Women’s health – articles and advice
Birth control
Features on women’s health, from menstrual health to menopause and beyond. For detailed reference, see our Patient Information Leaflets on women’s health.
Birth control
Birth control gives you choices about when to have children. Learn about the different methods, how they work, and which might suit you best.
- Will we ever have a male contraceptive pill?
- Does hormonal contraception affect fertility after you stop taking it?
- Which medications can affect your contraception?
- The pros and cons of female condoms
- Does the contraceptive pill increase your risk of blood clots?
- Secret shoppers: Are women given the best contraception advice?
- What's the future of contraception?
- How long to wait before your second baby
- Is it safe to skip your period on the pill?
- Should you consider the copper coil for emergency contraception?
- What to do about contraception after giving birth
- Does hormonal contraception affect your sex drive?
- Are fertility apps a reliable form of contraception?
- When will I become fertile again after coming off contraception?
- Do contraceptive pills change your behaviour?
- What is post-birth control syndrome?
- What happens when you come off the pill?
- Signs you're on the wrong contraceptive pill
- Can you prevent breakthrough bleeding on the pill?
- Which types of condoms are best for preventing pregnancy?
Long-acting reversible contraceptives
- Should you change your contraception to the coil or implant?
Hormone pills patches and rings
- Morning after pill myths debunked
- What to expect when you take the morning after pill
- Easy ways to get the pill: options beyond the GP surgery
Breast problems
Breast lumps, pain, or discharge can be worrying. Learn what’s normal, what needs checking, and how most breast changes are harmless.
- What to expect during a breast screening
- Why we need to talk about breast implant illness
- Anatomy of the breast
- What's causing your breast pain?
- Is your bra harming your health?
- Do you check your breasts?
Breast cancer
- Personalised blood test detects return of breast cancer
- How to check for breast cancer and what a lump feels like
- How to cope with metastatic breast cancer
- What happens when you find out you’re BRCA positive?
- Being a 'morning person' lowers risk of breast cancer
- Clinical Pilates: a support to breast cancer recovery
- What it's like to have breast cancer when you're a man
- Swap beef for chicken to reduce breast cancer risk, suggests study
- What it's like to be a breast surgeon with breast cancer
- Why we all need to be 'breast aware'
- Early breast cancer care
Fertility
Trying for a baby? Learn about factors that affect fertility in men and women, and when it may be time to seek help.
- How common is male infertility, and what causes it?
- Video: How much does PCOS affect fertility?
- How your lifestyle may be a cause of low sperm count
- Scientists develop sperm separation method for sex selection
- How an underactive thyroid affects fertility
- Do anabolic steroids cause infertility?
- Junk food diet linked to low sperm count
- Protecting your mental health during fertility treatment
- The truth about getting pregnant after 40
- The truth about egg freezing
- What not to say to someone experiencing infertility
- Does your ethnicity influence your fertility success?
- Why is egg freezing on the rise and is it safe?
Menopause and HRT
Menopause marks the end of menstrual cycles. Learn about symptoms like hot flushes and mood changes, and how hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help.
Other women's health problems
Women face many health concerns beyond reproductive or hormonal issues. Learn about less common conditions and how to get advice and care when you need it.
- Genitourinary prolapse treatment options
- Why the heart disease gender gap is costing women their lives
- What's causing your lower abdominal pain?
- Pelvic pain: a woman's guide to common causes
- Why do women feel the cold more than men?
- Living with endometriosis - Keisha's story
- Breaking down the gender health gap
- Should vaginal mesh surgery be banned?
- Should you worry about pelvic pain in pregnancy?
- Is women's pain taken seriously?
- Can changing your diet ease endometriosis symptoms?
- What it’s like to have pelvic inflammatory disease
- Is adenomyosis the cause of your heavy, painful periods?
- 7 tips to help relieve endometriosis pain
Periods and period problems
Heavy bleeding, painful cramps or irregular cycles? Learn what’s normal, when to seek help, and how period problems are diagnosed and treated.
- How does your period impact your sleep?
- Why are more young women losing their periods due to restrictive diets and excessive exercise?
- What causes heavy periods and abnormal vaginal bleeding?
- Should you exercise during period times?
- Is your PMS depression really PMDD?
- How to look after your mental health during your menstrual cycle
- How to get rid of period cramps
- How to alter your language around menstruation to be more inclusive
- How much period pain is normal?
- Could your PMS be PMDD?
- What a missed period could mean if you're not pregnant
- Can changing your diet improve PMS?
- How to deal with your period at a festival
- Video: What is the best way to get rid of period pain?
- How to clean your menstrual cup
- How to have a more eco-friendly period
- First period - supporting your child when they start menstruation
- Is it normal to experience ovulation pain?
- How to delay your period - is it safe to take norethisterone?
- Are period blood clots normal?
- Painful periods cost women nine days of productivity every year
- Menstrual cups as safe and effective as pads and tampons
- Can menstrual cups help fight period poverty?
- Should you buy a menstrual cup? Eco-friendly period products
- Period blood loss chart
- Why you should be tracking your period
- Period poverty: a public health crisis
- How to manage your period in school
- Could your period pain be endometriosis?
- Quiz: When will I get my first period?
Pregnancy
Pregnancy brings exciting but sometimes worrying changes. Learn what to expect, from early symptoms to antenatal care and preparing for birth.
Uterine problems
Conditions like fibroids or endometriosis affect the uterus. Learn about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options to manage discomfort and improve wellbeing.
Vaginal and vulval problems
Itching, dryness or pain can affect confidence. Learn about common vaginal and vulval health issues and when to speak to your doctor.
- Simple ways to help prevent vaginal thrush
- Vaginal ‘health gummies’ - Why the trend for improving our vaginas is harmful
- Bacterial vaginosis in pregnancy: What you need to know
- How life events and ageing can change your vagina
- What do normal labia look like?
- What is vulvar dermatitis?
- Is your lifestyle giving you thrush?
- What to do about lumps on the vagina or vulva
- How to talk to your doctor about your vagina
- Should you clean your vagina?
- Myths about the hymen debunked
- How to manage lichen sclerosus and genital itching
- What can cause a smelly vagina after sex?
- What your vaginal odour could mean
- What your vaginal discharge could be trying to tell you
- Thrush in pregnancy: what you can and can't do
- Understanding vaginal cysts
Women's sexual health
Women’s sexual health changes over time. Learn about conditions like vaginal dryness, pain during sex, and how to seek discreet help.
- How to orgasm more easily during sex
- The health benefits of sex toys
- The female reproductive system
- Can women take Viagra?
- What can cause low libido in women?
- The most likely causes of pain during sex
- Understanding vulvodynia and why it causes painful sex
- How to overcome vaginismus and relax your pelvic floor