r/IrishWomensHealth

I need to see a gynaecologist for vaginal pain around the entrance. My GP referred me to blackrock clinic but it costs €320 euro. I think she assumed I have insurance but I don’t and I googled if I could buy insurance but it says any prior conditions I have I can’t claim on them? This seems unfair as I started having gynaecological issues when I was 15 and it would be on my record since I was 16 before I could buy insurance. I’m 22 can I do anything about this / can I be referred to a free gyno?

I have decided to go back on the pill (microlite) lately because my periods are so awful!

They have changed the advice since I've last taken it. Now you can take it continuously without a break and only have occasional periods. That is tempting to me- after really starting to get worse periods in my 30s!

Does anyone do this (not take a break?) I have a boyfriend so think I would be paranoid about being pregnant and not realising for a few weeks!

Does anyone recommend a different gynaecologist than dr naser guimaa in portiuncula hospital

Gained 20kg over four years, slower pace in first two years and then rapid gain in the fourth year (probably 10kg in 12 months, BMI was about 34). In that time I did everything. Went to a personal trainer, group personal training, cardio classes (like spin), regular walks. All on top of a job where I am constantly moving. My diet never changed, whole foods, nothing processed, no added sugar, no high fat foods. I went to a dietician, she was stumped as in between visits I would gain weight. I ate less and less and gained more and more. I convinced myself I had hidden calories. I was losing my mind. I never got any fitter or stronger. Was exhausted all the time, dragging myself through the day and wired awake at night. Awful sleep every night and rinse and repeat. Awful brain fog. Everything hurt, knees, legs, feet, lower back, I struggled to bend down (I’m in my early 30s) But bloods were always normal. Eventually I agreed with my doctor to go on Ozempic. After 8 weeks on the lowest dose I’d lost 8kg. I still ate, my diet stayed the same and at this stage bar walking I’d given up on exercise as I got nowhere with it. Fast forward 12 months and after being on 1mg I’ve lost 22kg. I’ve no pain, I sleep better, I can think, I’ve so much more energy and I’m back exercising and actually enjoying it 3 times per week. I feel “normal” again. I had no adverse side effects, I still enjoyed my food and had a drink when socialising. I fought hard to see endocrinology and they diagnosed insulin resistance, potential PCOS/PMOS - this was more mentally healing than anything as I could stop the blaming myself and the guilt over everything I ate. 

I felt like I needed to write it all down to close the chapter and hopefully never look back and if it helps anyone in the process I’ll be glad to have shared. 

8months pp and have been struggling with constipation, both during pregnancy and pp(have tried everything - water, fibre etc). I also have had occasions of rectal bleeding, incomplete emptying and rectal/lower back pain. I went to a colorectal consultant who did a sigmoidoscopy and it was clear, told me it was haemorrhoids and/or fissure (even though scope was clear) and slow gut motility. Told me to take more steroid suppositories and stool softeners (never had an issue before pregnancy). Did that and went to a specialised clinic who confirmed no fissures/haemorrhoids. Dr said we could now do a full scope (wish we had this to start with!). I’ve never had a full colonoscopy before and very anxious about it when you read the risks etc. Just wondering if anyone could share their experiences/tips?

I 19F have my first gynaecology appointment coming up this month and I just want to know what to expect.

I already had ultrasounds done earlier this year (both external and internal).

So I just want to know what to expect.

Hi folks, I’m just trying to help a loved one who’s really struggling with bipolar disorder.

I’m trying to help them look into the possibility of moving from full time work to part-time with disability benefit to (hopefully) help absorb some of the lost earnings as they are struggling to work full time since getting older and their mental health is noticably deteriorating over the last few years.

Even though they’ve worked full time for over 30 years (15 years since diagnosis) their psychiatrist feels reducing their work hours is important to stabilise their condition more effectively.

They earn a bit over minimum wage so just absorbing a whole day or two of lost wages a week with a mortgage to pay and house to keep isn’t feesible.

Is there any good group on Facebook or anywhere else where people discuss this stuff? Reading the citizens advice/gov website doesn’t give much real life context. It’s very hard to know how it goes when the person is in full time work and can’t drop everything to go on the dole for 6 months before applying.

Would really appreciate any leads at all! Thank you

I’m being referred to the endometriosis clinic in the Coombe but I’ve been told the waitlist is about 7 months, and I can’t wait that long.

