By Dr Hisham Abouzeid, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, Transform Femme

Across the UK, women are facing an unacceptable reality when it comes to their health.

From pelvic floor problems and heavy bleeding to chronic pain and postnatal complications, millions of women are living with treatable conditions that are simply not being treated, often for months or even years.

As a surgeon with more than 25 years’ experience, I have seen first-hand how delays in women’s health services affect every aspect of life, both physical and emotional.

Women come to me exhausted, frustrated and often embarrassed.

They are not just battling medical symptoms, they are struggling with the sense that their pain and their needs have been ignored for too long.

Right now, more than 750,000 women in the UK are waiting for hospital gynaecology services, including routine, non-cancer referrals.

In England alone, over 580,000 people are waiting for non-cancer gynaecology treatment, with almost half waiting well beyond the NHS target of 18 weeks.

Shockingly, more than 18,000 women have been waiting over a year.

These numbers are not just statistics. They represent women living with real suffering.

Research from Endometriosis UK found that 80 per cent of women waiting for treatment said their mental health had worsened, and 77 per cent said their work and daily lives had been affected.

These are mothers, daughters, partners and professionals whose pain is being normalised or dismissed.

The reasons for these delays are complex.

Overstretched NHS resources, lack of specialist provision and a system that often does not prioritise the specific needs of women’s health all play a part.

       Dr Hisham Abouzeid

But the result is simple: women are waiting far too long to be heard, diagnosed and treated.

Women’s health issues are unique, deeply personal and often intertwined with hormonal, reproductive and emotional wellbeing.

They require the expertise of clinicians who not only understand the anatomy but also the impact that these conditions have on quality of life.

Specialist clinics can provide the focus and speed that general services struggle to deliver.

With dedicated gynaecologists and surgeons, we can diagnose and treat faster, offer continuity of care and, crucially, create a space where women feel seen and understood.

Delays in treatment do more than prolong discomfort. They allow conditions to worsen.

Pelvic floor damage can become irreversible, chronic pain can become debilitating, and emotional distress can spiral into anxiety or depression.

Early intervention does not just improve outcomes, it can change lives.

It is this urgent need for specialist, compassionate care that inspired the creation of Transform Femme, a new standalone UK service dedicated entirely to women’s health and wellbeing.

At Transform Femme, our aim is to give women rapid access to world-class surgical and non-surgical treatments delivered by leading GMC-registered surgeons and gynaecologists.

From pelvic floor repair and hysterectomy to labiaplasty and vaginal tightening, every procedure is delivered with precision, sensitivity and respect.

We believe in treating the whole person, not just the condition.

Our clinics provide luxurious, CQC-registered environments designed to promote comfort and calm.

Through Homecare+, patients can receive pre- and post-operative support in the privacy of their own homes.

With transparent, fixed pricing, there are no hidden costs or surprises, providing complete peace of mind.

Most importantly, we remove one of the biggest barriers to care: time.

Consultations, diagnostics and surgery can often take place within weeks, not months. For many women, that speed can be life-changing.

So many women suffer in silence with gynaecological issues that affect their confidence, health and everyday lives.

Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive space where women feel truly heard.

We combine medical expertise with empathy and professionalism, helping patients regain their comfort and most importantly their confidence

This ethos is shared by our entire team.

Every woman who walks through our doors deserves to be listened to without judgement and treated with the dignity and care she has often been denied elsewhere.

Specialist care for women is not just about medicine, it is about empowerment.

When women regain comfort, confidence and freedom from pain, they reclaim their lives. They reconnect with their partners, play with their children, return to work, and rediscover their sense of self.

Transform Femme is about more than procedures. It is about partnership, empathy and giving women back the confidence to live fully and freely.

We have reached a point in women’s healthcare where waiting should no longer be the norm. Women deserve timely, expert care that honours both their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Because when women are cared for properly, they do not just heal, they thrive.

About the author

Dr Hisham Abouzeid is a highly qualified with over 25 years of experience in women’s health and surgical procedures.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG).

For more information visit Transform Femme

Midlands-founded health-tech scale-up Rem3dy Health has landed £1.4m in new funding.

The announcement was made at Birmingham Tech Week, as part of their Scale-Up Summit.

During the event, Founder and CEO Melissa Snover confirmed that the Amsterdam-based Borski Fund, which specialises in backing high-growth, women-led ventures, has invested £900,000 in Rem3dy Health, alongside a further £500,000 investment from Future Planet Capital Regional just a few weeks prior.

Snover said: “This latest round marks a huge milestone not just for Rem3dy Health, but for the Midlands innovation scene.

“Both Borski and Future Planet Capital share our belief that world-class innovation doesn’t have to start – or stay – in London.

“This investment proves that regional founders can raise global capital and scale globally from right here in Birmingham.”

Together, the £1.4 million injection from both Borski Fund and Future Planet Capital Regional will accelerate global expansion and R&D for the company’s personalised nutrition brand Nourished, which uses patented 3D printing technology to deliver personalised, preventative health solutions on demand.

