Manchester Pharmacy give away 1,000s of condoms for Sexual Health Week

Sexual Health Week began on Monday, running until the 21 September, and this year the focus is on emergency contraception. The week-long campaign is one that has been proudly supported by Medical Specialists® Pharmacy for a number of years and indeed this year is no different.

Run by the FPA (Family Planning Association) throughout England, Sexual Health Week is an annual health awareness event that aims to boost public understanding about the numerous sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and about all aspects of good sexual health in general.

Just like in previous years, Medical Specialists® are helping to support the campaign by giving away literally thousands of Skins Condoms to any patient who obtains sexual health products during the forthcoming week, such erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation treatment, a Clamelle chlamydia test kit, or emergency contraception like the Levonelle 1500 morning after pill.


Last year the spotlight was the XES We can’t go backwards campaign, the aims of which were to protect and promote sexual health and contraception services by fighting governmental budget cuts, policy changes, and more specifically the lack of easy access to contraception and sexual health services.

For 2014’s Sexual Health Week, the focus has shifted to emergency contraceptives, i.e. that awkward and frightening time…the morning after the night before when the couple possibly in the heat of the moment haven’t bothered to use a condom and/or other contraception might have failed.

For the event, the FPA recently conducted a survey involving more than 2,000 women throughout the UK to discover more about the myths that still exist with regards to emergency contraception and found that alarmingly, many women still are not using emergency contraception following unprotected sex or if their usual contraceptive method hasn’t worked.

As mentioned earlier, emergency contraceptive pills include Levonelle 1500, which if taken within three days (72 hours) of unprotected sex, will usually prevent pregnancy. However, women will need to speak to their doctor for more information about taking it within five days (120 hours) of having unprotected sex.

Levonelle 1500 contains a hormone called progestogen can be taken following unprotected sex or if a condom has accidentally come off or split , and is available right now from Medical Specialists® Pharmacy for just £22.50. Most women are eligible to take Levonelle but will need advice if prescribed certain medications, with the IUD potentially being more suited.

An emergency IUD is a tiny, plastic copper device placed into the uterus up to five days (120 hours) following unprotected sex, or within five days of the earliest time the woman may have released an egg. The downside is that it usually takes around 20 minutes to be fitted and can be uncomfortable for the woman to the extent a local anaesthetic may be required.

Alternatively, women can take ellaOne. This is a pill that contains ulipristal acetate and has to be taken within five days (120 hours) of having unprotected sex. Most women can take ellaOne but those with severe asthma, liver disease, or taking certain prescribed medicines or complementary medicines, may be more suitable for the emergency IUD.

The FPA have created a Sexual Health Week 2014 campaign pack comprising of posters and tons of useful information and advice about how health professionals can best discuss emergency contraception with patients.

Women should be aware that it is not an embarrassing thing having to request emergency contraception, it is a sign of being responsible, and the FPA and Medical Specialists® hope that more women feel confident and at ease enough to speak to their GP or local pharmacy about the different types of contraception suitable for them.

For further information you can go to Medical Specialists® website and contact our pharmacist by email, or visit the FPA website for more information about sexual health and services

Brits using cling film…instead of condoms?!

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy have heard of some truly ridiculous methods that couples are relying on in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy – all of which do not work we might add.

For example, alarmingly, some people genuinely believe absurd things like having sex in certain positions (i.e. standing up) can prevent the woman falling pregnant, or that a female can’t get pregnant the first time she has sex, or that somehow if she jumps up and down after sex then she will not fall pregnant. All are complete myths.

And joining these on the shocking list of useless contraception ideas is the fact that it appears many couples in Britain are dabbling in their own do-it-yourself methods of contraception, using household items as makeshift condoms. Cling film, latex gloves and sandwich bags are some of the things being used as condoms, found a new study.

German pharmaceutical giant Bayer Healthcare carried out a survey of 1,500 British women aged 25-34, finding that despite endless government initiatives on sexual health, despite pharmacies like ourselves providing the pill, a morning after pill and a variety of condoms, numerous worrying myths still exist in regards to family planning.

In fact, a quarter of the women that participated in the study were fully aware of couples trying the aforementioned DIY methods, but there were other findings to cause alarm.

A tenth thought women can’t fall pregnant during a period, with 17% admitting to relying on the withdrawal method on occasions.

