Skip to main content

Medical specialties

Women's Health Diploma

Register interest

An evidence-led diploma in women's health: how to manage the menopause, contraception, menstrual and pelvic problems, bone health and long-term risk in primary and specialist care, what hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the newer non-hormonal treatments can and cannot do, and when to refer.

Twenty-five weekly sessions across five modules take you from menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency, through contraception and menstrual and gynaecological health, to bone, pelvic floor and urinary health and lifelong prevention, anchored on guidance from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the UK and European societies and taught live by practising specialists you can question.

Course director
To be announced
Format
25 live weekly sessions on Zoom, in 5 modules
Dates
Confirmed when enrolment opens

Register Interest

You are registering for Women's Health. We email you first when it opens for enrolment, and we will not pass your details to anyone outside PMI.

By submitting, you agree to receive emails from PMI about diplomas, course dates and updates. Unsubscribe any time.

A woman with short, cropped auburn hair smiles warmly in a softly lit room.
Image: a smiling woman by Ikechukwu Julius Ugwu via Unsplash, licensed under the Unsplash License.

Who it is for

Senior trainees, fellows and early-career specialists in women's health, sexual and reproductive health and gynaecology, and GPs, physicians and allied specialists who care for women, worldwide.

The programme

25 one-hour sessions in 5 modules, each with its learning objectives. This is the draft programme: the course director reviews and refines it before enrolment opens, so session titles may change.

Module 1 · Sessions 1 to 5Menopause

  1. 1. Perimenopause and menopause: diagnosis and assessment

    • Diagnose perimenopause and menopause clinically in women over 45 without routine hormone tests
    • Recognise the wider symptoms of menopause, including mood, sleep and genitourinary symptoms
    • Identify women who need investigation for early menopause
    • Structure a menopause consultation around the woman's priorities

  2. 2. Hormone replacement therapy: choices, benefits and risks

    • Choose an HRT regimen using route, progestogen and the woman's risk factors
    • Explain the absolute risks and benefits of HRT using NICE's 2024 summaries
    • Manage unscheduled bleeding on HRT and refer when suspected cancer criteria are met
    • Compare UK and US positions on HRT safety, including the removal of the US boxed warning

  3. 3. Non-hormonal treatment and menopause after cancer

    • Offer cognitive behavioural therapy for menopause symptoms
    • Select non-hormonal medicines for hot flushes, including neurokinin 3 receptor antagonists where licensed
    • Manage menopause symptoms in women after breast cancer together with the oncology team
    • Explain the limited evidence for complementary therapies

  4. 4. Premature ovarian insufficiency and early menopause

    • Diagnose premature ovarian insufficiency using the 2024 international guideline
    • Prescribe hormone replacement until the average age of natural menopause
    • Discuss fertility options and contraception with women with premature ovarian insufficiency
    • Protect long-term bone, heart and brain health

  5. 5. Genitourinary symptoms and sexual health in midlife

    • Treat genitourinary symptoms of menopause with vaginal oestrogen and other options
    • Assess low sexual desire and decide when testosterone is appropriate
    • Manage painful intercourse with a stepwise plan
    • Advise women in midlife on when contraception can safely stop
Module 2 · Sessions 6 to 10Contraception

  1. 6. Contraceptive counselling and medical eligibility

    • Counsel on contraceptive choice using effectiveness and the woman's priorities
    • Apply the UK Medical Eligibility Criteria to women with medical conditions
    • Quick start contraception safely when pregnancy cannot yet be excluded
    • Identify drug interactions that reduce contraceptive effectiveness

  2. 7. Long-acting reversible contraception

    • Explain the long-acting reversible options and their effectiveness
    • Apply current guidance on how long each intrauterine method can stay in place
    • Manage unscheduled bleeding with implants and intrauterine methods
    • Recognise complications of intrauterine methods that need urgent action

  3. 8. Hormonal contraception and its non-contraceptive uses

    • Prescribe combined hormonal contraception safely, including extended regimens
    • Choose a progestogen-only pill for women who cannot take oestrogen
    • Explain the thrombosis and stroke risks of hormonal contraception
    • Use hormonal contraception to treat heavy, painful or premenstrual symptoms

  4. 9. Emergency contraception and unplanned pregnancy

    • Choose the most effective emergency contraception for the timing and circumstances
    • Start ongoing contraception after emergency contraception
    • Counsel a woman with an unplanned pregnancy on her options without judgement
    • Refer in line with local law and pathways

  5. 10. Contraception in medical conditions and after pregnancy

    • Choose contraception for women taking enzyme-inducing or teratogenic medicines
    • Advise women after bariatric surgery on contraceptive options
    • Plan contraception and pregnancy with cardiology for women with heart disease
    • Start contraception at the right time after childbirth
Module 3 · Sessions 11 to 15Menstrual and gynaecological health

