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AIDS/HIV • ALCOHOL COUNSELLING • ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY • ANTHONY NOLAN BONE MARROW TRUST • BREAST AWARENESS • BREAST CANCER • GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE CLINIC • HEALTHWISE • HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (HRT) • LESBIAN SEXUAL HEALTH AND BREAST CARE INFORMATION • MENOPAUSE • OSTEOPOROSIS • WOMENS HEALTH LONDON •

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AIDS/HIV BACK TO TOP
 
AIDS/HIV GENERAL INFORMATION BACK TO TOP
     
  • The Public Health Laboratory Service has produced the following information.
    • What is HIV and what does it do?
  • HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.
  • There are two types of HIV virus: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the type most commonly found in the UK. HIV-2 remains mainly confined to West Africa and is usually less severe than HIV-1.
  • When a person has HIV, infectious amounts of the virus can be found in their blood, semen (men), vaginal fluids (women) and breast milk (women).
  • People with HIV usually have no symptoms for a prolonged period of time, while the virus acts slowly to weaken the body’s immune system. HIV particularly attacks the type of white blood cell called CD4 cells. When the CD4 count is very low the body’s immune system is very weak.
  • When a person’s immune system has been broken down he or she is susceptible to other illnesses, especially infections (eg tuberculosis and pneumonia) and cancers, many of which are not normally a threat to a healthy person.
  • At that severe stage of infection the person is often diagnosed as having AIDS. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
  • To say that a person has AIDS means they have one or more of a list of otherwise usually rare illnesses as a result of the breakdown of the body’s immune system.
  • Usually the cause of illness and eventual death in a person with HIV is not the virus itself, but illnesses to which the virus has made the person vulnerable. With treatment a person with AIDS may recover from an illness, but will usually succumb to another. People with HIV infection will almost certainly die prematurely.
  • Recent advances in treatment by combination anti-retroviral therapy (sometimes called Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy or HAART) have enormously improved survival rates in countries which can afford these drugs and have the infrastructure to deliver them safely and effectively.
Who gets HIV?
  • Anyone can become infected with the virus if he or she is exposed to infection through sex or blood products.
  • There are certain groups at higher risk of infection than others in the UK:
  • Homosexual men (men who have sex with men)
  • Injecting drug users
  • Men and women who have lived as adults in countries where heterosexual transmission of HIV is common (notably South, East and Central Africa)
  • Children, from their infected mothers during pregnancy
  • The numbers of HIV infections acquired through sex between men and women are low in the UK but represent 80-90% of infections worldwide.
  • In 2000 there were over 3400 reports of new diagnoses of HIV infection in the UK. Nearly 40% of these were in men who probably acquired their infection through sex with another man. Almost half acquired their infection heterosexually and about 3% through injecting drug use. Most of the heterosexuals were probably infected abroad.
  • HIV is uncommon among young heterosexual people in the UK and fewer than 1 in 1000 UK-born teenagers attending STD clinics (generally a higher risk group) were infected with HIV in 1999. Among young sexually active people in the UK, homosexual young men are at greater risk than heterosexuals.
  • For heterosexual teenagers the risk of catching chlamydia, gonorrhoea or another sexually transmitted infection is far higher than the risk of catching HIV. Those infected with another sexually transmitted infection are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV if they have an HIV infected partner.
How do you catch HIV?
  • HIV is passed on from an infected person through the transfer of body fluids such as blood, semen, fluid from the woman’s cervix and breast milk.
  • There are four main ways to catch HIV:
    • By unprotected sexual intercourse (anal, vaginal or oral) with an infected partner. Anal intercourse (where a man’s penis is inserted into his partner’s anus) is more dangerous than vaginal intercourse. This is because the lining of the anus is easily damaged. The lining of the vagina and skin in general, if undamaged, is relatively resistant to HIV. The virus is passed on more readily from men to women than from women to men. The risk associated with unprotected oral sex is lower than other forms of penetrative sex, but is not risk free.