However, many health experts believe that even with ‘pulling out’, is it possible that pre-ejaculate may collect enough sperm still in the urethra from a previous ejaculation to result in a pregnancy. The pulling out method also relies on a huge deal of trust from the woman and self-control from the man, and the latter is risky if the man suffers with premature ejaculation. Moreover, let’s not forget that without using a condom and simply pulling out will still leave both parties at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection like chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, HIV, and more.

With so many women relying on this withdrawal method, it is no surprise to learn that 30% of the women in the study confessed to having to resort to taking a morning after pill.

It seems better communication on the part of GPs is required after only 58% of women said their doctor had explored all avenues of contraception with them.

Contraceptive pills such as Yasmin and Dianette were by far the most popular choices of contraception, with 48% choosing the pill as their regular contraception method. Meanwhile, nearly a third of those surveyed were not aware of the existence of a hormonal implant and 27% did not know there was a contraceptive injection available.

Chlamydia testing leads to safer sex amongst young adults

If young adults are offered the chance to undergo a chlamydia test, this has positive ramifications for their sexual health and motivation to seek out healthcare in the future, according to a new report by Public Health England.

Contraception schemes – such as the providing of condoms – in addition to chlamydia screening, apparently can encourage safe sex behaviour for the future in young adults.

Testing for the highly common sexually transmitted infection (STI) chlamydia is normally advised on a yearly basis, or for sexually active people upon meeting a new partner. Screening for the disease is often implanted through primary care (general practices and pharmacies), community sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services (including termination of pregnancy services) and GUM clinics.

Not many realise it but in fact pharmacies such as Medical Specialists™  are at the forefront of providing sexual health services to the millions who require it.

This is not only vital to adults in the UK, but indeed the world, and include things such as medicine supply; this could be chlamydia treatment, genital herpes treatment, or treatment for gonorrhoea.
Also Medical Specialists™ can provide almost 100% accurate pregnancy tests to be used in the privacy and comfort of your own home, a wide variety of condoms to suit different preferences, emergency hormonal contraception (morning after pill), other contraceptive pills, and even a chlamydia test you can take at home and post off for a quick analysis and result, saving you the time and embarrassment of having to personally attend a clinic for a check-up.

The PHE report showed positive findings, discovering that 62% of respondents to an anonymous web survey claimed they were more likely to use condoms with a new partner after previously having a chlamydia test, with 66% even saying they would probably get tested again for it in the future.
For those who answered the PHE web survey, nine out of 10 stated they have received sexual health advice when they had undergone their previous chlamydia test.

Dr Anthony Nardone, consultant epidemiologist at PHE, commented: “Our survey of young adults found chlamydia screening has a positive impact on both health-seeking and sexual behaviour, and provides an important channel for the delivery of safer sex messages to young adults. This enhances the cost effectiveness of chlamydia screening, offering value beyond that of the testing itself.”

Simon Blake OBE, chief executive of Brook, said: “Young adults remain the age group most at risk of STIs in England. C-Card schemes are an effective way to help young adults take responsibility for their sexual health; providing them with easy access to free contraception, education about sexual health and wellbeing, and are an opportunity to signpost to related services.”

Contraception carelessly shunned by women over 40 leading to more abortions

Although the menopause typically hits women at about the age of 50, a good number of women experience this ‘change of life’ in their 30s or 40s, where their ovaries no longer produce eggs, monthly periods are no more and it is very unlikely the woman will become pregnant.

Therefore, this could be behind an increasing number of women in their 40s undergoing abortions, as their attitude towards contraception and fertility becomes more lax in comparison to women in their 20s.

According to abortion provider The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), over four in ten women over the age of 40 who undergo an abortion have carelessly not been using any contraception. Despite being younger and viewed as potentially more immature, less than one in three women in the 20 to 24-year-old age bracket found to not be using contraception then went for an abortion.
In 2002 there was 6,531 abortions carried out for women aged between 40 and 44, but by 2012 this had soared to 7,737.

BPAS say a large number of women are under the impression that by their 40s, it is so difficult to fall pregnant that they can avoid using any contraception altogether. This is inexplicable and quite absurd when considering the wide variety of options out there for women in the present day, such as Dianette, Marvelon, Yasmin, Zoely, or the Levonelle 1500 morning after pill – an emergency contraception pill that can be taken within 12 hours of unprotected sex and no later than 72 hours after.

In addition, experts also say that as women are commonly warned about a lower chance of motherhood in their 30s due to declining fertility, this message has been taken to extremes and now means women older than this are simply foregoing safe sex in the assumptions they will not become pregnant.

