Launceston Women's Health Clinic

More exciting news for LWHC
Drs Katrina Tellesson and Alice Downie are resuming their clinic sessions with us from February 2024.

Katrina will be available Tuesday afternoons from the 6th and Friday afternoons from the the 23rd.

Alice will be available Monday mornings from the 5th.

Appointments are available now online via our website or you can phone the clinic and speak with our reception staff.

Exciting news for Launceston Women’s Health Clinic.
Our Women’s Health clinical team and range of services is expanding.
Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Drs Christine Manley and Amanda Dennis have relocated their practice to LWHC and start with us on Monday 16/10/23.
We welcome both Doctors and their patients.

Launceston Women's Health Clinic is looking for an experienced medical receptionist to join our team. We are located within the Launceston Health Hub, and open Monday to Friday.

The position can be casual or permanent part time, approximately 16.5 hours per week, with flexibility to cover leave.

The successful candidate will have:
previous recent experience in a medical general or specialist practice
excellent customer service
excellent time management, attention to detail and interpersonal skills
knowledge of clinical software programs e.g. Best Practice and or Genie software
ability to work independently and as part of the team
availability to open the clinic at 7.45am and close at 6.30pm when required.
Please send your CV, cover letter and 2 referees to Kath Hinde, Manager of Clinical Services

[email protected]

Applications close on Tuesday 26th September.

We welcome Dr Nicola Kuhn to LWHC.

Nicola is originally from Germany and completed her medical degree at the WWU Münster. She moved to Tasmania in 2014 and has worked in various areas at the Launceston General Hospital and completed a diploma in both, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and in Paediatrics, before commencing her career in General Practice in 2020.

She has been working as a GP at Norwood Medical for the past 18 months and is looking forward to focusing on her special interest in women’s health working with the team at Launceston Women’s Health Clinic.

Outside of work she enjoys bushwalking, music and spending time with her young family.

Nicola has appointments available on a Tuesday morning.

Launceston Women's Health Clinic A dedicated community women's health clinic run by women's health GPs offering female specific servi

Women’s Health Tasmania’s next webinar, Beyond safe is for both providers and users of health services in Tasmania.

In the webinar we will hear from experts in their topics: Dr Sue Mallett, a GP with a special interest in women’s health; Elinor Heard, the author of Women’s Health Tasmania’s new Termination of pregnancy: A good practice guide for Tasmanian care providers; and Remy, who has recently lived the experience of using Tasmania's abortion care services.

The webinar will be held on Tuesday September 12 at 12.30pm
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_35lhGmG0QbqL8dZnnsVu4Q

We welcome Dr Sujana Nepal to LWHC.
Sujana grew up in Nepal, graduated medicine in Bangladesh, and moved to Australia in 2009 where she works as a GP. She has a special interest all aspects of women's health and in 2019 completed the FPAA Certificate for Doctors in S*xual and Reproductive Health

Sujana has appointments available on a Tuesday morning.

Launceston Women's Health Clinic A dedicated community women's health clinic run by women's health GPs offering female specific servi

Our own Dr Sue Mallett is key speaker at a GP education night on the topics of HRT and contraceptive options.

If you have been struggling to book an appointment with Katrina, the answer is that she has gone on leave to prepare for the exciting new addition to her family. We wish Katrina all the best and are looking forward to meeting bub, and to welcoming Katrina back in to the Clinic in early 2024.
In the meantime, if you are a patient of Katrina's at LWHC and need to see someone, all of our other Doctors are here and happy to see you.

We welcome Dr Sara Freshney to LWHC. Sara has appointments available on a Wednesday and Friday morning.

Sara graduated from Leicester University in the UK and has worked in general practice for 8 years and relocated from the UK in 2021 with her young family.

She has a special interest in Women’s and s*xual health and has recently completed the FPAA National Certificate in S*xual and Reproductive Health. Her interests include contraception, s*xual health, period and bleeding problems, cervical screening tests and the menopause.

Online appointments are not available at this time, please call the clinic and speak with our reception staff.

Launceston Women's Health Clinic A dedicated community women's health clinic run by women's health GPs offering female specific servi

Pain Flares Pt. 2 💥

Pain flares can cause patients significant distress, so having an individualised management plan for when they occur can make them easier to control.

