Health: For urogenital atrophy (vaginal dryness/pain), localized treatments like Vagifem or Estriol cream are life-changing. For stress urinary incontinence, Yentreve can be prescribed to strengthen the urethral sphincter.

What to expect from treatment

Hormonal treatments require patience. I always advise my patients to give any new pill or HRT regimen a full three months to settle. A vital clinical pearl: Taking a progesterone-only pill at the exact same hour every day doesn't just maintain contraceptive efficacy—it dramatically reduces the incidence of nuisance breakthrough bleeding, which is the number one reason my patients abandon the mini-pill.

Self-care and prevention

Medication is only half the picture. Bone health is critical as oestrogen drops; ensure you get adequate calcium and take a daily Vitamin D supplement. For vaginal health, do not underestimate the power of non-hormonal vaginal moisturizers used regularly, alongside localized oestrogen, to maintain tissue elasticity and prevent recurrent urinary tract infections.