Prof Neil McClure, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Queen’s University Belfast, says: “Women should not rely on their increasing age as a method of contraception.”

BPAS are responsible for conducting the majority of abortions in Britain paid for by the NHS, with more abortions seen for women aged over 35 than for females under the age of 18.

Ann Furedi, bias Chief Executive said: “Over the past few years we have seen much scaremongering about older women’s fertility. From ‘career women’ leaving it too late to older women ‘banking on IVF’ to conceive, these stories lead many women to dramatically underestimate their own fertility later in life.

“At bpas we see more women over 35 with unplanned pregnancy than we do women under 18. We know from speaking to women that stories and campaigns suggesting it’s hard to get pregnant after 35 – even if well intentioned – are having a real impact on women’s perception of their own fertility, and therefore their use of contraception. Women deserve accurate, impartial information to make their own choices about family planning in their 30s. Fertility does decline as you get older, but the drop is not as great as we are sometimes led to believe. For women who don’t want to fall pregnant the message is simple: use contraception until you have passed your menopause.”

Prof McClure added: “The message needs to be that fertility is lower in older women when compared with younger women, that fertility does decline after the age of 35 but women over the age of 35 are still fertile and need to use contraception right up to the menopause if they do not want to conceive.”
Data from the Office of National Statistics show that since 1990 there has been more than a double rise in the conception rate for the over-40s, jumping from 6.6 to 14.0 conceptions for every thousand women. The number of over-40s becoming pregnant increased from 12,032 in 1990 to nearly 29,000 by 2011, whilst conception rates in women aged 35 to 39 almost doubled in the same time frame.

Schools should provide free morning after pills and condoms, says NICE

New guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has called for schools to offer free morning after pills and condoms to teenage girls to reduce teenage pregnancy rates. NICE even recommended those under the legal age of consent should be provided with contraception.

The guidance aims for more accessible emergency contraception for under-25s; not just contraceptive pills and condoms but also the IUD (intrauterine device, or coil).

The new plans will involve qualified nurses, including school nurses, and pharmacists being able to offer free-of-charge emergency contraceptive pills in accordance with patient group directions (PGDs).

Under PGDs, health workers are able to give medicine directly to the patient without a prescription being required.

Emergency contraceptive pills include Levonelle 1500, which if taken within 72 hours (3 days) of sexual intercourse, will usually prevent pregnancy. Levonelle 1500 can be taken following unprotected sex or if a condom has accidentally come off or split and is available right now from Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy for just £22.50.

Alternatively, women can take ellaOne within 120 hours (5 days) and an IUD may be inserted up to five days following unprotected sex.

The guidance called for young women to be ‘encouraged to consider and choose a suitable form of contraception for their future needs’.

NICE also say that in accordance with best practice guidance, health professionals that are providing emergency contraception should understand they are able to give it to under-16s even without the knowledge or consent of the child’s parent(s).

“Health professionals, including pharmacists, who are unwilling (or unable) to provide emergency contraception should give young women details of other local services where they can be seen urgently”, the guidance states.

Professor Mike Kelly, director of the centre for public health at NICE, said: “It is really important that sexual health services offering information and advice can be found in places where young people have access to them. Evidence clearly shows that the availability of contraception reduces the rate of unwanted pregnancies. Local planners and providers of services must make sure that what they offer is right for their area.”

He added: “Young people often find contraceptive services and advice difficult to locate. This can be for a number of reasons. They may not know where services are, who provides them or when they are open. They can also be wrongly worried that information they give may not be treated confidentially. For that reason, this guidance focuses on ensuring they receive culturally sensitive, confidential, non-judgmental and empathic advice and support tailored to their individual needs.”

Last month saw the Office for National Statistics release figures showing UK pregnancy rates amongst under-18s is at its lowest since 1969 at 27.9% per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17.

It seems things are improving steadily with the number of pregnancies within under-18s dropping to 27,834 in 2012 from 31,051 in 2011, a decrease of around 10%. Meanwhile, 5,432 under-16s became pregnant in 2012, compared with 5,991 in 2011, a decrease of 9.3%.

The post-Christmas battle with the bulge has begun!

Firstly, Medical Specialists Pharmacy hopes everybody has had a brilliant Christmas with friends, family and loves ones. We hope you have recovered from the frenetic, fast-paced and chaotic last few days and are settling down back to normality!