The first step is excluding any acute abdominal/pelvic pathology that may be causing the flare. Normal investigations certainly don't mean that the pain isn't real or valid, but it's important to rule out any underlying causes that may be 'sinister'.

Here are some tips for managing pain flares:
If the pain flare occurs during period time:
🟠 NSAIDS - suppository form may be preferential to oral
🟠 TENS machine
🟠 try to keep moving if possible

If experiencing stabbing pain:
🟠 movement and stretches (stretches handout can be found on our website)
🟠 TENS machine
🟠 diazepam suppository

Bladder first aid (when not infection):
🟠 water with bi-carb soda
🟠 urinary alkaliniser
🟠 paracetamol

If constipated:
🟠 glycerin suppository
🟠 foot stool
🟠 ensuring to avoid straining

What do you find helpful for managing pain flares?

Pain Flares Pt. 1 💥

While people with persistent pelvic pain experience pain on most days, at times a 'flare' may occur, resulting in an exacerbation of pain symptoms.

Understanding what is causing the flare can help with finding the appropriate management. Common causes of pelvic pain flares include:
🟠 Gynaecological - ovulation pain, ovarian cyst, haemorrhage, torsion, dysmenorrhea, in*******se or PID
🟠 Gastrointestinal - appendicitis, gastroenteritis, diverticulitis
🟠 Urinary - UTI, interstitial cystitis, renal tract stones
🟠 Musculoskeletal - pelvic muscle spasm, trauma (physical), recent surgery with late onset of neural pain, post-operative complication (e.g. haemotoma causing pain)
🟠 Psychological - trauma or triggering or past trauma, severe stress or stressful event

Stay tuned for more information on managing pain flares

Watch 👇If you missed this on ABC on Tuesday night, it is available on ABCiview. Link is below.

If you’re confused about brain fog, hot flushes, and hormone therapy, you’re not alone.
In a special edition of ABC Catalyst Myf Warhurst interviews Dr Sonia Davison, Endocrinologist at Jean Hailes to demystify a misunderstood stage of life.

Catch ‘The Truth About Menopause’ on ABC iview now: https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/news/the-truth-about-menopause

For the latest evidence-based information including translated resources in 10 languages, visit https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause

ABC Australia ABC Science Australasian Menopause Society

For more than a century, March 8 has been observed as a special day for women across the globe, as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

It is with much sadness that we farewell Min today. Min and family are relocating to Hobart. On behalf of all the LWHC team and the patients you have cared for over the past two years, we want to say a big THANK YOU!, you will be missed, and we wish you all the best on this new adventure.
Patients who have been seeing Min at LWHC, can easily transfer their care to Drs Katrina Tellesson, Catrina Leesong, Sue Mallett and Elizabeth Lord.

LWHC staff would like to wish everyone a peaceful and joyful festive season. Thank you for your support this year. We will be open Wednesday to Friday next week, and closed on the public holidays.

Yes, you can ask that…
What is the latest info -suggestions for dry va**na?

Sue: A dry va**na commonly occurs when the levels of the hormone oestrogen drop, so women might notice this when they are breastfeeding but mostly women notice it when they are menopausal. Low va**nal oestrogen levels can cause urinary symptoms, like needing to rush to the toilet or having an accident when someone laughs or sneezes and less lubrication during s*x which can lead to painful s*x and urinary infections after s*x.

Lisa: So, Sue, what’s new in dry va**nas? Are you recommending lubricants as much as I am?

Sue: Absolutely, as you know there are different sorts, I normally recommend the hypoallergenic pH balanced brands like YES, and the good thing about those are that you can order then off the internet, and they come in a brown package with no hint as to what is in the bag.

Lisa: Oh, so no more roaming the pharmacy isles trying to work out which one to get!
Sue: That’s right. We could do a whole segment on lubricants at some point as there is a lot to say about them. Many women use coconut oil and although that is safe it can alter the pH (natural acidity level) in the va**na and so make women more prone to things like yeast infections and it is always important to remember that oil-based lubricants may affect how effective a condom is.

