Women's Health

Contraception and Family Planning

All of our doctors and nurses hold Family Planning Certificates and are well equipped to counsel on and prescribe the full range of contraception available.

We have a specialised and dedicated women's health service run by our Advanced Nurse Practitioner Carol Kelly. Carol can assist you with all aspects of women's health including all contraception, insertion and removal of IUDs and Implanons, menopause care, cervical smears, and more. To read more about Carol, see this page

Drs Judith Kavanagh, Una O’Neill, and Orlaith O'Daly also advise on the Implanon contraceptive device, all Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Systems, and the Copper Intra-Uterine Device.

Women aged 17 - 35 (up to their 36th birthday) can avail of the HSE's free contraception scheme. This covers the consultation, the medication/device, insertion if applicable, and follow up. You will need your PPS number to avail of this scheme. Please book an appointment to discuss your options. It also covers emergency contraception, which you can source directly from a pharmacy without a doctor's consultation. 

For more information click on: www.thinkcontraception.ie

 

Ante-Natal Care

Combined Ante-Natal Care

The combined antenatal care programme allows you to be under joint care of your GP and obstetrician during pregnancy.  This is internationally recognised as the best and most convenient form of ante-natal care. 

Visits to Mercer’s that are related to the pregnancy are free of charge once the HSE application form is completed in the surgery.  Ideally you should visit one of our doctors as soon as you discover you are pregnant.  We will then refer you to your local maternity hospital where you will be seen before 20 weeks for assessment, blood tests and a scan.  Subsequently your visits will alternate between the hospital and GP and become more frequent as your pregnancy progresses.

Combined ante-natal care also includes visits to your GP at 6 weeks after the baby is born.

Other Ante-Natal Options

We also facilitate those patients who choose semi-private or private ante-natal care by arranging appropriate referral. 

 

Cervical Screening

Smear Tests

Cervical Check National Cervical Screening Programme:

• Free cervical smear screening for women aged 25-60 years.
• Cervical Check have issued letters of invitation to all women aged 25 - 60 years (through the national PPS number database).
• You can choose to opt in to Cervical Check and self register if you have never had a smear before by either logging on to www.cervicalcheck.ie and follow link 'Check if you are registered', or alternatively you can call 1800 45 45 55.
• The details required will be the usual personal details plus your PPS number(essential) so have this close at hand. 
• Once you have completed the self registration process and you are due a smear test, you will be given a CSP ID number. You may then contact us in Mercer's to arrange your smear test appointment.
• If you have had a smear in the past and are unsure of your next smear test date, you can simply log on and check if you are registered. You will be issued with an exact date from which to attend for your smear test. You will also be given a CSP ID.
• The exceptions to the above are women who are attending for follow up smear tests due to previous abnormal smear results or post colposcopy.
• If you have any further queries please contact the Practice Nurses (Carol or Stephanie) here in Mercer's Medical Centre (01 4022300).

Cervical Cancer Vaccine

We provide HPV vaccination (Gardasil).  If you are interested, please make an appointment with one of our doctors or our Advanced Nurse Practitioner to discuss vaccination further.  

The charge to receive this vaccination here is as follows:

Initial consultation: €65
Nurses's visits: €35 each (3 visits)

A prescription will be provided at the clinician's visit, and you will need to source this from a pharmacy in advance of the nurse's visit. 

For more information on vaccination against cervical cancer click here.

 

Crisis Pregnancy

If you have discovered you are pregnant and did not plan to be, this can be very distressing.  Our doctors offer a confidential and supportive service on all options that are available to you in your pregnancy.  Please telephone our reception to make an appointment for this. If you are comfortable to share the reason for the appointment, you will be directed to the appropriate clinician. 

For further information on unplanned pregnancy visit www.myoptions.ie

• If you are interested in having a Well Woman medical, please follow this link for more information.

 

STI Screening (Sexual Health)

You can access a free, confidential STI screen via the HSE here. The kits are delivered directly to you, it is free to post the samples back to the lab, and results are available to you within 72 hours of the samples arriving back to the lab.