The period of the year that follows Christmas and runs into the following year is a particularly busy one for Medical Specialists. Our patient base spanning thousands upon thousands, usually expands as quickly as the waistlines of many who are seeking our help!

Yes, this is the time when all those mince pies, all those chocolate treats on offer, that fatty/sugary Christmas pudding and the endless supply of alcohol at the work Christmas party, will all make their presence felt – on the scales.

It is thought the average Brit consumes two or three Christmas dinner servings, taking in 2,300 calories in the process. This means women are consuming 115% of their recommended daily intake of calories and for men, it is 92%.

However, even prior to the festive period, most Brits will lose an average of 3lbs, usually to look their best for parties or other social events. This is all well and good until you learn that this is typically followed by severe overindulgence and a 6lb gain in weight. It seems the excess of food and alcohol simply catches up to all of us rather quickly and explains why ‘go on a diet’, ‘lose weight’, or ‘exercise more’, are included on many people’s list of New Year’s Resolutions.

Weight loss is achieved relatively easy enough, theoretically. With the right positive mind-set and willingness to achieve it, together with adopting a healthy diet and weight loss aid such as Xenical or Alli, shifting those post-Christmas pounds is rather doable.

A lax approach with food and inevitable slight weight gain is generally expected around the festive period, and sometimes hard to avoid when work colleagues are offering you treats on a regular basis. Weight gain can be reversed through dieting, however what happens when you have a lax and careless approach with regards to your sexual health?

As mentioned earlier, many want to look their best for parties and social events, which means the likeliness of attracting a sexual partner has suddenly increased somewhat. Unfortunately, sensible attitudes to sex suddenly go out the window at this time of year as people get swept up in the party atmosphere. Alcohol consumption spirals, along with sheer carelessness.  Condoms and other contraception simply don’t get used or are forgotten about in the heat of the moment, and a whole host of problems are created.

This is demonstrated in the fact the Family Planning Association (FPA) say their sexual health hotline is at its busiest in January as worried individuals contact them about an unplanned pregnancy or an apparent sexually transmitted infection they have contracted.

Rebecca Findlay of FPA, spoke last year about the issue, saying: “The helpline tends to go quiet before Christmas as everyone is busy and out partying, but calls then peak in January. Most people call about STIs or unintended pregnancy.”

If women have unprotected sex and are forgetting to take daily their daily contraception of Marvelon or Yasmin, this could result in many of the pregnancy concerns reported to the FPA, especially if condoms are not being used as well – which also massively reduce the risk of STIS. Condoms should be used with or without the daily contraception pill for this very reason and if you are worried, we are able to provide you with a clamelle chlamydia test kit that you can conduct in the comfort of your own home, or even a morning after pill. The morning after pill can actually be taken up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse has taken place.

Therefore, perhaps showing more care for your sexual health could be one of your New Year’s Resolutions should you decide to create some, like 7 million others will do, as the New Year gives everybody the perfect chance for self-improvement.

So what are the common resolutions we tend to make? Some old-age common resolutions include the health-oriented goals such as quitting smoking, joining a gym, cutting down on alcohol and eating less chocolate.

In recent years, as our daily lives have become faster paced and frantic, this has reflected on the introduction of some surprising resolutions, and less emphasis on ones that were previously more highly prioritised.

Instead, there are more aims influenced by our increasing time spent on social media, with ‘Socialise more in real life rather than Facebook’ making it in at number 21 of the 2012 LA Fitness poll of 2,000 people to find what they wanted to achieve for 2013.

The top 30 New Year’s Resolutions were found to be:

1. Read more books
2. Save more money
3. Lose weight
4. Redecorate
5. Take better photos
6. Go travelling
7. Sell old unwanted stuff on eBay
8. Buy a tablet
9. Organise photos
10. Do something for charity
11. Spend more time with kids
12. Buy a Sunday paper
13. Less TV time
14. Connect my computer to my TV
15. Leave work on time more often
16. Less time on Facebook
17. Totally revamp my wardrobe
18. Try a new hairstyle
19. Get a six-pack
20. Eat less chocolate
21. Socialise more in real life rather than Facebook
22. Drink less alcohol
23. Buy less coffee from Starbucks/big chains
24. Start my own business
25. Tell someone I have feelings for them
26. Quit smoking
27. Gain a promotion
28. Learn how to use Twitter
29. Run a half or full marathon
30. Call people more than text

Whatever your hopes and aspirations are for 2014, Medical Specialists wishes you luck in your journey to get there. However, you do not have to make that journey alone and we are here to help. Whether this be through smoking cessation medication to help you to quit, or through directing you to a weight loss forum where you can share your experiences and diet tips with others in a similar position, our patients’ needs are always at the core of everything we do. Good luck and a have a great New Year!

