Women’s Health
Pregnancy
If and when to have a baby is an important decision for most women. Pregnancy can be an exciting time and many women have questions about family planning and what are their best options.
Pregnancy can be planned or unplanned. Early signs include late period (more than a few days), tender swollen breasts, tiredness, slight bleeding or cramping, nausea with or without vomiting (morning sickness) These symptoms are not unique to pregnancy. Likewise, you can be pregnant without experiencing any symptoms at all. The best option is to go to your local health clinic as soon as possible and they can advise you on options and next steps. Also you can do a home pregnancy test from a local pharmacy first and then followup with a clinic.
As soon as you know you’re pregnant you should plan on attending antenatal appointments. Your local clinic and Midwife team will go through the schedule of appointments, get details about your health history and possibly give you a physical exam. You can walk in anytime and get the best treatment for your unique situation. Staying on track with your appointments will help you and your baby flourish. The people working in clinics are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgment and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private,
Many women have lots of questions surrounding conceiving, pregnancy and it’s normal to have lots of questions, whether you’ve had a baby before or not – every pregnancy is different. It’s important to get accurate information and answers to your questions as quickly as possible. The best option is you go to your nearest clinic where a Midwife or Registered Nurse will get details about your health history and possibly give you a physical exam. You can walk in anytime and get the best treatment for your unique situation. Even if you’re uncertain about going to a clinic it’s important to take care of your health. The people working in clinics are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgement and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private.
Family Planning
There are many family planning options for men and women if you do not want to get pregnant at the moment.. Whether male or female, married or single it’s normal to have questions and important to plan when to have children, the number of children and spacing.
Family planning involved making decisions about when to have children, the time you wait between having a baby and getting pregnant again (child spacing) and the use of birth control and other techniques to manage your fertility. Everybody’s situation is a bit different so the best option is you go to your nearest clinic where a Midwife or Registered Nurse will get details about your health history and possibly give you a physical exam. You can walk in anytime and get the best treatment for your unique situation. Even if you’re uncertain about going to a clinic it’s important to take care of your health. The people working in clinics are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgement and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private.
There are several types of family planning, the common ones being the pill, injections, implants, the loop, condoms and more traditional methods. Most of us have questions about how different methods work, what’s best, and where to go to get family planning services so the best way is to visit your nearest health clinic or hospital where trained health providers will explain how each method works and give you all the options and information you need to make the best decision for you – you can walk in anytime clinic staff are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgement and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private.
A lot depends on what method you have been using and how long you have been using it. Most methods are reversible with the exception of vasectomy for men and tubal ligation for women. With some methods women can get pregnant almost immediately after stopping using birth control and with others it can take a while longer. The best option is to go to your local clinic or go back to the healthcare professional who provided you with your current birth control and talk through your options with them so you can decide the best next steps for you.
Morning after emergency contraception is a hormonal method (tablets) that can be used up to 3 or 5 days after unprotected sex to avoid pregnancy. Pills can be bought at a pharmacy or you can get help and advice at your local clinic – time is important so you need to act fast. Emergency contraception can also be used when a method has failed, for example: a condom has been broken or has slipped off, a woman has missed taking her contraceptive pills for more than 2 days. or a woman has had sex against her will (rape) . It’s also important to remember that family planning methods and devices do not protect someone from acquiring HIV, apart from the proper usage of the condom. The best next step is to visit your nearest health clinic or hospital where trained health providers will give you all the options and information you need to make the best decision for you – you can walk in anytime clinic staff are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgement and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private.
You need to get accurate information that is personal to you. The best next step is to go to your nearest local clinic and talk with a Family Planning provider – you can walk in anytime and the FP provider can talk you through the available options and help you decide what will work best for you. Even if you’re uncertain about going to a clinic it’s important to take care of your health. The people working in clinics are trained to be understanding, do not pass judgment and are respectful and kind. All conversations about your health are always confidential and private.
