Early pregnancy and urgent gynaecology

Clinics

We also offer emergency clinics at the early pregnancy and acute gynaecology unit (EPAGU) at Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital.

St Mary’s Hospital

Address

Gynaecology emergency care unit (GEC) 
2nd Floor, Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother (QEQM) building (adjacent to the Sporborg Link Bridge).
St Mary’s Hospital 
10 South Wharf Road 
London W2 1PE

Hours

09.00 to 20.00 open seven days a week

Contact information

Telephone: 020 3312 2185

Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital

Address

Early pregnancy and acute gynaecology unit (It is easier to access us via Hammersmith Hospital Second floor, D block)
Second floor
Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital
Du Cane Road
London
W12 0HS 

Hours

09.00 to 16.30, Monday to Friday

Contact information

Telephone: 020 3313 5131
Email: imperial.EPAGUQCCH@nhs.net

For more information on how to refer to the service outside clinic opening hours, visit the Refer to this service page.

Meet the team

Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital

Consultant gynaecologist and research lead

Professor Tom Bourne

Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologists

Miss Catriona Stalder, lead clinician
Miss Shyamaly Sur
Miss Christine Ekechi
Miss Maya Al-Memar 

Lead clinical nurse specialist

Ms Maeve Tuomey

Nurse specialist trainee

Ms Aleena John

St Mary’s Hospital

Consultant gynaecologist and clinical director

Miss Claire Ross

Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologists

Miss Tejal Amin, lead clinician for GEC
Miss Shahla Ahmed
Miss Asmaa Al Kufiashi
Miss Danai Balfoussia
Miss Deborah Gould
Miss Pippa Letchworth  
Miss Ayesha Lodhia
Miss Melody Taheri
Miss Maya Al-Memar
Miss Catriona Stalder

Lead clinical nurse specialist

Miss Nenen de la Cruz

Nurse specialists

Ms Nishy Munisami
Ms Rebecca Naughton
Ms Ann Marie Dias - trainee 

Patient information

Before your appointment

You can usually be seen on the same day as referral, or if non-urgent within two or three days.

There is no need for preparation prior to your first appointment, although if you have questions, it may be useful to write these down beforehand to discuss at your appointment. 

You are welcome to bring anyone who has your consent with you to your appointment. As much as possible we would like to request if you could prevent from brining children to our unit in order to be sensitive to our patients. If you are unable to identify childcare on the day of your appointment, we may ask you to wait with your child in a different waiting area.

Please be aware that the consultation may involve an internal examination. If you are uncomfortable, any accompanying persons can be asked to wait outside the examining area. A chaperone may be requested at any time in line with our Trust’s policy.

On arrival, go to the reception desk located at the entrance of the early pregnancy and acute gynaecology unit (EPAGU) or the gynaecology emergency care unit (GEC). When you arrive for your first appointment, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. This usually takes about 10 minutes.

After this you will be registered by the receptionist. The waiting times can vary from this point, as this is an emergency service.

During your appointment

Your appointment will usually last between 15 and 30 minutes.

You will be invited into a private consultation room and be seen by a female or male doctor or specialist nurse.

You are likely to undergo an ultrasound scan. This is usually an internal scan where a small probe is inserted gently into the vagina. You may be asked to pass urine before an internal scan. 

It may be necessary for the person performing the ultrasound scan to ask for a second opinion and therefore another person may be asked to attend during the ultrasound scan. Following the ultrasound scan we will discuss the findings and any management options with you.
You may require a blood test or we may need to take a urine sample.

Please note that our hospitals are teaching hospitals, so medical, nursing or midwifery students may be present for some appointments. We will always ask you if you are comfortable for the student to stay and observe. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the nurse or doctor know and the student will be asked to step outside.

After your appointment

If you need further follow-up appointments, we will arrange these with you on the day.

If any of your investigations such as urgent blood tests are abnormal, we will call you within 24 hours of your appointment. Some results take longer than 24 hours to be returned and we will notify you of any abnormal result once these tests are available.

