Women’s health encompasses a broad range of medical conditions and concerns specific to the female body, highlighting the unique healthcare needs that women face throughout their lives. From reproductive health, including menstrual cycle management, contraception, and fertility, to addressing conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, women’s health focuses on promoting overall well-being and addressing gender-specific health issues.

Regular screenings, such as CervicalCheck (ages 25-65) and BreastCheck (ages 50-69), are crucial for early detection of cervical and breast cancer. Additionally, women’s health extends beyond the reproductive system to include managing cardiovascular health, bone health, hormonal changes during menopause, and mental health.

In Ballyduff Medical Centre, we prioritise providing comprehensive care, tailored to women’s specific health concerns, to support their overall health and empower them to make informed decisions about their well-being.

We are acutely aware of the increased interest men are taking in their own health, and aim to provide a comprehensive range of services to match that interest.

Whether it’s testicular cancer awareness in younger men or prostatic issues in older men, we can advise and investigate as necessary. However, we always remain aware that the biggest cause of premature illness and death in Irish men remains heart disease, so don’t be surprised if we bring the conversation around to your diet, your cholesterol or your lifestyle.

Family planning allows couples and individuals the ability to control the number, timing, and spacing of children. This is an essential element in the health and well-being of women.

Each person is a unique individual and we focus on the particular needs in relation to family planning and sexual health.

Whether you’re preparing for pregnancy, need contraception advice, smear test, sexual health advice or screening, we in Ballyduff Medical Centre are here to assist you.

Every women who is pregnant and ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to maternity care under the Maternity and Infant Scheme. This service is provided by a family doctor (GP) of your choice and a hospital obstetrician. You are entitled to this service even if you do not have a medical card.

On your first pregnancy the GP provides an initial examination, if possible before 12 weeks, and a further 5 examinations during the pregnancy, which are alternated with visits to the maternity unit/hospital. The schedule of visits may be changed by your GP and/or hospital obstetrician, depending on your individual situation. For subsequent pregnancies you will have an initial examination and a further 6 examinations.

If you have a significant illness, e.g. diabetes or hypertension, you may have up to 5 additional visits to the GP.

Care for other illnesses which you may have at this time, but which are not related to your pregnancy, is not covered by the Scheme.

After the birth, the GP will examine the baby at 2 weeks and both mother and baby at 6 weeks.

Mothers are entitled to free in-patient and out-patient public hospital services in respect of the pregnancy and the birth and are not liable for any of the standard in-patient hospital charges.

The doctor will discuss these options in detail with you to help decide which is most suitable for you.

Special procedures such as fitting of Implanon or coils must be discussed in advance at an earlier consultation with the doctor.

We can also advise regarding crisis pregnancy options.

Sexually transmitted infections have a major negative impact on sexual and reproductive health worldwide. In addition to causing distressing symptoms in the short to medium term, they have the potential to cause significant morbidity in men and women, including infertility and ectopic pregnancy. Many individuals with an STI are asymptomatic. 

If you’re over 16 and did not get the vaccine when it was offered to you at school you may be eligible now. Check if you can get it as part of the Laura Brennan HPV vaccine catch-up programme.

All of the doctors in Ballyduff Medical Centre have worked in paediatric hospitals and have a wealth of experience caring for children and advising parents in a primary care setting.

Childhood immunisations are available free of charge in Ballyduff Medical Centre.  The national immunisation website contains useful information for parents regarding all vaccinations included in the schedule. Please see the link below for more information.

Blood tests have a wide range of uses and therefore are one of the very commonly ordered medical tests.

A blood test is useful for:

• checking your general health
• checking if you have an infection
• seeing how well certain organs are working – such as the liver and kidneys
• screening for certain genetic conditions

Depending on the type of blood test, you may need to:

• avoid eating or drinking anything (fasting), except water for up to 12 hours
• stop taking a certain medication

The healthcare professional who arranges for your blood sample to be taken will tell you if you need to do anything before your test.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a method to measure your blood pressure on a continuous basis for 24 hours. Your blood pressure is measured even as you sleep. The ongoing data helps your healthcare provider get a more accurate picture of your blood pressure numbers. It may be used to diagnose high blood pressure or to give us information about how well a blood pressure medicine is working.

You may have an ECG (heart tracing) to help find the cause of symptoms such as the feeling of a ‘thumping heart’ (palpitations) or chest pain. Sometimes it is done as part of routine tests – for example, chronic disease management.

Liquid nitrogen is extremely cold. It will freeze any living tissue it comes into contact with. Applying small amounts of liquid nitrogen to various skin problems is now a standard treatment. The medical term for this treatment is cryotherapy.

Liquid nitrogen treats warts and verrucas, skin tags, small fleshy growths and similar small ‘lumps and bumps’ on the skin.

A build-up of earwax can cause a feeling of fullness and dulled hearing. The quantity of earwax made varies greatly from person to person. Some people form plugs of earwax in their ear canal. A hard plug of earwax can also sometimes cause ‘ringing in the ear’ (tinnitus) or even a mild type of dizziness (vertigo).

Earwax can usually be easily removed.

A doctor or nurse can look into the ear canal and confirm a plug of earwax has formed. A plug of earwax is not a serious problem. You only need to remove earwax if it is causing symptoms such as dulled hearing. Earwax may also need to be removed for fitting of a hearing aid, or if a doctor or nurse needs to examine your eardrum.

Ear irrigation may be needed if ear drops do not work. The ear canal is washed out with warm water. Irrigating the ear with water will usually clear plugs of earwax. But it is only safe if the plug of earwax has been softened. Irrigation when the wax is hard increases the risks of perforating the ear drum. Therefore, use ear drops (such as olive oil ear drops) to soften wax 2-3 times a day for 3-5 days before you have ear irrigation.