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Women's health: Publications



  • 1 Nov 2023

    Domestic Abuse

    Publication Code : 011 242

    Domestic abuse is a significant safeguarding issue in all societies and is a challenge for everyone. This guidance has been reviewed and updated in response to the recognition by the RCN of the need for nurses, midwives and health care support workers and all health care professionals to have an understanding of the impact of the domestic abuse of patients, clients and colleagues.

  • 1 Nov 2023

    Domestic Abuse Position Statement

    Publication Code : 011 243

    Domestic abuse is both complex and commonplace, and impacts on everyone, either personally or professionally. This updated publication outlines the RCN’s position on domestic abuse and our work to raise awareness of the issue amongst health care professionals. It also includes details of resources for further information.

  • 25 Sep 2023

    Fertility Care and Emotional Wellbeing

    Publication Code : 011 054

    This updated guidance has been developed as a resource for all health care professionals in all areas of fertility care and acknowledges the differences between emotional support and wellbeing, implications counselling and therapeutic counselling.

  • 21 Aug 2023

    Women's Health Pocket Guide

    Publication Code : 010 898

    This updated, easy to use, reference tool is for nurses and midwives working with women, including in gynaecology, sexual and reproductive health, in all health and social care settings across the UK.

  • 17 Jul 2023

    Fertility Care Provision for the UK

    Publication Code : 010 990

    This updated publication details the RCN’s position on the provision of fertility treatment in the UK.

  • 19 Apr 2023

    Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing Consensus Statement

    Publication Code : 010 729

    In 2021, the RCN Fertility Nursing Forum carried out an impact assessment on the RCN’s Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing to establish its use and effectiveness and subsequently produced the Impact Assessment of the Education and Career Progression Framework for Fertility Nursing (009 927). To address the recommendations from the impact assessment, work was undertaken with key stakeholders in 2022 to discuss how the recommendations could be implemented more widely. This consensus statement aims to clarify the way forward.

  • 9 Jan 2023

    Clinical Nurse Specialists in Early Pregnancy Care Consensus Statement

    Publication Code : 010 625

    This publication details further work following the impact assessment and subsequent report of the RCN’s Clinical Nurse Specialists in Early Pregnancy Care Standards in 2021. To address recommendations from that report, the project team worked with key stakeholders to clarify the way forward, ensuring the standards are fit for purpose and supporting implementation of the standards.

  • 17 Oct 2022

    Promoting Menstrual Wellbeing

    Publication Code : 010 375

    Menstrual health forms an integral part of wellbeing. The guidance includes information on the common causes of menstrual disorders, and describes initial investigations and early treatment management. This resource is supported by Hologic’s Wear White Again campaign.

  • 28 Sep 2022

    Transition from Fertility to Maternity Care

    Publication Code : 010 338

    Pregnancy following fertility treatment can be an exciting, challenging and anxious time for expectant parents. This guidance is primarily to raise awareness of possible pathways of care for women and others (their partners/support networks) as they travel through fertility treatment and pregnancy, and how they can best be supported by the health care professionals they encounter along their journey.

  • 31 Aug 2022

    Nurse Specialist in Menopause

    Publication Code : 010 335

    The menopause happens to all women, however the degree of its impact on a woman’s quality of life and the symptoms experienced are very individual. The role of a specialist in menopause was included in the 2015 NICE guidelines on managing menopause, however the detail of how this role might be implemented in practice was less clear and subsequently the British Menopause Society (BMS) produced a guide for all health care professionals. This updated publication builds on the BMS agreed standards, focusing on the options for nurses who may choose a career pathway towards becoming a specialist practitioner in menopause.