The Lowdown’s December Newsletter

Hi everyone, Alice from The Lowdown here 👋 

It’s that time of year when I take stock and share some of my best and worst bits of running The Lowdown and working in women’s health in 2024.

Best bit 👍 Partnering with the NHS on cervical screening research

I love helping organisations understand what women want when it comes to health. In January, The Lowdown partnered with NHS England on a research project about HPV and cervical cancer. HPV is the human papillomavirus; the name of a very common group of viruses, some types of which can cause abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix that over time can turn into cervical cancer.

We found widespread confusion about HPV, its risks, and vaccination. Fear of pain and discomfort is the biggest reason 38% of you have delayed getting a smear test, with half of women reporting pain during the procedure. It’s crucial to address these concerns and provide practical advice to support women on what to expect!

Worst bit 👎 Realising that abortion is effectively missing from the government’s Women’s Health Strategy

I came back to work in January after having my first son Alexander, and took my breast pump along to a women’s health reception which was hosted by the then Secretary of State for Women, Maria Caufield. Knowing Maria’s questionable voting record on women’s rights, I wanted to ask her a question; on the train on the way there, I had a look through the government’s Women’s Health Strategy to discover that abortion was basically absent from the whole thing. 

Thanks to Glamour for writing up what happened. How can we have a strategy to improve women’s health without including and improving the experience of something one in three women go through?

Best bit 👍 The contraceptive pill was made available in pharmacies!…

Rejoice! This news broke at the end of 2023. Finally, the NHS was going to make it easier for us to access contraception this year. No more waiting for a GP appointment or sitting in a sexual health clinic waiting room to get your supply of contraception…

Worst bit 👎… But the small print of the scheme isn’t great

I was excited about the new scheme, but the details are disappointing. It’s only available in England and only for the contraceptive pill – ignoring options like the ring and patch. If you’re ordering online, the NHS insists that you have a phone call with a pharmacist, which causes issues, as who answers their phone these days? To make matters worse, overwhelmed pharmacies are delaying the service by a year or more. It’s really frustrating. 

On a positive note, we partnered with Chemist4U to launch a free online contraception pharmacy service. If eligible, you can sign up to have it delivered to your home for free.

Best bit 👍 The Lowdown won a grant to build an AI tool!

If, like the rest of the world, you’re fascinated by ChatGPT, you already know how incredible AI can be. This year we’ve been working on an exciting new tool that uses AI to answer all your questions about contraception. It combines clinical insights with review data from our review platform to create The ChatGPT for Contraception.

We’d love your help testing a beta version in the new year! If you’re interested, sign up below:

Worst bit 👎 Learning that postpartum hormones should not be underestimated

As I said earlier I returned to work this year after having a baby, and was fortunate to be welcomed by an empathetic team that made the transition manageable. What I didn’t anticipate, though, was just how long the hormonal postpartum rollercoaster lasts.

People talk about the ‘baby blues’ hitting around day five, but in reality, it’s just the start of a 12+ month reset as your hormones, hair, brain, and life adjust to the incredible feat of growing and birthing a human. If you’re in that phase now, I see you. Be patient—it’s tough, but you’ve totally got this. I was pleased to see products like Natural Cycles launching a postpartum mode in their app this year. Very much needed IMO.

Best bit 👍 We’ve finished writing our book!

Dr Mel, Dr Fran, and I are thrilled to share that we’ve just finished our opus: CONTRACEPTION: Your essential guide to separating the myths from the medicine. 

Cue the sultry publishing voice…“Drawing on invaluable insights from thousands of users of The Lowdown’s website, the expertise of our in-house medical team, and the latest cutting-edge research from scientists worldwide, CONTRACEPTION is the ultimate guide for anyone looking to take control of their health choices. With zero bias and no BS, this book delivers the clarity we all need.”

It’s landing on shelves this March, but if you’re eager, you can preorder now!

Worst bit 👎 Women’s health hubs, where are ya?

Sorry to end on a low note, but I can’t resist another jab at the government. Last year’s £25 million funding for ‘women’s health hubs’ (around £500k per area of the UK) was designed to create one-stop shops for us to access contraception, HRT, and smear tests.

In reality, many hubs are just naming a ‘women’s health lead’ in that area or building a website. Worse, some NHS areas have cut their women’s health budget to ZERO, and so that £500k is being spent elsewhere. Don’t believe the headlines – much of this was a PR move, and we deserve better!

That’s all for now. Sorry for getting ranty. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I wish you the best for an amazing 2025!

Love Alice x