Jen Roberts-Woods, Investment Associate at Borski Fund said: “From our first meeting, Melissa’s vision and drive towards realising Rem3dy Health’s global potential was unmissable.

“The Borski Fund looks forward to working closely with Rem3dy Health as it continues to scale and shape the future of personalised health innovations.”

Rupert Lyle from Future Planet Capital Regional, which manages the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund, added: “Through the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund, we’re proving that the region can be a launchpad for world-class innovation.

“Rem3dy Health’s growth story is an outstanding example of what happens when regional founders are backed by both local and global capital: the outcomes are both commercially and socially transformative.”

By Dr Louise Newson BSc(Hons) MBChB(Hons) MRCGP FRCGP DHealth

Over years of studying the health of women there’s one key thing that I’ve come to realise; clinicians have often been missing a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding women’s mental health and brain function.

It all comes down to three hormones that deserve far more attention for their powerful influence on the brain — progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone.

As an example, I consulted with a 46-year-old woman last week in my clinic. She’s clever, accomplished, always been on top of things.

But recently she has been forgetting words mid-sentence, she can’t remember where she parked her car and finds herself having to read the same page three times and still nothing sticks.

Terrified that she has early-onset dementia, she visited her GP who told her it’s “just stress” or “normal ageing.”

But here’s the thing – it’s neither. It’s her brain responding to a dramatic hormonal shift, and we need to start talking about it.

Women’s mental health, and especially brain health, is deeply influenced by our hormones – progesterone, estradiol and testosterone – all three having fundamental roles in how our brains function.

However this connection is often overlooked in medicine and public conversations.

When levels of these hormones fluctuate and reduce (as they do during perimenopause and menopause) then this can have negative effects on our brain metabolism and function leading to symptoms such as memory problems, brain fog, poor sleep, low mood, anxiety, irritability and fatigue.

Menopausal women have an increased risk of developing dementia due to these hormone levels being low.

These vital hormones work to improve glucose metabolism, which provides the fuel our neurones (nerve cells) need to function and connect with each other.

They also work to reduce inflammation and improve the function of our mitochondria (the powerhouse of our cells) which all work to keep our brains healthy and working well.

Progesterone, estradiol and testosterone also increase neural growth, strengthen synaptic connections between nerves, and regulate levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin for mood, acetylcholine for memory, melatonin for sleep and dopamine for motivation.

The presence of these hormones is linked to lower rates of memory loss and can reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects women at nearly double the rate of men.

Importantly, “brain fog” and forgetfulness commonly reported during perimenopause and menopause are real and measurable phenomena linked to hormonal fluctuations, not just “normal ageing” or stress.​

Testosterone is commonly misconstrued as “just a male hormone,” but women’s brains require it for optimal functioning.

Produced by ovaries and adrenal glands, as well as in the brain, testosterone supports cognitive sharpness, energy, and drive.

Emerging evidence links lower levels of testosterone in women to poorer performance on memory, processing speed, and even greater Alzheimer’s risk, especially among those with certain genetic risk factors.

Like estradiol, testosterone boosts dopamine activity, which is crucial for focus, motivation, and pleasure.

Many women report that restoring testosterone improves concentration, energy, and overall mental clarity.

Women’s mental health is closely associated with these changing hormone levels.

Rates of depression, psychosis and anxiety in women are more common at times of hormonal flux such as puberty, the premenstrual phase, postpartum, perimenopause and menopause.

Therefore, clinicians should certainly be assessing for hormonal factors when cognitive and mental health concerns arise in women.

Women represent nearly two-thirds of all Alzheimer’s patients, and much of this is likely driven by the neurological impact of hormone loss.

Understanding estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone as master regulators of brain metabolism and cognition should then lead to better clinical treatment.

This must take the form of more personalised approaches by clinicians, prescribing the right dose and type of hormone treatment, which when combined with a healthy lifestyle offers the best prospects for safeguarding and improving brain and mental health for women.​

One of the reasons I developed the Balance app is to empower women with evidence-based information so they can make the choices that are right for them about their hormonal health.

Using technology to both monitor symptoms and learn more is so important – the response from our users has been so positive and inspiring.

Femtech has the ability to reach a global audience and transcend national borders and cultures which is really exciting for me to witness through our Balance app.

It has also enabled us to provide communities with large scale pools of information and support which are not so readily available in other ways.

Also, Balance is used to support and empower women, privately, who are too scared to communicate in the physical world.

We’ve ignored women’s brain health for too long.

Clinicians have too often dismissed symptoms, failed to account for the profound impact of these hormones on brain function, and have frequently accepted cognitive decline as inevitable.

It’s time for that to change.

Because understanding the hormone-brain connection and replacing the missing hormones isn’t just about preventing disease, it’s about helping women thrive, with their minds sharp, their memories intact, and their full cognitive potential realised.

Image Credit: Andrew Crowley