Looking for recommendations on a private gynaecologist that has a good understanding of endometriosis.

for context im 19 and my breasts have gone from a 34 e to 34 g within the past year or so.. ive always struggled with it ever since i was a child, i had d cups by the time i was 11. i have back pain and i am incredibly insecure about it, clothes never fit me right and its mentally draining to even look at myself sometimes. ive thought about getting a reduction for quite some time but i simply cannot afford it. can anyone give me any advice on how to kickstart the process? what do i say to my gp? health insurance? things along the lines of that. anything would help, thank you

edit: ive also seen women say that theres a possibility of them growing back after surgery. is this common? im just a bit unsure especially with that chance of them growing back.

for a bit of context I am 23 and started getting pain in my left ovary in February. I attended my gp so many times and they were surprisingly good. I presented to Wexford hospital 6 times and was sent home with no scans or anything and told to wait for gyno appointment.

finally ended up going to Vincent’s university hospital and it was found my left ovary is adhered to my bowel and pelvic wall. I got really lucky and was offered an appointment for surgery the next week due to a cancellation. but it was canceled on me two days before it was meant to happen.

since then I have had zero contact with the gyno I am meant to see and my health is just deteriorating my daily pain is getting worse every week, I am on palexia at the moment which is the strongest meds my gp can give me and I am still in pain. I have also been having a lot of issues with eating due to extreme nausea and am losing weight due to it.

the thing is I have tried to call my gyno multiple times asking for an update and to let them no things are getting worse but cannot get through to them. today I called the waitlist phone number and was told it would be A 9 MONTH WAIT and my surgery is marked as routine.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel like I am being left to rot by the system and have lost all quality of life, I am out of work, having to repeat my final year of college and can’t drive anymore. I need help and advice please .

Hi everyone,

Just looking to hear about people’s experiences with c sections - any tips or tricks, things to pack to help afterwards etc.

Are there particular things I should
Be discussing with the doctor ahead of time, do I need to specifically request doing skin to skin straight away (if possible) discuss dressings eg PICO etc

Thanks!

Has anybody used her for surgery and if so would you recommend?

Advice on how to get taken seriously in hospital

I’m 32 and I had a hysterectomy 3 years ago for adenomyosis. I was diagnosed with stage 3 endo during that surgery, and my left ovary was adhered to my pelvic wall. I also have had a lot of ovarian cysts with ruptures over my life, but mostly since the hysterectomy I have been relatively pain free aside from the odd issue with my left ovary.

Last week I started to get pain on my lower left side again and it was very similar to previous ovarian cyst pain. I just went about my normal life but the pain continued to get worse over the next few days. By Friday the 7th of August the pain was unmanageable at home so I attended A&E.

I was given an abdominal ultrasound and was told it was unremarkable and I was discharged the following day with a prescription for solpadine and ponstan. Each day after the pain slowly improved until Wednesday the 12th.

Out of nowhere I felt like I had been stabbed in my pelvis - again on the lower left side. The pain was so extreme I practically hit the ground and couldn’t move, couldn’t talk and breathing hurt. It was my first time scoring my pain 10/10. After an hour with it not subsiding my wife called an ambulance and I was taken into A&E that night.

Yesterday morning, Thursday the 13th, I was moved to a ward in the hospital and scheduled to get a CT scan. The CT scan showed a 40mm simple cyst on my left ovary. A gynaecologist came to see me yesterday and said I’d be scheduled for an ultrasound and an MRI, and that they’d happen today, Friday the 14th.

Since being admitted and until now, my pain is a solid 6/10 if I’m lying still on the bed on my back. Any movement especially sitting up, turning over, standing, walking etc spike the pain to 8/10. It specifically feels like there’s something in my pelvis that is going to explode, especially when I sit up the pain is so intense. I’ve been given paracetamol, buscopan, difene suppositories and oxynorm 5mg. The oxynorm is the only thing that makes a difference and for about 2-3 hours after taking it my pain subsides to about a 4 and I can sleep for a couple of hours. But after 2/3 hours it started to wear off and climb again.

Today the general surgery team came to see me at 8am and said the gynaecology team had decided to discharge me and see me back in 3 months time as an outpatient for an ultrasound then, and if it’s indicated then I’ll be scheduled for an MRI. The general surgeon said I would be discharged with painkillers. I asked to speak to the gynaecology team before I was discharged. At 12:30pm the general surgery team came back to me and said that the gynaecology team have said there’s no need for them to see me as the cyst is under 5cm so it requires no intervention and that their treatment plan remains the same for me.

At this stage I broke down crying, I don’t feel like I can just be discharged in this level of pain. I have a one year old, and all I want is to be at home with him, I don’t want to be in hospital. But I don’t feel like I can manage this level of pain at home, considering I still can’t sit up, stand or walk without severe pain that makes me cry. The general surgery team left and came back to me and said that I’ve been scheduled for an MRI on Monday and that the gynaecology registrar has agreed to come and see me over the weekend.

I feel so drained that on top of being in such severe pain, and missing my baby, I have to fight so much to be taken seriously.

I guess I’m looking for advice on how I can handle this, or what approach to take with the gynaecologist when I see them. Should I just let them discharge me and go home, or should I keep pushing? I feel like there’s something more going on with my ovary than just the cyst, but I’m not sure how I can get them to listen to me.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated!

