Examination:Gynaecology is typically considered a consultant specialty. In some countries, women must first see a general practitioner (GP; also known as a family practitioner (FP)) prior to seeing a gynaecologist. If their condition requires training, knowledge, surgical technique, or equipment unavailable to the GP, the patient is then referred to a gynaecologist.

In the United States, however, law and many health insurance plans allow/force gynaecologists to provide primary care in addition to aspects of their own specialty. With this option available, some women opt to see a gynaecological surgeon without another physician's referral.As in all of medicine, the main tools of diagnosis are clinical history and examination. Gynaecological examination is quite intimate, moreso than a routine physical exam. It also requires unique instrumentation such as the speculum. The speculum consists of two hinged blades of concave metal or plastic which are used to retract the tissues of the vagina and permit examination of the cervix, the lower part of the uterus located within the upper portion of the vagina. Gynaecologists typically do a bimanual examination (one hand on the abdomen and one or two fingers in the vagina) to palpate the cervix, uterus, ovaries and bony pelvis. It is not uncommon to do a rectovaginal exam for complete evaluation of the pelvis, particularly if any suspicious masses are appreciated.

Male gynaecologists often have a female chaperone (nurse or medical student) for their examination. An abdominal and/or vaginal ultrasound can be used to confirm any abnormalities appreciated with the bimanual examination or when indicated by the patient's history. Diseases:Cancer and pre-cancerous diseases of the reproductive organs including ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina, and vulva Incontinence of urine. Amenorrhea (absent menstrual periods) Dysmenorrhoea (painful menstrual periods) Infertility Menorrhagia (heavy menstrual periods). This is a common indication for hysterectomy. Prolapse of pelvic organs Scabies There is some crossover in these areas. For example a woman with incontinence may be referred to a urologist. Therapies:As with all surgical specialties, gynaecologists may employ medical or surgical therapies (or many times, both), depending on the exact nature of the problem that they are treating. Pre- and post-operative medical management will often employ many "standard" drug therapies, such as antibiotics, diuretics, antihypertensives, and antiemetics.
 

Women's Health

Women's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, females. Women's health issues include menstruation, child birth, menopause and breast cancer. They can also include medical situations in which women face problems not directly related to their biology, for example geneder-differentiated access to medical treatment.Women's health is an issue which has been taken up by many feminists, especially where reproductive health is concerned. One example of this is the Cartwright Inquiry in New Zealand, in which research by two feminist journalists revealed that women with cervical abnormalities were not receiving treatment, as part of an experiment. The women were not told of the abnormalities and several later died. In many countries feminists have campaigned for the right to legal and safe abortion, arguing that it is a health rather than a moral issue.

In countries where contraception is difficult to access, campaigns for readily available contraception are conducted on the same lines. Conversely, there have also been campaigns against potentially dangerous forms of contraception such as the IUD.Some health and medical research advocates, particularly the Society for Women's Health Research in the United States, define women's health more broadly than issues specific to human female anatomy to include areas where biological sex differences between women and men exist. Research has demonstrated significant biological differences between the sexes in rates of susceptibility, symptoms and response to treatment in many major areas of health, including heart disease and some cancers.Gynaecology or gynecology:Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) refers to the surgical specialty dealing with health of the female reproductive system (uterus, vagina and ovaries). Literally, outside medicine, it means "the science of women".

Almost all modern gynaecologists are also obstetricians; see Obstetrics and gynaecology. History:According to the Suda, the ancient Greek physician Soranus practiced in Alexandria and subsequently Rome. He was the chief representative of the school of physicians known as "Methodists." His treatise Gynaikeia is extant (first published in 1838, later by V. Rose as Gynaecology, in 1882, with a 6th-century Latin translation by Moschio, a physician of the same school).In the United States, J. Marion Sims is considered the father of American gynaecology. Practitioners included Dr. Benjamin B. Weinstein (1913-1974) of Tulane University in New Orleans, who specialized in fertility studies.