Support groups/organisations

There are three national charity organisations that help people and their partners through pregnancy loss:

1. Miscarriage Association - information about miscarriage and pregnancy loss
2. Ectopic Pregnancy Trust - How We Can Help
3. Tommy’s The baby and pregnancy charity - Baby loss information and support

Online support groups are available for those who have suffered early pregnancy loss and/or ectopic pregnancy through these organisations

We run online support groups for couples who have suffered from early pregnancy loss. Our online support group is every second Thursday of the month, dates and booking information available on Miscarriage Association website.

The miscarriage support group is run by a dedicated team from the EPAGU for women and their partners who have suffered from pregnancy loss early in pregnancy.

Find out more information about attending this group.

Places are booked via Eventbrite via Miscarriage association website 

Visit the Miscarriage Association

Call the Tommy’s Pregnancy Helpline: 0800 0147 800 (09.00-17.00, Monday to Friday)

Patient information leaflets

• Surgical management of miscarriage
• Pregnancy of unknown location
• Intrauterine pregnancy of uncertain viability
• Medical management of miscarriage
• Miscarriage
• Molar pregnancy (hydatidiform mole)
• Treating ectopic pregnancy with methotrexate

Refer to this service

Both units accept emergency referrals from GPs, the urgent care centre, antenatal clinics and A&E but please note that women who are clinically unstable are not suitable for transfer to either unit and should be discussed with the gynaecology resident on call.

During clinic opening hours, both units also accept referrals for the ultrasound diagnosis and care of women with complex early pregnancy problems, such as caesarean scar pregnancies, cervical pregnancies and molar pregnancies. Most referrals are usually seen within 24 hours.

Please note Charing Cross Hospital does not have an acute gynaecology service and therefore the recommendation is that all women with suspected acute early pregnancy or gynaecological symptoms are preferentially referred to, or attend, the A&E at St Mary’s Hospital. 

Contact information

Early pregnancy and acute gynaecology unit (EPAGU)

To refer a patient to the EPAGU at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, please contact the unit directly by telephone, for urgent referrals bleep the on-call gynaecology registrar, non urgent referrals can be made by email:

Phone: 020 313 5131
Email: imperial.EPAGUQCCH@nhs.net

Gynaecology emergency care unit (GEC) (GER)

To refer a patient to the GEC at St Mary’s Hospital, please contact the unit directly by telephone or email:

Phone: 020 3312 2185

Out of hours referrals to the EPAGU at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital

You can contact senior registrar on call at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea by phoning the switchboard and asking for the on-call gynaecology bleep to discuss cases and arrange further follow-up as necessary.  Please note that early pregnancy and emergency gynaecology patients needing to be seen out of hours will need to be seen at St Mary’s.

Out of hours referrals to the GEC at St Mary’s Hospital

Acute referrals requiring urgent review by a gynaecology doctor can be made to the on call registrar at St Mary’s via switchboard 24 hours per day.  

A&E are also welcome to email referrals to either GEC or EPAGU out of hours.

Self-referrals 

Pregnant patients with abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding or with a previous history of ectopic or molar pregnancy or with a history of two or more miscarriages are welcome to contact GEC or EPAGU directly.  

Clinical trials and research

The EPAGU at Queen Charlotte’s is well-known globally for its research output. As a result, we have been appointed by the Tommy’s charity as the Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick.

We are actively involved in studies developing diagnostic tests and in particular the use of ultrasound diagnostics. Our research lead, Professor Tom Bourne, is a founding member of the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group and sits in the steering committee of several large international trials. There are strong links with the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology (IRDB) at Imperial College London run by Professor Phillip Bennett, with projects ranging from the study of the microbiome to novel biomarkers in early pregnancy.

Many of our studies are currently recruiting and women attending the EPAGU will be invited to participate. Both units contribute to large multicentre research projects. The unit has strong international links, in particular with KU Leuven in Belgium. 

Patients maybe invited to participate in ongoing research across both units and your participation is voluntary. The data collected is anonymous in order to gain more insight and understanding of early pregnancy issues. If you wish to participate please let a member of the team know during your visit.