ABOUT DR NATALIE HUTCHINS
MBBS BSc. MRCOG DFRSH MRCGP LMCHK
Dr Natalie Hutchins is a British medical doctor registered in the UK and Hong Kong and currently living in Singapore.
She graduated from Imperial College (London) with distinctions in clinical science and clinical practice and a BSc. in cardiovascular science in 2006. She was admitted as a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2011, and a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in 2017. She holds a Diploma from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health obtained in 2015 and is a member of the British and International Menopause Societies.
Personally, Dr Hutchins has battled the ups and downs of a chronic women’s health condition herself for the last 20 years: pelvic and thoracic endometriosis. Through her experiences navigating the healthcare system, with a perspective from both sides of the clinic table, it has become her mission to help women’s health get the attention it deserves, ensure women are listened to and have the confidence to advocate for themselves.
She is a regular speaker on matters of women’s health , contributes to media articles and opinion pieces and has had her work published in peer reviewed academic literature.
MY STORY
I have stage 4 endometriosis myself; all the way from my pelvis to my lungs. I have been in and out of hospital with it my entire adult life and I’m only lucky enough to have my 3 children because of modern science; IVF and embryo freezing. I have had countless operations, far too many CT scans, a bowel injury, multiple episodes of bowel obstruction, a number of collapsed lungs, chronic fatigue and pain. I don’t look it do I? And neither do many women suffering from invisible chronic conditions. One of the many reasons we find it hard to get the help we need.
The most profound lesson I have learnt from being on the other side of the clinic table, is how grateful I am to have more than a passing understanding about how my body works. It’s saved me so many times from being dismissed. I believe all women should have the knowledge about the workings of her own body to be her own gynaecologist at a basic level.
LIFESTYLE
I’ve also learnt how my symptoms have responded to lifestyle changes. It’s the things that we all know we should be doing but life often gets in the way of: managing stress, packing my diet with as many whole unprocessed foods as possible, exercising as much as I can and trying to get enough sleep.
Whilst there is no evidence that lifestyle alone can act as a cure, it can certainly improve symptoms. Not just for women with endometriosis but for many other women’s health and common chronic conditions from premenstrual disorder to PCOS and the menopause.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
And thirdly, as a mother to a teen girl myself, a daughter of a matriarch and as a women’s health doctor, I’ve realised we can do better in terms of providing women with accessible, reliable health that takes women through their whole lives.
There are so many areas of health that impact women greatly that are just not talked about enough; from perinatal mental health to female specific risk factors for heart disease. We are not simply walking reproductive organs; women’s health is about more than periods and our concerns need to be seen in the context of our holistic selves.
I hope ‘The Woman’s Handbook’ will serve as your trusted, resource for women’s health information; for teen girls all the way to matriarchs beyond the menopause, helping you find answers to everything from periods, to contraception, fertility, heart health, spirituality and longevity.
We believe in whole woman, holistic health; harnessing the best of modern medicine and lifestyle measures, to help you prevent and improve disease, feel well and thrive for as long as possible.
The platform is not a substitute for having a doctor, nor is it personalised medical advice, but I hope the information here can spark a conversation with your healthcare providers and help you advocate for yourself x