  1. 11. Heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency

    • Assess heavy menstrual bleeding and decide which investigations are needed
    • Check ferritin and treat iron deficiency in women with heavy bleeding
    • Offer first-line medical treatment in line with NICE NG88
    • Refer women with features that need specialist or cancer assessment

  2. 12. Irregular and absent periods, including polycystic ovary syndrome

    • Investigate irregular or absent periods with a structured approach
    • Diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome using the 2023 international guideline
    • Recognise low energy availability and functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea
    • Plan long-term care for metabolic and endometrial risks in polycystic ovary syndrome

  3. 13. Endometriosis, adenomyosis and chronic pelvic pain

    • Recognise symptoms that suggest endometriosis and reduce diagnostic delay
    • Start hormonal treatment and pain relief in primary care
    • Refer to specialist endometriosis services using NICE criteria
    • Manage chronic pelvic pain with a multidisciplinary approach

  4. 14. Premenstrual disorders and mood across reproductive life

    • Diagnose premenstrual disorders using prospective symptom diaries
    • Treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or hormonal suppression
    • Distinguish perimenopausal mood symptoms from depression
    • Refer women with severe or treatment-resistant symptoms to the right specialist

  5. 15. Vulval and vaginal conditions

    • Diagnose and treat the common causes of vaginal discharge
    • Manage recurrent thrush and bacterial vaginosis
    • Recognise and treat lichen sclerosus and refer when needed
    • Identify vulval symptoms that need an urgent suspected cancer referral
Module 4 · Sessions 16 to 20Bone, pelvic floor and urinary health

  1. 16. Bone health and osteoporosis in women

    • Assess fracture risk with a validated calculator and national treatment thresholds
    • Decide when HRT is a suitable choice for bone protection
    • Choose bone treatment for women at high fracture risk
    • Protect bone health in women on aromatase inhibitors or with early menopause

  2. 17. Pelvic floor health: prevention and non-surgical care

    • Identify women at risk of pelvic floor dysfunction
    • Teach pelvic floor exercises and refer for supervised training
    • Recognise faecal incontinence and obstructed defaecation
    • Advise on pelvic floor recovery after childbirth

  3. 18. Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder

    • Classify urinary incontinence from the history and a bladder diary
    • Start conservative treatment and bladder training
    • Choose medicines for overactive bladder while limiting anticholinergic burden
    • Discuss surgical options and the mesh safety history honestly

  4. 19. Pelvic organ prolapse

    • Assess prolapse symptoms and their effect on quality of life
    • Decide when a vaginal pessary is suitable and plan its follow-up
    • Offer conservative treatment before surgery
    • Refer appropriately for surgical assessment

  5. 20. Recurrent urinary tract infection in women

    • Confirm recurrent urinary tract infection and decide when to investigate
    • Offer prevention without antibiotics, including vaginal oestrogen
    • Choose between antibiotic prophylaxis and methenamine hippurate
    • Reduce antibiotic use in line with stewardship principles
Module 5 · Sessions 21 to 25Prevention, long-term health and services

  1. 21. Cervical screening and HPV

    • Explain human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening and the move to five-yearly intervals
    • Act on abnormal screening results and refer to colposcopy
    • Advise on HPV vaccination
    • Describe the WHO elimination targets and what they mean for screening programmes

  2. 22. Breast symptoms and breast cancer risk in primary care

    • Assess breast symptoms and refer urgently when criteria are met
    • Assess familial breast cancer risk and refer for genetic assessment
    • Explain the options for chemoprevention in women at raised risk
    • Discuss the benefits and harms of breast screening

  3. 23. Cardiovascular and metabolic health in women

    • Identify women whose pregnancy history raises their future cardiovascular risk
    • Assess cardiovascular risk at menopause and act on it
    • Plan pre-pregnancy care with cardiology for women with heart disease
    • Recognise how heart disease can present differently in women

  4. 24. After pregnancy: the postnatal check and beyond

    • Conduct a postnatal check that covers physical and mental health
    • Arrange diabetes screening after gestational diabetes
    • Offer contraception and pelvic floor advice after birth
    • Recognise postnatal depression and anxiety and refer appropriately

  5. 25. Complex case decisions and running a women's health service

    • Apply the course to complex cases in a panel discussion
    • Design an integrated service for menopause, contraception and menstrual care
    • Recognise and respond to domestic abuse and female genital mutilation
    • Build a personal plan for continuing development in women's health

What the diploma includes

  • 25 live sessions on Zoom, one evening a week, with recordings for the weeks you miss.
  • Practising specialists teaching live, so you can put your questions to them.
  • Weekly MCQs and a final written assessment.
  • A digital certificate carrying your final classification.

Lead or teach the Women's Health Diploma

We are looking for a course director and faculty from the specialty. Sessions are one hour in the UK evening, live on Zoom, and paid.

Apply to teach