Women's Health Doctor: Why the Health Industry Is Failing Women on Endo, PCOS, UTIs & Menopause

takeaways

1. Dr Reem Al Sheikh discussed how many women feel unable to talk about intimate health issues like sexual dysfunction, vulval and vaginal problems, often fearing they are 'wasting the doctor's time'.

2. The conversation covered how not using correct anatomical terms from childhood contributes to shame and reluctance among women to look at or discuss their bodies.

3. She described how women, particularly in perimenopause and menopause, are often dismissed or told they are anxious or depressed rather than being offered conversations about hormones or options such as vaginal estrogen.

4. The renaming of PCOS to polymetabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) was discussed as reflecting its nature as a whole-body metabolic condition, though she felt metabolic health conversations often centre only on fertility.

5. The new NICE draft guidance on non-invasive endometriosis tests (EndoTest and EndoSure) was discussed, with concern that long gynaecology waiting lists and lack of GP resource mean limited real-world impact for now.

6. She encouraged women to bring specific factual detail about their symptoms to appointments and to talk openly about their health within families, arguing that investing in women's health benefits wider society.

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