The Gynae Guide

25/12/2022

Merry Christmas! 🎄 We know that for some people this time of the year can be overwhelming and stressful! Here are our tips to help you enjoy your Christmas holidays to its fullest potential!

15/12/2022

You’ve probably heard that UK nurses are striking for the first time ever, but do you know all the reasons why? Nurses are asking for inflation-matched pay from the government not only to ensure a fair wage but also so that they can:
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1. Make a living - Experienced nurses’ salary has fallen 20% in real terms since 2010 and almost 1 in 5 nurses are using food banks to feed themselves and their families.
2. Ensure safe staffing levels - >40,000 nurses left the NHS from Jan - June 2022, and 34% of nurses are planning to leave the profession for better paid jobs. 1 in 3 cited this was because they wanted a better work-life balance and 1 in 5 cited too much pressure at work.
3. Ensure safe patient care - Staff shortages are undermining efforts to give safe and effective care. Only 21% of nurses say there are enough staff to do their job properly and over a third of nurses are unhappy with the standard of care provided by their organisation.
4. Safeguard their mental health - Almost half of nurses reported they felt burnt out due to work. Rates of su***de amongst nurses are 23% higher than the general population in England
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Want to stand in solidarity with nurses on strike for a fair wage and safer NHS? Visit the picket lines outside the main entrance of various hospitals across England - you can find full details on page.
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Sources: NHS Staff Survey 2021, Royal College of Nursing, The Nuffield Trust, ONS, NursingTimes

08/03/2022

Happy International Women’s Day Queens, you are infinitely more powerful than you know👑💪🏻
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01/07/2020

Queens support other queens 👑 ⠀
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25/06/2020

Happy acne awareness month, Queens!⠀
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Around 1 in 10 people of all ages worldwide currently have acne (Tan et al, 2015), making it an incredibly common skin condition. With 95% of people aged 11 to 30 affected by acne to some extent (NHS), many of us will have struggled with acne at some point in our lives. Regardless of where you are on your skin journey, remember that you are beautiful❤️⠀
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Unfortunately, there are many myths about acne causes and treatments circulating on social media, some of which are doing more harm than good. This month, let’s all seek to educate ourselves on acne and dispel these myths! We’ve mentioned some of the incorrect information in our infographic; for reliable sources of information regarding acne, please check out the following pages run by dermatologists across the globe:⠀
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⠀somaskin ⠀
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The acne support website (link in bio) run by the British Association of Dermatologists is also a fantastic resource for reliable information regarding explanations for common acne myths, causes and treatments.⠀
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Have you ever been affected by acne? We’d love to hear about your journey in the comments!⠀
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Love, TGG x

19/06/2020

Many women believe that the contraceptive pill can cause weight gain, but is there actually any scientific evidence to support this?⠀
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💊 A scientific paper reviewing 44 different studies (Grimes et al, 2006) concluded there was no evidence to suggest that taking hormonal contraceptive pills led to weight gain. Furthermore, in 2 studies comparing weight gain in women on the pill for 6 months against women who weren’t, there was no significant difference in weight gain between the 2 groups. (Coney et al 2001, Reubinoff et al 1995)⠀
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🧪 Grimes also looked at whether different combinations of hormones contained within the pills, such as the progestogen-only pill or combined oestrogen & progestogen pill, caused weight gain. Again, there was no evidence to suggest that any combination of hormone within the contraceptive pill would lead to weight gain.⠀
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💧 Some women, however, still do report experiencing weight gain when starting the contraceptive pill; the reason for this is likely a transient side effect of retaining more water, and is likely to subside after 2-3 months or on stopping the pill. The weight gain experienced by users has been demonstrated in 2 studies to not be due to body fat, after both 6 and 12 months of taking the pill. (Reubinoff et al 1995, Milsom et al 2006)⠀
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❓So why do many of us still believe that contraceptive pills make us gain weight? Well, early forms of the hormonal birth control pills (developed 60 years ago) contained very high levels of oestrogen and progestogen. In high doses, oestrogen can cause weight gain through both increasing your appetite and causing you to retain more fluid than usual; however, modern pills contain much lower levels of hormones, thus weight gain is unlikely to be a problem.⠀
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📞 Ultimately, if you’re considering taking the contraceptive pill, then don’t be put off by the misconception that it will cause weight gain! This may be true for a small number of women but the effects are usually transient. If you’re worried about or would like to discuss your contraception, please contact your GP.⠀
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Let us know your thoughts in the comments!⠀
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Love, TGG x