    • By an injection or transfusion with blood from an infected person.
    • Through drug users sharing needles and syringes contaminated with HIV infected blood.
    • From an infected mother to her baby during birth or through breast feeding.
  • HIV is NOT passed on through everyday social contact with an infected person. Touching, shaking hands, hugging, coughing or sneezing cannot pass on the virus.
  • Not everyone who comes into contact with the virus will contract it. For example, most babies born to HIV positive mothers are not infected with the virus.
How do you know that you have HIV?
  • A person with HIV may have no symptoms and appear completely healthy for a long period of time.
  • Antibodies are complex proteins made by the body’s immune system against ‘foreign’ substances such as bacteria and viruses. There is a test that can be done on a blood sample which will detect the presence of antibodies to HIV. Someone with HIV antibodies is infected with the virus (but transfer of mother’s antibodies to new-born babies occurs even though the baby is not necessarily infected).
  • It can take up to 3 months for the antibodies to show up in a test after the person was infected. However, during that interval the infected person will have high numbers of the virus in his or her body, and will be likely to pass on infection at this stage if they have unprotected sexual intercourse.
How serious is HIV?
  • HIV is a serious infection in the UK where it is estimated that around 30,000 people are currently infected. Without treatment most people are expected to die from their infection.
  • Once infected with HIV the person carries the virus in their body for the rest of their lives and remains infectious to others for the rest of their lives. However, recent treatment advances mean that in treated patients the virus level can be reduced but these treatments need to be maintained and there is not as yet a cure for HIV.
  • At the end of 2000, there were more than 36.1 million people living with HIV infection worldwide, over 95% of these in resource poor (developing) countries.
How can you protect yourself against HIV?
  • Sexually active men and women greatly reduce their risk of infection by having monogamous relationships with HIV negative partners.
  • A condom is a form of contraception that if used correctly and consistently during sexual intercourse can protect against HIV.
  • Even in an entirely monogamous relationship one partner may bring HIV, or another infection, from a previous partner without having any symptoms.
  • Injecting drug users should never share their needles, syringes and other injecting equipment with anyone else. This will minimise their risk of catching HIV (and other viral infections, hepatitis B and C). Used needles should be disposed of safely by putting them in a rigid container with a lid. There are now needle exchange programmes in many parts of the country which provide free supplies of clean, sterile needles and safely dispose of used needles.
  • Since 1985 all blood donated for medical transfusions has been screened for HIV, meaning there is minimal risk of being infected through a hospital blood transfusion.
  • HIV positive mothers can be put on special antiviral medication to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to the baby during birth. They should not breast feed, as the virus can be transmitted via breast milk.
How is HIV diagnosed?
  • The main test for HIV infection is the blood test for antibodies to HIV described under "How do you know you have HIV?"
  • Confidential HIV tests can be obtained from any STD clinic (also called genitourinary medicine clinics) or GP. Details of these clinics can be found in the telephone book, from your local hospital or from the website. You can attend at any age (even if you are below the legal age of consent to sex which is 16).
  • There is complete confidentiality between the person tested and the doctor responsible for the test. This covers the fact that a test has been taken and the result of that test.
Can you treat HIV?
  • Currently there is no vaccine or cure for HIV.
  • However, there is now treatment called highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). The treatment suppresses the HIV virus and can reverse the damage to the immune system for some time, prolonging the lives of those infected. The virus is continually changing, sometimes becoming resistant to current drugs, so HAART may not be a long term solution and it is not a cure.
  • People can only be prescribed these drugs if they have been tested and know that they have the infection
  • The treatments are complex and often have side effects. They are not easy to take.
  • Treatment is also very expensive and therefore unavailable to most people in the developing countries.
  • Despite treatment an infected person is still capable of passing on the virus.

