Women’s health services in Manchester

Women’s health is a broad term that doesn’t specifically define any one medical specialty, but encompasses many conditions that may affect women throughout their life.

It’s very important to us, just as it is to you, that you and the women in your life remain in the very best of health.

Some of the conditions we treat include:

• Fertility and Infertility
• Endometriosis
• Heavy Periods
• Painful Periods
• Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as PCOS)
• Uterine and Vaginal Prolapse
• Menopause
• Urinary Incontinence
• Pelvic Floor Conditions
• Reversal of Sterilisation
• Rapid Access Breast Clinic

Our private women’s health service offers a choice of both male and female consultants all with extensive experience, along with fast access to consultations, tests, results and treatments, and you can be assured that you will be treated with respect, dignity and empathy throughout.

Whether you are experiencing issues with menstruation, pelvic pain or require specialist family planning advice, our team of specialist Consultants will help you manage your symptoms and access the right treatment for you.

Some common procedures we do at The Alexandra Hospital in Manchester include:

Hysterectomy 

A Hysterectomy is an operation to remove your uterus. Common reasons for undergoing a hysterectomy, include heavy periods, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and more. 
Hysterectomies can be done abdominally or vaginally. During an abdominal hysterectomy, your cervix is removed. If needed, ovaries can be removed during the procedure.  During a vaginal hysterectomy, it is possible to remove your ovaries if needed but this is not very common. 

 

Endometrial ablation

Endometrial ablation is a procedure that removes the lining of your womb. The most common reason for undergoing endometrial ablation is to get relief from symptoms of heavy periods. Following the procedure, most women experience a reduction in periods and in some cases, period stop permanently.

Some of the other conditions we treat include:

• Endometriosis
• Heavy Periods
• Painful Periods
• Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as PCOS)
• Uterine and Vaginal Prolapse
• Menopause
• Urinary Incontinence
• Pelvic Floor Conditions
• Reversal of Sterilisation
• Rapid Access Breast Clinic

Our private women’s health service offers a choice of both male and female consultants all with extensive experience, along with fast access to consultations, tests, results and treatments, and you can be assured that you will be treated with respect, dignity and empathy throughout.

At The Alexandra Hospital, we offer a One Stop Clinic where patients can attend a consultation, have a private mammogram/ultrasound, and receive the results the same day. We recommend allowing a minimum of two to three hours for the whole visit.

Our private women’s health service offers a choice of both male and female consultants all with extensive experience, along with fast access to consultations, tests, results and treatments, and you can be assured that you will be treated with respect, dignity and empathy throughout.

Urinary incontinence is the accidental passing of urine, struggling with urinary incontinence can take a toll on your self-esteem. Incontinence can be debilitating and frustrating. The urgent need to urinate can disrupt your sleep and daytime productivity.

There are different types of incontinence: total incontinence, where your bladder can not store any urine, or stress incontinence, which causes you to leak/pass urine when you laugh or cough. If you are struggling with urinary incontinence, do not feel like you are alone, there are treatment options available.

Common procedures for incontinence at The Alexandra Hospital include:

Physiotherapy

At The Alexandra Hospital, we have a dedicated women’s health, and pelvic floor physiotherapist. She will be able to assist you in pelvic floor exercises which can alleviate and improve your symptoms by strengthening your pelvic floor (the muscles that support and surround your bladder, vagina, and bowel).
Research shows that pelvic floor exercises improved stress incontinence in 79% of patients without the need for surgery.

Colposuspension

Colposuspension is a surgical procedure where your consultant makes a cut in your lower abdomen and the neck of your bladder is lifted and stitched into this elevated position. This procedure takes roughly 40-60 minutes to complete.

 

Menopause is a natural part of a woman’s aging process and commonly affects women between the ages of 45 and 55.

This transition causes your periods to stop which means you can no longer become pregnant naturally. The first sign of menopause is a shift or change in your menstruation pattern – you may experience unusually light, heavy, or irregular periods that stop eventually.

Alongside changes to menstruation, menopause can cause hot flushes, trouble sleeping, night sweats, heart palpitations, and joint pain. These changes can trigger low mood and anxiety, affecting your mental health, while other symptoms of menopause like vaginal dryness and reduced sex drive can affect your personal relationships.

Our consultants can discuss treatment options to help alleviate your symptoms and make menopause a more comfortable experience for you.

Common treatments options for menopause are:

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

As most of menopause symptoms are caused by a decline in oestrogen levels in your body, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can alleviate some of your menopausal symptoms by replacing the oestrogen hormones. HRT can offer relief from symptoms such as mood swings, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, and joint pain.

 

HRT typically involves taking a combination of oestrogen and progestogen as a tablet or a skin patch. When using the skin patch it is placed on your skin and replaced after a few days.

Other methods of hormone replacement therapy include oestrogen gel, which can be rubbed onto your skin, or vaginal oestrogen, which can be placed inside your vagina as a cream or ring.

Accessing private healthcare is easy, whether you choose to pay directly or use private medical insurance.

If you are paying for yourself, we can usually offer an upfront cost which you can then choose to pay in full or access one of our easy payment options.

If you have insurance, we can arrange direct settlement with your insurance provider, although you should check in advance to see if your treatment is covered. For more information, visit our private medical insurance page.