My Health Record
You have most likely heard about My Health Record recently in the news or from your local doctor. In a society that is ever more technologically connected, it is a way for your medical records to be accessed quickly and securely online from any computer and device that has an internet connection.…
Young people were asked to take STI test in exchange for entry to VIP area at Splendour in the Grass
SPLENDOUR in the Grass revellers were asked to take a sexually transmitted infection (STI) test, in exchange for entry into a VIP area at the festival last weekend. Health authorities provided Chlamydia testing for young people at Splendour in the Grass as part of the award-winning Down to Test…
NSW Abortion Exclusion Zone Bill Passed
On June 8 this year, a New South Wales abortion clinic ‘safe zone’ bill passed the Lower House, meaning protesters who intimidate or harass people within 150 metres of hospitals or clinics that provide terminations, can now face punishment including fines and jail time. This abortion exclusion…
Ireland Abortion Legalised After Referendum
On May 25 Ireland abortion laws lifted their 35-year ban through a controversial and successful abortion referendum. The majority ‘yes’ vote at the polls now means the women of Ireland will have the right to legally terminate their pregnancy up until the 12-week mark; something they have previously…
Understanding the new HPV vaccine
The new HPV vaccine is available in Australia as part of the National Immunisation Program (NIP). The new nonavalent human papillomavirus is available as a two-dose schedule and replaces the old three-dose quadrivalent vaccine. Parents of girls and boys in the 12-13 age bracket will now be able to…
Tasmanian Abortion Clinics
Federal Labor has pledged $1 million towards funding a public abortion clinic. The move follows the closure of a Tasmanian abortion clinic, forcing women to travel interstate to receive surgical abortions. After the recent closure of an abortion clinic, the funds will help build a stand-alone…
Changes to Pap Smear Testing
There’s good news for women as the biennial pap smear is being phased out in favour of a new test capable of detecting the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the virus responsible for over 99 percent of cervical cancers. Cervical cancer is the number one killer of women in the world, with more than 800…
Management of Irregular Bleeding in Women on Contraception
While it’s quite normal for many women to experience menstrual bleeding when they have reached the end of a packet of birth control pills or other hormonal contraceptive methods, some women may notice irregular or breakthrough (uterine) bleeding. Other birth control methods may also cause…
Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs)
Condoms and the birth control pill are the most widely used forms of contraception, but not completely reliable. Pills can be forgotten, and condoms can break. However, they are both reasonably accessible, cheap, easy to come by, and using them is a relatively minor decision when compared to the…
You may be pregnant? Things to consider…
The idea that you may be pregnant, unplanned pregnancy or not, can produce a flurry of thoughts and emotions that cascade through your mind all at once. Pregnancy scares can be confronting, especially if you have been taking precautions, but perhaps the biggest concern for most women is about what…