    • www. phls.co.uk/facts/HIV/HivGeneralInf.htm
 
  • UNAIDS shows the global summary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in December 2001.
    The total number of people living with HIV/AIDS is 40 million of which 37.2 million are adults, 17.6 million of these are women and there are also 2.7 million children under 15 years.
    The total number of people newly infected with HIV in 2001 is 5 million of which 4.2 million are adults, 1.8 million of these are women and there are 800,000 children under 15 years.
    The total number of AIDS deaths in 2001 was 3 million of which 2.4 million are adults, 1.1 million of these are women and there are 600,000 children under 15 years.
    www.unaids.org
     
  • The World Health Organisation
    states that since the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic 15 years ago, the virus has infected more than 47 million people in the world. With more than 2.2 million deaths in 1998, HIV/AIDS has now become the fourth leading cause of mortality and its impact is going to increase.
    www.who.int
POLARITY HIV CENTRE BACK TO TOP

POLARITY HIV CENTRE
Polarity HIV Centre is run by Colchester Gay Switchboard. Polarity is a resource centre where people can drop in, have a drink or a "home cooked" meal. chat, make friends, and have access to information about HIV and AIDS. The information can be from the centre Resource Library, the Internet or from the Specialist Workers and Volunteers.
Polarity links with many other agencies and can help you access these. Polarity provides a safe, confidential, friendly and relaxing environment.
The service is available to people living with HIV as well as others affected by HIV, including partners, friends and family.
The centre works on an open door principal and people are encouraged to drop in. The centre can be contacted on telephone number 012016 871394
TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST BACK TO TOP

TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST
Terrence Higgins Trust THT is the leading HIV & AIDS charity in the UK and the largest in Europe. Established in 1982, it was the first charity to be set up in response to the HIV epidemic and has been at the forefront if the fight against HIV & AIDS ever since.
THT is the largest provider of direct services to the groups most affected by HIV - gay men and UK African communities.
THT delivers health promotion campaigns and direct services from our offices across the UK to people with or affected by HIV, and people at risk.
www.tht.org.uk

 
ALCOHOL COUNSELLING BACK TO TOP

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
At Alcoholics Anonymous men and women share their experience, strength and hope with each other to help them to solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. The primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Currently, women make up 35 percent of the total membership.
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk


HEALTH ADVICE - LONDON
This is a unique alcohol project offering free services in venues across London.
www.acaps.co.uk/


LESBIAN & GAY BISEXUAL ALCOHOL PROJECT
(part of the Alcohol Counseling and Prevention Services)
34 Electric lane, London, SW9 8JT

 
ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY BACK TO TOP

Millions of people are affected by dementia. While over 700,000 people in the UK have some form of dementia, there's always a wider impact on families and friends. Whether you are a person with dementia, a career or are concerned, the Alzheimer's Society can help. The Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with all forms of dementia and their career.
The Society provide information and education, fund medical and scientific research, provide quality day and home care, campaign for improved services and for a better public understanding of the condition.
www.alzheimers.org.uk


 
ANTHONY NOLAN BONE MARROW TRUST BACK TO TOP

There is an appeal for more donors and especially those from the ethnic minorities where there are less than 5% registered donors.

Founded in 1974 as the first Register of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow in circumstances where a match cannot be found within a patient’s family, The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust now holds one of the largest databases of unrelated donors in the world. The Trust owes its existence to the determination of Shirley Nolan, who established the Register in an attempt to save the life of her son, Anthony; a little boy born in 1971 suffering a rare bone marrow disease which left his immune system unable to fight infection.

Anthony’s single hope of a cure was a bone marrow transplant and, as a child with no compatible match available within his family, his condition was diagnosed as untreatable. His mother, Shirley discovered that no register of potential donors existed and that no funds or facilities were available to establish one. She determined to find the money and resources required to set up the very first.

Sadly, no matching donor was ever found for Anthony and he died in 1979 aged seven, but 1,000s of people happy and well throughout the world today owe their lives to Shirley’s tireless work.

Every year, 1,000s of people with bone marrow diseases such as leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and inborn metabolic and immune deficiency disorders, reach a stage where only a bone marrow transplant can possibly save them.

Family members, particularly brothers and sisters, can make the best matches. However, this is not always possible and patients must hope that an unrelated volunteer donor will be found. There are now some 311,000 people registered but more are needed.

Requirements to join the Register include:
Aged 18 - 40
In general good health
Weigh over eight stone. Although in the case of donors from some ethnic groups this is lowered to 7.5st.
Women must not be pregnant
Women with children under the age of 12 months cannot join or donate marrow during that time
Health and circumstances permitting you stay on the Register until your 60th birthday.
All eligible volunteers are urged to come forward, but there is a specific clinical need to recruit more male, ethnic minority and mixed race volunteers. There are less than 5% of ethnic minority donors registered.

To find out what’s involved in becoming a donor and more about the Trust contact

www.anthonynolan.com


 
BREAST AWARENESS BACK TO TOP

Breast awareness is about getting to know your own breast. What they look like, what they feel like, what is NORMAL for you. Learn to recognise the changes that occur to your breasts throughout your menstrual cycle, recognise the changes that are normal for you.

The most common problem women experience is that the breasts feel lumpy and sometimes painful. If the breasts are lumpy just before a period, check again after it's finished. If the lumpiness has gone, it could well have been down to a hormone change. It is important to get breast pain checked out by a GP or at a Well Women Clinic.

