The menopause is an important transition point for women in terms of their experience of sex. Higher expectations of a longer, healthier lifespan means that access to health professionals with the skills to address sexual issues is more important than ever. This review of the literature considered four broad areas: the influence of patient and practitioner characteristics on consultations about sexual issues for peri- and postmenopausal women; perceived barriers to discussion of sexual issues; the role and effectiveness of communication training; and examples of good practice in the field. This is an under-researched area with few papers focusing on the specific needs of this group of patients or practitioners. In order to improve the quality of life of mid-life and older women, more high-quality research is needed that can inform both education and training for gynaecologists, and the development of high-quality services.

We, therefore report a case of OS after caesarean section in which early detection by senior clinicians resulted in successful management of the condition and an excellent outcome.

The concept of emotional intelligence (EI), a model that encompasses all of the skills in the patient-doctor relationship, has been applied to medical education in recent years. Doctors in obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) often deal with emotionally demanding situations for themselves and for their patients, and therefore, EI skills may be vital and should be part of any training curriculum. Using novel methodology, 16 O&G consultants from across the North-West of England were asked to investigate (using a coding manual) randomly allocated modules of the RCOG O&G training curriculum, to look for constructs of EI and these were found both implicitly and explicitly, highlighting the importance of EI to O&G. By focussing on EI training within the curriculum, to improve the patient-doctor relationship, patient satisfaction may be increased and litigation reduced in a specialty that is already highly litigious.

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