Sexually transmitted infections on the rise in England

Britain on the whole, is not in particularly good shape when it comes to our weight or indeed our sexual health. Year on year we hear shocking news reports about teenage girls falling pregnant and annual figures on sexual health seem to always show increases across the board.

As it happens, statistics released this year from the Health Protection Agency show a 2% rise in new cases of sexually transmitted infection (STI) for England during 2011. Within this, there is a 10% increase in syphilis diagnoses – incidentally now at its biggest infection rate since the 1950s.

Worryingly, the percent rise of syphilis cases isn’t even the worst of the lot. In fact, gonorrhoea rates spiralled 25% during 2010-11 and there was also a 5% increase in cases of genital herpes. The latter may explain why we at Medical Specialists Pharmacy have been inundated with thousands of requests for genital herpes treatment in the subsequent two years.

In what is another problem that arises from failing to first buy condoms, and then to actually use them, the Depart of Health’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement also paint a damning, alarming picture.

Abortion rates have gone up by 7.7% in the decade between 2001 and 2011, which is no surprise when more statistics show that up to 50% of pregnancies weren’t even planned.

The Government together with healthcare professionals are continually battling to reverse the trends on STIs and pregnancies and it is this reason why awareness days/events take place every year, such as Sexual Health Week, National HIV Testing Week and World AIDS Day – all of which Medical Specialists have proudly supported by giving away 1,000s of condoms with any sexual health product.

In fact pharmacies such as Medical Specialists are at the forefront of providing sexual health services to the many millions of people who need them.

These services are absolutely vital to people all over the UK and indeed the world, and include things such as medicine supply; this could be chlamydia treatment, genital herpes treatment, or treatment for gonorrhoea.

Also many pharmacies such as ourselves can offer pregnancy tests to be conducted in the comfort of your own home, a wide variety of condoms to suit different preferences, emergency hormonal contraception (morning after pill), other contraceptive pills, and even a chlamydia test you can take at home and post off for a quick analysis and result, saving you the time and embarrassment of having to personally attend a clinic for a check-up.

The role of pharmacy clearly has an important role to play in changing people’s attitudes to STIs, unplanned pregnancy, contraception, and other sexual health subjects. However, what is required is people to reach out and ask for help, don’t be afraid, know that there at pharmacies who will not judge and are purely there to help. Let’s make 2014 a healthy year…Together.

The astonishing wonders of the female contraceptive pill Yasmin

With so many versions of the contraceptive pill currently available, it may be a little confusing and even daunting for many women when trying to decide exactly which is the right choice for them.
Many people may not be aware, but ‘The pill’ first came to prominence 56 years ago (1956) in Puerto Rico and in the present day there are approximately 3.5 million women in the UK alone who choose this as a contraception method.

Contraceptive pills are chosen often in conjunction with the male still wearing a condom as normal in what could be regarded as a ‘belts and braces’ safety precaution. More and more women could turn to contraceptive pills for their incredibly high rate of pregnancy prevention.

Another persuasive factor could also be the fact that only two months ago, the Implanon contraceptive implants hit headlines for all the wrong reasons when it was revealed that the small biodegradable rod had become lost within the body of hundreds of women after doctors are struggling to locate them, leaving the woman infertile.

Long term patients with Medical Specialists Pharmacy may already be aware that we have provided oral contraceptive treatment for women for a number of years now, in the form of the wonder drug Dianette. For those unfamiliar with Dianette, it is a pill taken by women for everyday for 21 days of their menstrual cycle, followed by a 7 day break when no pills are taken at all (also known as ‘cyclic treatment’). During this break, women are still protected against unwanted pregnancies. In the 7 day rest period, hormone levels in the blood begin to decrease and women will experience a withdrawal bleed that is just like a normal period. Regardless of bleeding, the next pack of 21 tablets is begun after the week is up.

However, there are now more options than ever for women in regards to contraception. One such option is another contraceptive pill, named ‘Yasmin’. Taken by thousands of women across the UK and even millions more worldwide, it has recently been introduced by Medical Specialists along with Marvelon and the Morning after pill, Levonelle 1500.