14/06/2020

Let’s talk about period poops! 💩⠀
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Do you experience looser stools or more frequent motions during your period? Some women also experience constipation just before their periods are due. If this is you, you’re not alone! According to Bernstein et al (2014), 73% of women experience period-related changes in their bowels. Why? Hormones are the main culprits!⠀
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❔Why do I get looser stools?⠀
Prior to menstruating, prostaglandins (a type of hormone) are released by the body to stimulate contraction of the muscles within the womb to help shed the lining during your period. In many women, higher levels of these prostaglandins can also reach and stimulate the muscles within the bowel walls to contract, leading to more frequent motions. Stools can also be softer since prostaglandins reduce the bowel’s ability to absorb water from the stools.⠀
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❔Why do I get constipation?⠀
Another hormone called progesterone, which is at high levels just before your period, can also cause your digestive system to slow down, particularly if coupled with low levels of prostaglandins, resulting in constipation just before/during your period. Another theory suggests that higher levels of oestrogen, on the other hand, may be a cause for period-related constipation.⠀
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Ultimately, period poops are completely normal, but contact your GP if you’re concerned, particularly if you experience a sudden, persistent change in your bowel habits.⠀
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Have you ever experienced period poops? Have you found ways of dealing with them? Let us know in the comments below!⠀
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Love, TGG x

11/06/2020

You deserve the best, don’t ever doubt it💪🏻 ⠀
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09/06/2020

Many of us women feel that the contraceptive burden is primarily placed on our shoulders; with 11 contraceptive options for females & only 2 for males, the responsibility to prevent unwanted pregnancies typically falls on us. But why, after 4 decades of research into male contraception, is this the case? It simply comes down to ideology & technology.⠀
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💭 Regarding ideology, societal & gender norms have historically made contraception & reproduction a woman’s issue, leading to male partners taking less responsibility in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Statistically, women plan & execute contraception in 60% of sexual encounters (Heinemann et al 2005).⠀
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💊 This has arguably led to less research into male contraception, which only began 50 years after research into female contraception. There’s also been a perceived lack of market interest in male contraception by pharmaceutical companies, deterring them from investing in research & product development. However, attitudes are changing, with 55% of men worldwide reporting that they’re willing to use hormonal contraception (Heinemann et al 2005).⠀
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🧬 Despite our move towards accepting shared contraceptive responsibility between men & women, there are scientific & ‘technological’ barriers to developing male contraception. Firstly, many studies were terminated due to intolerable side effects. Secondly, the physiological differences between males & females make it much harder to inhibit s***m production compared with ovulation, which can be stopped with a low concentration of naturally produced female hormones.⠀
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💉 RISUG, a new form of male contraception is currently being tested, but progress has been slowed by lack of volunteers. Vasalgel, another method based on RISUG, is currently under development, but there’s been little progress in bringing the product to market.⠀
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Ultimately, moving forward, the development of male contraception depends on the progression ideology & technology. We all need to accept a shared contraceptive responsibility with our sexual partners, which in turn propagates interest in & research into male contraception.⠀
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Let us know your thoughts in the comments!⠀
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Love, TGG x

03/06/2020

Racial inequalities exist at every level, even within healthcare. Spread the word.

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We’re not black, but we see you.
We’re not black, but we hear you.
We’re not black, but we mourn with you.
We’re not black, but we will fight for you.

02/06/2020

28/05/2020

Happy World MH Day, queens! 👑 ⠀
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🩸 The day’s aim is to smash taboos around menstruation and create a world in which everyone is empowered to manage menstruation safely with confidence and without shame. However, we support the movement to change the day’s name from World Menstrual Hygiene Day to World Menstrual Health Day!⠀
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🩸 The words we use to describe women’s health can have very powerful connotations; by using the phrase ‘menstrual hygiene’, we’re reinforcing the taboos through associating periods with dirtiness; periods are anything but dirty, they are an indicator of normal reproductive/gynaecological health. Using the term ‘menstrual health’ would therefore empower us to break down these barriers and speak openly about all things period-related, as we should be doing!💪🏻 After all, we speak about sexual health, not sexual hygiene; why should periods be any different?⠀
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🩸 Let’s help support the movement and sign their petition so that we can really smash taboos and make menstruation a completely normal topic to talk about!⠀
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Once again, happy World Menstrual Health Day, queens!❤️⠀
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Love, TGG x⠀
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