As a women’s health naturopath in London, I support women through a wide range of hormonal, reproductive and metabolic concerns. If you’re dealing with PMOS, or PCOS, or with perimenopause, PMS or PMDD specifically, those have their own dedicated pages with far more detail than fits here.
Many of the concerns on this page get dismissed at some point along the way, pain written off as normal, symptoms attributed to stress, a real fertility worry brushed aside as premature. That pattern of not being fully heard takes its own toll over time, on top of whatever the physical symptoms already are.
What the evidence actually points to
Endometriosis takes years to diagnose on average
Diagnostic delay for endometriosis commonly runs to several years from first symptoms, driven partly by period pain being normalised rather than investigated. This delay isn’t a reflection of how manageable the condition is, it reflects how often genuine pain gets dismissed.
Adenomyosis is frequently confused with, or missed alongside, endometriosis
Adenomyosis affects an estimated 20 to 35% of women, causing heavy or prolonged bleeding and pelvic pain, but it’s routinely missed on standard pelvic ultrasound and requires either MRI or a specifically trained ultrasound assessment to identify reliably. Because its symptoms overlap so closely with fibroids and endometriosis, and because it doesn’t show up on a standard scan, it’s commonly normalised as “just heavy periods” for years rather than properly investigated. It can also coexist with endometriosis, meaning treating one without checking for the other leaves symptoms unresolved.
The contraceptive pill often masks an underlying condition rather than resolving it
It’s extremely common for period problems, heavy bleeding, acne, irregular cycles, to be managed with hormonal contraception without the underlying driver ever being investigated. This isn’t a criticism of the pill itself, it’s an observation that symptom control and diagnosis are two different things, and stopping it later often means the original, unaddressed issue resurfaces exactly where it was left.
Thyroid function is one of the most common, and most fixable, overlooked factors in fertility and pregnancy loss
Untreated subclinical hypothyroidism, thyroid hormone levels still technically in range but with an elevated TSH, nearly doubles miscarriage risk in meta-analysis data, and thyroid antibodies alone, even with otherwise normal thyroid levels, are linked to the same increased risk. This is precisely the kind of thing that gets missed when thyroid testing stops at a single TSH reading rather than the fuller picture.
Postpartum nutrient depletion is real and frequently overlooked
Pregnancy and breastfeeding draw significantly on iron, vitamin D, B12 and omega-3 stores, and depletion can persist well beyond the postnatal period officially considered over, contributing to fatigue and low mood that gets attributed to “just being a new parent” rather than investigated directly.
Recurrent UTIs and vaginal health are microbiome-linked, not just repeated infections
Recurrent urinary and vaginal infections are increasingly understood through the vaginal and urinary microbiome, which is why repeating the same course of antibiotics each time symptoms return often fails to address what’s actually maintaining the pattern.
How I work with women’s health
I look at hormonal, reproductive and menstrual health together rather than as separate problems, since in most cases they aren’t. Using functional testing, nutrition, herbal medicine and lifestyle strategy, alongside therapies like hyperbaric oxygen, red light therapy, frequency specific microcurrent and ear acupuncture where relevant, I build a plan around what’s actually driving your specific presentation, rather than a standard protocol applied to everyone.
If this sounds like where you are, apply for a 15 minute consultation, in person or online, and let’s work out the best way forward.