Hi! So I am currently almost 5 months PP after having an emergency C section with my little girl, at almost 36 weeks. The last few weeks of my pregnancy I had low haemoglobin, so was taking ferrograd C, stopped taking after she was born.
My ferritin has been low for years - when I was last checked about a year ago it was something like 17 or around that.
I have been feeling soo awful lately, exhausted, sluggish, brain fog etc. that I requested to get my bloods done.
My ferritin is now 6! Tried taking the ferrograd C again but gave me horrible gastric side effects, switched to active iron but it’s so expensive, and less iron in it.
I have an appointment with my GP on Wednesday, should I ask about an infusion? I hate going to the GP with requests for treatment because I don’t want to give the impression that I know better, but I’ll be going back to work soon and it’s genuinely so hard to take care of my baby as it is with the chronic exhaustion!

Hi! I have recently been prescribed Ozempic due to being overweight following mental health medication.

It's very expensive.

Can you please share costs and where you get it in Dublin?

Thanks!

I was recommended to go on the coil at my first consultant appointment for my endometriosis. Initially I was very against it because I saw it as a patch rather than them actually checking how far advanced it is.
Anyone with endo on it, what’s your experience been like? I have another appointment in two weeks and I’m unsure how to approach it

I was prescribed cerazette a couple of years ago for extreme pain the week before and of my period, went on it for 2 years back to back but it gave me a lot of anxiety so I went off it at the start of 2026. Within 6 months I was in agony so I have started taking it again but rather than pain the week before and of my period I am in pain every single day. I can’t remember if this was what happened 2 years ago, I’m on week 5 or 6 of being back on it, does this happen for the first couple of weeks? I’m waking up every 2 hours with cramping and no pain killers work.

Edit to add I’ve had a mri, hysteroacopy, laparoscopy, colonoscopy, all have shown everything as normal.

Like so many women who share their stories on here every day, I’ve had my fair share of experiences with medics not taking my symptoms or illnesses seriously. I could probably write a book on the last few years alone.

However, I’ve had such a positive experience the past 24 hours that I wanted to share it.

For the past while I’ve been unwell with chest pain, tightness, breathlessness etc. I put it down to my asthma and got on with it. Things have been gradually worsening, so I went to my GP yesterday morning. She really listened to me and considered what I had to say. I’m a POTS patient but I explained that these symptoms felt very different to what I usually experience with POTS.

She immediately became concerned and phoned my cardiologist, who managed to squeeze me in yesterday afternoon.

He saw me and straight away said, “I know you know your body better than anyone due to POTS, and I believe you when you say this is different to your usual symptoms.” It probably helped that I was already extremely breathless from the short walk into the clinic to be fair. However, that one sentence meant the world to me.

He ordered scans, tests and monitoring, called ahead and asked them to fit everything in urgently. By yesterday evening, all the initial tests were done and I was leaving wearing a Holter monitor.

He’s also urgently involving my respiratory consultant and consulting two other doctors in different specialties who recently started me on new medications, to make sure there isn’t an interaction or something else contributing to what’s happening.

Hopefully I’ll have some answers soon. My cardiologist has marked everything as very urgent, so for now it’s a case of waiting for the results.

I just wanted to share a positive medical experience from the last 24 hours. It’s been an absolute whirlwind, but I’m incredibly grateful to have doctors who listened to me and believed me. I didn’t have to fight to convince them that something wasn’t right. They took what I was telling them seriously from the very beginning.

What can sometimes feel incredibly rare can also be incredibly wonderful. I just wish every patient had the same experience with every doctor.

So classic irish gp story, I cant get one in the town I moved to, can't get an appointment. I did all the online doctor things and eventually had to go to a out of hours service because I'd been dealing with thrush for over 2 months.

Male doctor hadn't a clue really and prescribed me 2x pessarys for 3 days which the pharmacist flagged and they gave me one 500g canesten pessary to take once a day for 7 days.

Never mind that this ordeal cost me 170 euro...I'm now worried that this prescription still isn't right? Maybe they're just trying to dose me up good to get rid, will I be grand going ahead with it?

Thoughts, opinions and prayers appreciated lol

I had endo excision surgery last year with an endo specialist surgeon. He had a colorectal surgeon present for the surgery as part of his team. I was told that no endo was found on my bowels during surgery. MRI imaging before surgery didn't mention my bowels, but it did say a lot of things were clear that did not end up being the case in my lap, such as my bladder, so MRI isn't the greatest at detecting endo.

Problem is, I am still having rectal bleeding, only during my period. It is the same colour and flow as what is coming out vaginally. I've reached out to the surgeon. He said to get a gastro investigation to rule out anything else first, I'm on a waiting list for a colonoscopy. He said if I didn't get answers there to go for an MRI. Thing is, if an MRI didn't show it before, I don't see how that would change. I'm considering the HERA clinic for a TVUS.

Has anyone here experienced rectal bleeding during your period only, without bowel endometriosis present?

Overall, I still have a lot of symptoms since the surgery that have persisted, but I do also have mild Adenomyosis, so that could be causing symptoms too.