A Yasmin tablet contains two active ingredients; ethinylestradiol and drospirenone. These are synthetic forms of the naturally occurring female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. The drospirenone within Yasmin works as a diuretic, meaning it helps to flush the body of excess fluid and reduce the symptoms of bloating which stem from this problem that arises when a woman is pre-menstrual. One tablet is taken every day for 21 days and you then have a seven day break from pill-taking, exactly the same as Dianette.

In addition to battling the problems of water retention, Yasmin can also help to maintain or even lose weight and just like Dianette, has been shown to be incredibly effective at easing skin conditions such as acne.

Don’t take our word for it though, this is what Dr Diana Mansour, head of fertility services for Newcastle Primary Care Trust, had to say about Yasmin: “It is not unusual for women to come back to us and say that Yasmin is the best contraceptive option they’ve had so far. Some of the other contraceptive pills they’ve been on have made them feel awful. Women have not only put on weight but have felt moody, too. If you ask women why they give up taking the pill, it is usually the side-effects, or perceived side-effects, and one of those is weight gain.”

In fact, trials conducted in June 2000 pitted Yasmin against Microgynon 30; another main contraceptive pill used by women in the UK. Both contraceptives were found to improve acne symptoms. However, it was discovered that women taking Yasmin actually lost between 1lb 10oz and 3lb 10oz over the course of a year. In comparison, women taking Microgynon 30 managed to put on 1lb 8oz.

One delighted user of Yasmin is 28-year-old Kathy Hart, a marketing director based in Kent. At aged 17, Kathy began to take the low dose contraceptive pill Mercilon. Initially happy, she began to gain weight with Mercilon. Kathy says: “But after ten years I started to gain weight and at that point the low dosage pill was no longer deemed suitable. I started to get intermittent bleeding between periods, tender breasts, awful headaches and a real feeling of bloatedness – something I’d never experienced before. I was about to get married at the time, so was under a lot of personal stress. The condition of my skin deteriorated and I started getting lots of spots, which left me feeling very depressed. It felt like a nightmare vicious circle. When you’re getting married, you’re desperate to look like a princess – but my body seemed be refusing to cooperate. At one point I thought I would not be able to fit into my wedding dress because I was so bloated all of the time. Eventually, I decided I’d had enough and went to see a family planning adviser. After listing all my problems, she mentioned the new contraceptive pill, Yasmin. I was told Yasmin would help my skin look better, that my hair would be less oily and more glossy, and, most importantly, that it would help stop the bloating. Although it wasn’t available on prescription at the time, I was told I could take it on a trial basis. I didn’t even hesitate. The combined package of benefits was exactly what I needed. I jumped at the chance. For the first month of taking it, I actually felt quite nauseous and the pills didn’t seem to agree with me at all. But my family planning adviser said that the nausea was completely normal. I’d been taking a different contraceptive pill – and therefore a different drug – for nearly ten years, so there was bound to be an adjustment period. After the first month, the improvement was fantastic. I stopped getting the “spotting” between periods, and over the next few months my skin cleared completely. It helped me regain all the confidence I’d lost. Now, 13 months on, I’m 100 per cent happy with Yasmin and I recommend it to all my friends. The base level benefits – such as not getting pregnant and the cycle control – work exactly as they should. But above and beyond that is the fact that Yasmin controls the bloatedness and all the other awful things I was experiencing on my previous contraceptive pill.”
If Kathy’s story wasn’t enough, just listen to what Dr Mansour had to say in her praise of Yasmin, where 90% of the 60 women taking Yasmin prescribed by Newcastle Primary Care Trust, were still on the treatment after three months. Dr Mansour comments: “That’s a much higher rate than with the standard pill we prescribe, Microgynon 30, when only 78 per cent of patients are still taking it after three months. Basically, if you’re using a pill that actually has a health benefit, then you’re much more likely to stick with it and the women we’ve prescribed Yasmin to, are far happier using it than previous contraceptive pills they’ve been on.”

So, there you have it. We hope women now feel a little more clued up about the wide range of contraceptive pills that are available, and the added benefits that some of them have besides their primary purpose. For further information though, feel free to visit the Women’s Health section of the Medical Specialists website where we offer female contraceptives such as Yasmin, Marvelon, Dianette and Levonelle 1500 (Morning after pill), as well as medications for other conditions such as female hair loss and sexual health.