  
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS BACK TO TOP

The Breast Cancer Campaign's prime focus is research, they do not offer counseling, advice or support because other charities do this. They fund research only into breast cancer.
(Also in Support Groups)
Financial Advice Financial help is available for patients affected by breast cancer and their families. Early advice should be sought from your local Citizen's advice Bureau or the Social Security Office. The Breast Care Specialist Nurses should be contacted for a grant application on your behalf from the Macmillan Cancer Relief Fund.

INFORMATION BREAST CANCER AND NIGHT WORK

Published in the SUNDAY MIRROR on February 4th, 2001 on page 57 is an article entitled
Women who work the night shift double their risk of breast cancer by Roger Dobson.

“Women who work nights may be more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer.
And the longer spent working at night, the greater the risk, according to new research.
Doctors looked at 7,035 women aged 30 to 54 with breast cancer and then compared them with women who did not have breast cancer. The jobs ranged from factory workers and petrol attendants to club and transport workers.
The Danish researchers, who report their findings in the medical journal, Epidemiology, took into account age at birth of first child, number of children and income. They found that women who worked nights were 50 - 70 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer.
"Irregular working hours, such as working at night, have psychological and physiological effects” said Doctor Johnni Hansen, who led the research.
One theory is that the stress of night work lowers the immune system. The hormonal changes that occur in the body at night may also be involved.
Production of the melatonin hormone may also be disrupted, and changes of this nature have been linked to cancer."


  
GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE CLINIC BACK TO TOP


The best way to check your sexual health is by visiting a GUM Clinic (Genito-Urinary Medicine Clinic). This is a FREE, CONFIDENTIAL service and you do not have to be referred by your GP. You will need to make an appointment but you can visit any clinic, not the one closest to home or work. At the GUM clinic you will be asked for your name and date of birth. You DO NOT have to give the name of your GP if you do not want to. You just have to say that you do not want to give the doctor's information. Any notes made about your diagnosis and treatment are confidential and will not be accessed by anyone outside the clinic.

At a GUM Clinic you can be tested for a variety of sexually transmitted infections. Some of the tests are very quick to process. The clinic will giv you the initial results for some of the tests while you wait but you will need to make a further appointment for the results to be confirmed by the laboratory.

The telephone number of the GU Clinic can be found in the telephone directory or by telephoning the hospital in the area you wish to use and asking for the Department of GU Medicine.

 
HEALTHWISE BACK TO TOP


Healthwise is an independent provider of telephone helplines, health information and health education services. They provide an extensive range of products and services for health authorities, education authorities and government departments in the UK. The educational products are also purchased for use in other English speaking countries.

They currently provide the following helpline services:

National AIDS Helpline
National Drugs Helpline
Drinkline
Contraceptive Education Service for Wales
Health Information Service (HIS) for the 16 health districts in the north west of England
Health Information Service (HIS) for Cambridgeshire
They publish health education resources dealing with:

Drugs education for primary and secondary schools (including pupils with limited reading ability)
Sex and relationship issues for primary and secondary schools
Information about contraception
Smoking education for primary schools
Their products include training manuals, card games, computer games, video and CD-ROM.

They provide health information software for use in a variety of settings including call centres, public access points and health care settings.

Healthwise Helpline Ltd.
1st Floor
Cavern Court
8 Mathew Street
Liverpool L2 6RE

Office Tel: 0151 227 4150
Fax: 0151 227 4019
Email: info@healthwise.org.uk
www.healthwise.org.uk

 
HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (HRT) BACK TO TOP


If your menopause symptoms are particularly bad, your doctor may suggest Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). HRT can make most menopause symptome a lot better, and can also be good for your health in other ways. It may lower your risk of heart disease and can help to prevent osteoporosis but HRT is not suitable for all women. HRT is a substitute for the female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. HRT is in most cases prescribed to counteract the natural reduction in the level of female sex hormones which occurs at the menopause. The experience of the menopause is very individual but the symptoms are usually temporary (generally lasting six months to two years) and can be helped in a variety of ways, with HRT being one of the options. Every woman should be able to decide for herself whether or not to take HRT. Making the decision can only be done by comparing the pros and cons in the light of your own particular needs, priorities and health background. There is still much disagreement and conflicting evidence about the uses and safety of HRT. Many women do benefit from HRT and it may be essential for some women who have had their ovaries removed or had an early menopause

 
LESBIAN SEXUAL HEALTH AND BREAST CARE INFORMATION BACK TO TOP


Feeling Good, Feeling Sexy is a booklet about Lesbian Sexual Health and Breast Care Information produced by Mancunian Health Promotion Specialist Service, Lesbians' Participation Worker and Mancunian Women's Health Team.