Lisa: Are there any other options to help women with a dry va**na

Sue: If women can use va**nal oestrogen that is the best thing to provide long term relief and women can use it quite safely for many years. If women can’t use va**nal oestrogen (mainly that is women who have had breast cancer) then there are products like Replens which holds onto natural moisture in the va**na and can last for up to 3 days

Lisa: I have heard about a laser treatment, is it safe and does it work?

Sue: There are a number of studies that have been done looking at the safety and the effectiveness of laser treatment for menopausal va**nal symptoms, the current best advice is that it is although it may help some women, for most women there is no good long term data around how effective and safe it is .So laser therapy outside of clinical trials is not currently recommended.

We did it! 100 bags of essential and pamper items for Share the Dignity Campaign, being delivered today. We could not have achieved this without generous support and donations from women in our community. Thank you.

You can ask that.
What do you do if you are having hormonal changes that involve suicidal ideation 3 days prior to a period and you have a hormone blood test which is reported and nothing else is done.

Sue: that sounds like a difficult place for a person to be. I rarely do blood tests for hormone levels with women who are suffering from PMS or PMDD as most of the time the results are not helpful, as in this case.

Lisa: I’ve heard of PMS but what is PMDD.

Sue: PMDD stands for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, sometimes disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Although PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt daily life and damage relationships.
In both PMDD and PMS, symptoms usually begin seven to 10 days before a period starts and continue for the first few days of the period.
Both PMDD and PMS may cause bloating, breast tenderness, fatigue, and changes in sleep and eating habits. In PMDD, however, at least one of these emotional and behavioural symptoms stands out:
• Sadness or hopelessness
• Anxiety or tension
• Extreme moodiness
• Marked irritability or anger

Experts are still trying to figure out the underlying cause of PMDD. But most believe it’s a response to the changing hormone levels that occur during a woman’s cycle. Throughout the menstrual cycle, the body goes through a natural rise and fall in its levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. This can influence the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a big role in a person’s mood.

Lisa: Is there anything that can be done to help?

Sue: Yes lots, PMDD is a severe disabling condition that requires treatment. PMDD often requires treatment with medication as well as lifestyle modifications. Treatments usually try and target either serotonin levels or hormonal fluctuation so commonly used medications are an SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor), an antidepressant that helps 60-70% of women or a hormone such as certain types of oral contraceptives. Lifestyle interventions such as CBT, regular exercise and increasing calcium in the diet will also help some people. PMS can also have a major impact of women and if symptoms are impacting them then they should talk to their doctor about treatment options too.

#postbabyhankypanky: Pain During S*x is an initiative led by Dr. Natalie Rosen and her team at the Couples and S*xual Health Laboratory, Dalhousie University, to promote happ...

You can ask that.
How do I know if I am in menopause?

Sue: Good question and not always that easy to answer.
The medical definition of menopause is your final period, so you know you have reached menopause if you have not had your period for 12 months.

Lisa: That’s not particularly helpful for women with symptoms who are waiting for their next period to see if they are in menopause.

Sue: Yes, and blood tests over the age of 45 are usually not helpful as the hormone levels are fluctuating so much.

Lisa: So, what are women supposed to do?

Sue: Mainly we look at what symptom’s women are getting to decide if a woman is menopausal. So the main things that a women might notice are: periods changing, hot flushes and night sweats, mood changes, forgetfulness, aches and pain, dry va**na, itchy skin, tiredness, weight gain.

Lisa: I recognize a few of those symptoms!

Sue: Yes, menopause is the gift that keeps on giving. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 to 55 and the average age for periods to stop in Australia is around age 52 but some women don’t reach menopause until age 60 and for some women symptoms can start much earlier and go on much longer. I think the most important thing is that if women are not feeling well or are getting symptoms that are bothering them that they don’t put up with them. There are lots of options to help manage symptoms, but it is really important to get correct evidence-based advice as there is a lot of misinformation around. Places like Australian Menopause Society or Jean Hailes has good information.

The second question was from the same person, and it was ‘How did men ever manage to establish the patriarchy?”. We answered the first question powered by coffee and apple cake, I am sorry, but we would need something much stronger to cope with answering the second question.

You can ask that.