Introduction Fetal medicine is a constantly evolving specialty. With improved understanding of scientific basis and development in technologies, numerous advances have been made in the past decade to provide more holistic and personalised perinatal care. Congenital anomalies are defined as…
Introduction Medical disorders are relatively common in pregnancy and often have no implications for the mother or her baby. However, the alteration in maternal physiology which occurs during pregnancy may affect the medical condition, or the medical condition itself may…
The Aim of Antenatal Care The aim of antenatal care is to maximise the chance of a positive outcome from a pregnancy: a healthy mother and a healthy baby or babies. This will involve regular contact between a pregnant woman…
Introduction Ethics ( Box 22.1 ) is the philosophical study of human conduct. It is not what we do or what we can do, it is what we ‘should’ do and, therefore, what we ‘should not’ do. In the subset…
Introduction A rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health supports women to choose if and when they wish to have children, and if so, how many. This is central to women’s empowerment, reducing poverty and achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable…
Introduction Induced abortion or termination of pregnancy has been carried out for thousands of years. The provision of abortion in a legal, medically supervised, and safe framework remains one of the most contentious issues in modern-day medicine. Many people have…
Introduction It is important for any doctor to be able to take a sexual history and to have some idea of how sexual problems are managed. Understanding the physiology of the normal sexual response will allow the doctor to better…
Introduction Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – including syphilis, gonorrhoea, genital herpes, genital warts, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium – are transmitted via the moist mucous membranes of the vulva, vagina, cervix, anus, rectum and oropharynx during sexual activity. Untreated STIs…
Introduction Surgery has a central aim of helping people to live a longer or better life. Translated into medical terminology, this means improved survival and enhanced quality of life (QOL). QOL is a subjective measure, reported by the patient, and…
Introduction The vulva consists of the mons pubis, labia majora (singular: labium majus), labia minora (singular: labium minus), clitoris, and the vestibule (see Fig. 2.1 ). It is covered with keratinizing squamous epithelium, unlike the vaginal mucosa, which is covered…