Amniocentesis. Similar principles apply to this test which is performed between about fourteen and sixteen weeks gestation. Ultrasound is used to identify the foetus and placenta, and the fluid surrounding the foetus (amniotic fluid). A fine needle is passed through the woman’s abdominal wall (which has been numbed with local anaesthetic) to the uterus and [...]

Nine out of ten pap smear tests will be normal, reported as ‘negative’ for abnormal cells. Of the 10 per cent which show an abnormality, one out of ten will suggest cancerous or pre-cancerous changes. The diagram shows a series of different looking cells. These represent examples of what the cytologists may see when they [...]

As all the symptoms are pretty annoying, it is not surprising that most women will seek medical attention quite promptly. After taking a history from the patient, and performing a limited examination, the doctor is likely to ask for a specimen of urine, preferably a ‘mid-stream urine specimen, or MSU. This is a special technique [...]

Most of us grow up thinking that sex means the big one, you know, a penis inside a vagina, going in and out. Everything else is foreplay, or stuff you do before ‘having sex’. This kind of sex is ‘heterosexual genital penetrative inter-course’. These are just some of the other commonly known and practiced sexual [...]