Are you considering starting a family?

By Dr. Sarah Metcalfe

It’s well worth dropping in with us before you stop contraception.

At Eleanor Clinic our experienced female GPs can help maximise your chances of a healthy pregnancy by:

• assessing your general health and fitness for pregnancy through a medical history and examination
• considering the potential impact of any medications you or your partner may be taking
• discussing lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, alcohol consumption and smoking that may affect your chances of conception or a healthy pregnancy
• discussing strategies for monitoring your cycle and maximising chances of conception
• advising commencement of both folate and iodine supplements before trying to conceive
• discussing available genetic carrier screening tests for common heriditary conditions
• guiding you through available options for antenatal care in Victoria
• performing blood tests to check your immunity to infection that can have negative consequences if contracted during a pregnancy and advising of booster vaccination if required

Sounds too technical? So let us worry about that side of it so you can focus on the joyous side. We here at Eleanor Clinic are an experienced team to help you through all the question of prenatal conception and pregnancy care.

Looking forward to see you here at Eleanor Clinic!

Hay fever (yes, it’s that time of year again…)

By Dr. Eunice Sales

With the warmer spring weather, trees showing green growth and flowers in bloom, have you been a little down with a runny nose that just won’t stop?

You might be suffering from hayfever or allergic rhinitis! It’s a common condition and affects about 1 in 5 people.

Apart from a runny, itchy or congested nose, you can also have sneezing and itchy/watery eyes.

Symptoms can occur in occur in spring or summer due to pollen or also all year round due to other triggers such as dust mites or animal hair. Sometimes these symptoms can lead to other problems like difficulty with sleep, headaches and difficulty with concentrating at work and school.

Treatments you can try before seeing your doctor include salt water nasal sprays, corticosteroid nasal sprays and non-sedating antihistamines.

If you’ve tried all of these and still struggle with symptoms, it might be time to see your local GP. We’re more than happy to discuss your symptoms and other treatments with you.

Eleanor Clinic is a fully accredited medical practice!

Not even a year old and Eleanor Clinic already passed the strict requirements as an independent accredited medical centre!

This means we have been assessed by the standard of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and have passed. Accreditation shows patients that we are serious about providing high quality care.

Di doesn’t like us to say this, but this is due to the absolutely fantastic work of our practice manager and nurse Di DiBlasi. Thank you so much Di for all your hard work!

We are so lucky to have you as part of the Eleanor Clinic Team!

How to be an LGBTIQ+ ally

Wear it purple day is coming up on Friday 30/08/2019. It’s the perfect time to encourage supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments. Wear purple day is about supporting LGBTIQ+ young people, and challenging social attitudes to help shape a better world for us all to live in.

It is a great opportunity to think about how we perceive other people, and how we can improve being inclusive and respectful.

At Eleanor Clinic we are committed to providing an environment that is safe and inclusive for people of all sexual orientations, sex and gender identities.

For more information:

https://au.reachout.com

KidsHelpline – for ages 5-25: 1800 55 1800

Switchboard Victoria: 1800 184 527