Spotlight On Women’s Health

Women have never been more open about their health. Athena’s Chloe Boulton met with Fran Burley, a nurse practitioner at a surgery in Shropshire to find out why that’s a huge step in the right direction.

Words by Chloe Boulton

In her day-to-day job as a nurse practitioner, Fran Burley sees women wanting advice on everything from smear tests, sexual health advice, concerns about lumps, contraception, and pregnancy care. When it comes to women’s health, she believes no topic should be taboo.

“There’s never been a better time to be a woman or to talk about women’s health. It’s very much an open forum out there,” says Fran. “All the resources for anything are available online.

Social media and the internet have been prevalent in how women receive information about health with well-known celebrities having also played a factor in this. Fran tells me: “There’s a lot more information out there online, and women do talk to each other and social media.

“Women have usually done their homework by the time they come to us, or they just want to have a chat and see if what they’ve heard and read is relevant and specific and appropriate for them.”

Nowadays women are very much a lot more open about health and their well-being as well as having the ability to have a lot more choice over their body, however is there still a stigma around women’s health at all?

“Not really from where I’m sitting. There are no real stigmas associated with anything.”

HRT

HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy, and it helps to relieve symptoms of the menopause. As you go through the menopause, the treatment replaces the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone which are at lower levels.

Fran says: “HRT was always badly thought of it was an increased risk of heart disease and breast cancers and all that sort of thing. But honestly, without a doubt the benefits far outweigh any slightly increased risk of developing these things.”

“There was a big drive on hormone replacement therapy with the likes of Davina McCall and Lisa Snowdon and various other high-profile women.”

Smear Tests

Smear tests are done by a brush taking cells from your cervix and then sent off to a lab to check for HPV.

Often women can be fed misinformation which often leads to anxiety about smear tests: “I have personally made it very much a priority to explain to women walk cycle screening. So when they come and have a smear at 24/25, that’s the first invitation and just trying to remind women that actually this isn’t about trying to find cancer. It’s about looking for abnormal cells.”

HPV

HPV is human papillomavirus and its mainly passed through sexual contact. If the immune system can’t fight off the infection, overtime it can cause cells to turn abnormal and then into cervical cancer.

Fran says: “Jo’s Cancer Trust website talking about HPV which young girls are vaccinated against. That’s all very much out in the open and you’re keeping down although it will encourage our family and friends to talk.”

Bowel Cancer Awareness

Bowel cancer, sometimes called colon or rectal cancer depending on where it starts, is caused by several factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking tobacco, obesity, and inherited genetics.

Bowel cancer sufferer Dame Deborah James, who died last year aged 40, stressed the importance of bowel cancer screenings. “We need to destigmatise certain issues i.e., STIs and bowel screenings,” Fran explains.

“Deborah James did an awful lot for awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of checking yourself. With her army of fans, she probably saved a lot of lives through constant promotional videos”.

Cultural Barriers

Cultural and societal views play a part for women and access and knowledge to healthcare can be limiting. “We’re in a very privileged part of Shropshire and the problems that arise here may not echo the problems that arise everywhere else in the country. Cultural, religious, differences, language barriers, ethnic groups. All of these things play a part in women’s health and that’s probably where the work has to be done.”