The booklet is available from
Mancunian Health Promotion Specialist Services
Resource and Information Library
Pavilion 10
Withington Hospital
Nell Lane
West Didsbury
Manchester
M20 2LR
Telephone number 0161 291 3642
Fax number 0161 291 3643
Prices: One copy may be requested free of charge. 2-50 copies cost 75p each
Over 50 copies 50p each Postage and packing costs:
2-10 copies £2.00
11-50 copies £5.00
Over 50 copies £7.00
A cheque must be sent with the order, payable to Mancunian Community Health NHS Trust.
For further information on the content of the booklet or other lesbian sexual health information, contact Bernadine O'Sullivan, Health Promotion Specialist, on telephone number 0161 882 2306

  
THE MENOPAUSE BACK TO TOP


Menopause is simply a term used for that stage when women gradually stop having periods. Most women have their menopause between the ages of 45 and 50. It can happen as early as 30 and as late as 60s. As you near the menopause your periods may change, becoming shorter or longer, heavier or lighter, or may get less regular. After a year has passed without a period the menopause is over. Before the menopause the levels of the two main female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, alter as egg production (ovulation) slows and then stops. These hormonal changes cause the symptoms of the menopause.

Menopause symptoms include hot flushes and night sweats, dryness of the virgina, headaches, reduced sex drive, sleeplessness, thinning of the skin, mood changes.


 
INSTITUTE OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY TRUST'S WOMEN FOR WOMEN APPEAL CYCLE CHALLENGE IN CUBA BACK TO TOP
  • Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust’s Women for Women Appeal CYCLE CHALLENGE IN CUBA
    The tough cycle challenge is to be held in Cuba with infertility expert Professor Robert Winston to raise funds for an appeal to improve the health of women and babies and will take place next March.

    They will cycle 370kms in a bid to raise funds for the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust’s Women for Women Appeal.

    Professor Robert Winston, presenter of television programmes like The Human Body and Superhuman is Chairman of the Appeal and will be the only man on the women-only ride in Cuba next March. Wine expert Jilly Goolden is also set to get back on her bike and several other celebrities may join her.

    Funds raised will be used to improve the health of women and babies by training women scientists and clinicians to undertake pioneering work to improve prevention, diagnosis and care of women’s health problems and those associated with conception through pregnancy to birth and the early days of life.

    This will be the third cycle challenge and over 100 women are expected to take part. Adventurous women, including celebrities like Charlie Dimmock, Jilly Goolden and Dr Miriam Stoppard have already raised over £320,000 by taking part in previous rides.

    If you can help in any way they would be most grateful.

 
OSTEOPOROSIS BACK TO TOP


Osteoporosis (Brittle Bone) is a condition that affects women after the menopause. Their bones may become fragile and break more easily leading to fractures of wrists, hips and bones in the spine. Osteoporosis is caused by a loss of bone. After the menopause there is a loss of oestrogen which makes the body lose bone faster. A healthy lifestyle, including taking exercise and avoiding smoking and heavy drinking may reduce the possibility of developing osteoporosis

The National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) campaigns to provide information and support for people with osteoporosis, promote education for the public and health professionals, lobby Government and Health Authorities and encourage fundraising for research into osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The NOS is the only national charity dedicated to osteoporosis
www.nos.org.uk

 
WOMEN'S HEALTH LONDON BACK TO TOP


Women's Health
Health Enquiries
52 Featherstone Street
London EC1Y 8RT
Telephone helpline 0845 125 5254. You can ring the helpline Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 1.30pm for confidential and non-judgmental information, advice and support. All calls are charged at the same rate as a local call. Deaf women can call the Minicom number on 020 7490 5489.

The helpline provides a health enquiry service on a wide range of women's health topics and all enquiries are answered by women. They specialise in gynaecological health issues: abnormal smears, DES, HRT, fertility awareness, fibroids, heavy bleeding, lesbian health, hysterectomy, painful periods, ovarian problems, menopause, vaginal infections, thrush, pelvic inflammatory disease, premenstrual syndrome, donor/self insemination, unplanned pregnancy and abortion care.

E-mail: health@womenshealthlondon.org.uk