ABSTRACT

Obstetrics and gynaecology Women’s health forms a large part of clinical practice, and includes pregnancy, childbirth, disorders of menstruation, pelvic tumours, incontinence or prolapse, contraception, and fertility. Much of the time the patients are not ill, but the role of healthcare professionals is to identify when something is becoming abnormal, and then to act appropriately. Technological developments are both exciting and diverse, but accurate and sensitive history taking – together with gentle examination – is the cornerstone of good care and will never let you down. To highlight the need for our care, consider the figures for maternal mortality. In a westernized country such as the UK there are 600,000 deliveries a year, and maternal mortality is 8 per 100,000 deliveries. By contrast, in some parts of Africa maternal mortality rises to 1 in 30 deliveries.