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Over half of women in Ireland are worried about a female health issue at every stage of their life, according to a study* by Irish Life Health. More often than not, women feel like these important issues are being overlooked by GPs who are not specialised in this area – 52% of women claimed female healthcare is not well taken care of in Ireland*.
Maybe you’ve been dealing with painful menstrual cramps but have not been checked for endometriosis or PCOS; or your mum is experiencing menopause symptoms but is told she’s ‘overdramatic’ or ‘connecting unrelated symptoms’; or maybe you want to start your fertility journey but instead of referrals for basic blood tests, your GP only recommends a costly visit to a fertility clinic.
This is exactly why Irish Life Health are breaking new ground as the only health insurer to offer members direct access to GPs who are specialists in female health for in-depth video or phone consultations from anywhere in the country. These GPs give members support and advice in the areas of menstrual health, fertility guidance, contraception and menopause, not only creating a safe space for women to ask their burning questions to an understanding, knowledgeable ear, but also enabling those from more rural areas or those with a busy lifestyle to have equal access to health experts.
“It’s a very good service, particularly for women in rural Ireland, or in areas where they don’t have access to a GP or female health specialist,” explains one of the service’s experts Dr Siobhan Annarah-Adoghe. “The majority of the patients opt for a video consultation from their office, home, or in the car between lunchtimes or school runs. I’ve even had a patient video call me on the farm with the cows in the shed in the background. This service is for women anywhere in the country from Donegal down to Kerry.”
To see how this beneficial service works, the IMAGE team tried it firsthand. In an enlightening video consultation with Dr Siobhan, a female health specialist, we asked a few FAQs about common female health issues…
I am just starting on my fertility journey, would you recommend I do any tests or take any supplements at the outset? Should my partner do a sperm test?
“Increasingly, there’s a cohort of female patients in their 30s who want to start their family. The average age of first-time moms in Ireland has gone, I think, from 31 to now 32. There are a lot of particularly educated, professional women who are delaying family, and alongside that, we know that one in six to one in seven couples have fertility problems. Therefore, there’s an awareness now among women, so they want to have a general check on their fertility. I usually break it down into a constructive consultation first, starting with their menstrual health. If you’re not having periods, you’re not getting pregnant. That’s a very simple starting point.
“Then depending on clinically, if everything’s ticking, they may be happy enough to leave it with that knowledge, but sometimes we go a little further. Are people up to date with their cervical smears? That’s an important free service from the government. Finally, the next level might be blood tests like hormone profiles or a seamen analysis – sometimes it’s recommended, sometimes the patient just wants to be proactive. Afterwards, if anything is indicated or if they want to take it up a step, they may want to go and get an ultrasound, just to make sure the womb, the ovaries and everything are in order.
“At the end of all consultations, I will send a note of our consultation by email back to them via Irish Life Health, so they can take that information and decide, ‘right I’m happy with that knowledge’ or take it back to a doctor or GP that they’re comfortable with and say ‘I have these referrals, can I have these blood tests?’ Another cohort would say ‘right, I’ll come down and have a consultation face-to-face with you in Dublin’ and they can get their bloods done and everything they need.
“The seamen test looks at sperm count, morphology and motility, and sometimes that’s the cause of a couple’s fertility issues, and sometimes it’s not. If it is the cause, I recommend going to a urologist or fertility specialist, who recommends supplements and lifestyle modifications. Then maybe three or four months later, they can come and see me, and hopefully, everything has improved.
“For supplements, all females of childbearing age should be taking folic acid. A lot of women know that, but quite a few don’t, so that is one I always recommend. You can buy it over the counter at the pharmacy; you can take it every day or just some days. It’s very important from the day of conception to the first 13 weeks of the baby’s development.”
*Irish Life Health Female Health Research, Red C omnibus, June 2023.
Irish Life Health is the only health insurer to offer members direct access to GPs who are specialists in female health for in-depth video or phone consultations from anywhere. The benefit gives members support and advice in the areas of menstrual health, fertility guidance, contraception and menopause.
Terms & Conditions: Where this benefit is available on your plan, Irish Life Health will provide a contribution towards a video consultation booked with an Irish-based Centric Health GP who is a specialist in female health. They will pay Centric Health directly up to the amount detailed for the number of visits listed on your Table of Cover. You will be required to provide payment details for the remaining amount at the time of booking. Centric Health will take payment 48 hours before your scheduled appointment and once payment is taken it is non-refundable. This amount cannot be claimed against any other benefit on your plan, including your GP visits benefit, as you cannot claim for the same medical expenses twice.
The GP who specialises in female health may recommend additional follow-on services, such as blood tests, scans, or visits to other allied health professionals. These follow-on services are not covered under this benefit, but you may have cover on your plan under another benefit listed on your Table of Cover. This service is not suitable for emergencies or urgent conditions as this may delay your treatment. Where a member is under the age of 18, it is necessary for an adult-dependent on the policy to book the consultation on their behalf. Depending on the nature of the presenting issue, the GP may request the presence of a parent or guardian for those under the age of 18.