Many women choose to see a specialist for women’s health issues. However, 95% of women’s health conditions can be managed by a knowledgeable general practitioner. If you require specialist care, we’ll refer you on to our fantastic team of specialists. 

We recommend annual check-ups to monitor overall health including blood pressure, medication, breast examination, etc

Your first pap smear should be at the age of 25. However, if you were sexually active at 18 years of age or younger, we recommend starting younger. 

The International Gynaecological Societies recommend that PAP smears are repeated every 2 to 3 years, if your result was normal.

However, HPV testing is now recommended as the primary screening tool for cervical cancer. 

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) testing is primarily used to detect high-risk HPV types that are associated with cervical cancer.

It’s used as the main way to screen for cervical cancer between the ages of 25 and 65. 

The procedure is exactly the same as a PAP smear and can be repeated every 3-5 years if negative for high-risk strains.

There is an extensive range of options that include the Combined Oral Contraceptive pill, Patch, Vaginal Ring, Implanon, Injections, and Intra-uterine Devices 

The cost is R2660 for the insertion of the IUD. This does not include the cost of the IUD itself, that you will need to purchase from your pharmacy. 

We offer local anaesthetic or conscious sedation for IUD insertions. The conscious sedation is provided by an external sedation specialist at an additional cost of R1800.

Perimenopause can start approximately 5 to 7 years before menopause, it can be earlier for some. There is no one sign as women experience various signs and symptoms – increased and unreasonable anxiety, palpitations, tinnitus, mood swings, thinning hair – there are so many, and can be different from day to day. Come chat about them and we can try untangling it together.

We look at the benefits that women get from HRT - the benefits for heart health and bone strength are key. We want women to understand the benefits and risks and be part of the decision-making process on whether they want HRT or not. It’s different for everyone and you should be informed and empowered to make the decision that’s right for you.

We would discuss your symptoms and together with a whole picture of your history, risks and benefits we would look at HRT (also known as Menopause Hormone Therapy - MHT) as an option that can work for you. Part of the discussion will be around changes to your lifestyle and diet that may help with your symptoms or reviewing alternatives to HRT.

If your periods become irregular over a period of 6 months and don’t seem to be settling and there are other additional symptoms, it’s worth coming to have a chat to work out what the cause could be. So many things can affect your cycle, including stress and grief, but it could also be hormonal shifts and changes.

If you feel like something is coming out of your vagina, you likely have a prolapse. This could either be your cervix/womb, your bladder, or rectum. Also, if you have any faecal or urinary incontinence, it’s important to assess for prolapse to manage it. At our practice, we assess prolapse and incontinence during the consultation and use an ultrasound scan to see if the organs move down during the ‘bearing down’ action. 

Dr Amy Pearce offers gynae ultrasounds and performs them as required during consultations. If Dr Natalie Clarke or Dr Fumi Kokoali has a patient that requires a gynae ultrasound, Dr Amy Pearce usually steps into the room to perform the ultrasound scan.