Module 15: Sexual & Reproductive Health

This post is an outline of “Module 15: Sexual and Reproductive Health”. This is a very important module where many ethical and legal issues are to be considered. For exam purposes, it is mandatory to be aware of UK laws and practices. Sexual and reproductive health is an important aspect of a person’s life which needs to be dealt with sensitively.

• When you look at the details of this module RCOG website, you will find that this module can be broadly divided as follows:
• Fertility control which includes contraception and termination of pregnancy (TOP)
• Psychosexual Disorders
• Sexually Transmitted Infections including HIV/AIDS

Few Tips

• For contraception, the main source of study is the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) guidelines. At first, you may find it difficult to even think of going through so many guidelines. So it is strongly recommended to MAKE YOUR OWN NOTES after extracting important points from these documents. It will be time-saving while revising and help you to retain information easily
• Main things to focus on:
• UKMEC especially relative/absolute contraindications (UKMEC 3/4)
• Efficacy of a method
• Failure rate (typical/perfect use)
• Non-contraceptive benefits (e.g condoms are used for the prevention of STIs)
• It is important to be familiar with UK systems of STI screenings and referral pathways (GUM clinics, contact tracing etc) 
• For relevant UK Laws, it is suggested to go through a previous blog post: Medical Law & Ethics
• To organize the study, you can make a big folder with the name of the module “Sexual & Reproductive Health” and subfolders as outlined below in the tables & collect reading materials

Module 18: Urogynaecology & Pelvic Floor Problems

This post is an outline of Module 18- Urogyneacology and Pelvic Floor Problems. Many of us find this module a difficult one but in reality it is a very small topic which needs a targeted approach. For exam purpose, it is a required that we understand the basics. I have added some additional links at the bottom of this post which might be useful.

• If you have a look at the details of this module on RCOG website, you can clearly see that it is broadly divided into two parts

• Pelvic Floor Problems
• Urinary Incontinence

• It is a must to understand urodynamics and its interpretation so that management can be specific
• Mainstay of treatment 

• Stress Incontinence → Surgical
• Detrusor Overactivity → Pharmacological
• Mixed → depends on the MAIN complaints of patient

• Keep in mind that this problem adversely effects the Quality of Life (QoL)
• Lifestyle modifications and multidisciplinary approach (MDT) are important 
• You can make a main folder with the name of “Urogynaecology & Pelvic Floor Problems” with 4 subfolders as follows

Module 17: Gynaecological Oncology

This post is an outline of the Module 17: Oncology. This is an important module to be covered as a few questions will be inevitably asked in the MRCOG part 2 exam. This module needs to be approached systematically.

• If you have a look at the details of module on ROCG website, you will know that the organs to be covered are: Cervix, Endometrium, Ovary, Vulva, Vagina and Fallopian Tubes
• You can make a big folder with the name “Oncology” with five subfolders namely Cervix, Endometrium, Ovary, Vulva and General (as outlined below in tables)
• For each organ, conditions are divided into three categories: Benign, Pre-Malignant and Malignant
• FIGO classification of all tumors must be on your last minute revision list, as we tend to forget it very often
• Treatment options at EACH stage as well as referral pathways
• Overall survival/ Recurrence rates
• Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Palliative care & End of life care
• Your notes are KEY in this module
• Make sure your notes cover all above mentioned points for each tumor
• Keep revising the numbers so that you can recall it easily in exam
• This module is well described in StratOG and a lot of material is available on RCOG website
• Following tables will help you organize the reading resources (please add more if I have missed any)