+ What’s the difference between a gynaecologist and a gynae-oncologist?

A gynaecologist is a doctor who specialises in women’s health. They manage the medical and surgical problems that involve a women’s reproductive organs. Such issues include contraceptive needs, painful or heavy periods, pelvic pain (including endometriosis), pap smear abnormalities, infections of the genital tract, and sexual health and wellbeing.

Gynae-oncology is a highly specialised field focusing on cancers of the female reproductive organs including ovarian, cervical, uterine (endometrial) and vulval cancers. Becoming a gynae-oncologist requires years of additional training and extensive surgical experience once a speciality in gynaecology is achieved. The training program from medical school through to completion of training takes 17 years. Gynae-oncologists are rare, with less than 60 practicing across Australia and New Zealand. Their assistance is often sought by gynaecologists for difficult surgical procedures as well as second opinions for difficult pap smear abnormalities, vulval conditions and pelvic masses.

Coming to Sorella Women’s Health is unlike going to your typical gynaecologist. Dr Yvette is the specialist other gynaecologists refer to. When you see Dr Yvette, you’re seeing one of the best gynaecologists and gynaecological surgeons in Australia.

+ Does Sorella Women’s Health only treat women with cancer?

No. Sorella Women’s Health is not only for women with cancer.

While Dr Yvette Ius is a Gynae-oncologist with more than 6 years’ surgical experience who treats a variety of women’s cancers, she is equally dedicated to offering all women her skills and experience for more typical and non-surgical gynaecological issues.

+ Why would I see a gynaecologist instead of my GP?

Your GP is your first port of call when you have health concerns. Your GP will then refer you to a gynaecologist if you need specialist advice or treatment.

+ Do I need a referral to make an appointment at Sorella Women’s Health?

Yes. Your GP can organise a referral to Dr Yvette and then our team will schedule an appointment for you.

+ How long will I have to wait for an appointment?

We see women with a range of health concerns and some require urgent treatment. We triage our patients according to their medical needs. Usually, our highest risk patients will wait 1-2 weeks to see Dr Yvette, while less urgent patients will be appropriately triaged.

+ What is the cost of an appointment?

Our consultation fees vary depending on several factors, such as if it is your first appointment with Dr Ius, an ongoing follow up or whether Dr Ius may need to perform other procedures during your appointment such as a colposcopy and/or biopsy etc. An estimate of cost is discussed with you when your appointment is made. Full payment is required after your appointment - we accept all major credit cards except American Express. Once paid, we will electronically submit your claim to Medicare on your behalf. The rebate will be deposited into your registered bank account usually within 1-2 days. Any specimens taken will be sent to a pathology provider for examination. This may incur a cost - whereby an invoice will be sent by the pathology provider direct to you.

+ Is there a fee if I need surgery?

Should you require an in-hospital procedure or surgery, regardless of whether you are in a health fund or not, you will be given a quote based on the expected Medicare item numbers that we think will best cover your surgery. In some situations, these numbers may change if the nature of your surgery changes. It is advisable that if you are in a health fund, you contact them to confirm that your membership includes gynaecology. There will be an out-of-pocket expense for your procedure or surgery. This will be outlined in your quote and discussed with you at the time.

We have recently partnered with MediPay - allowing you to spread your payments over a period of time. For further information, please click on the link: https://smile.medipay.com.au/paylater/sorellawomen'shealth

+ Do you treat women based outside of Newcastle?

Yes. We see women from across the Hunter and Central Coast areas and happily accept patients from further afield. As Dr Yvette grew up in a small country town, she has a particular interest in providing the utmost care and service to rural and remote patients. Dr Yvette commonly sees patients from as far afield as Tamworth and Port Macquarie.

+ What happens if my cervical screening test result is high risk for cervical cancer?

Most women will be told to ‘return to screen in five years’, which means the test did not find any human papillomavirus (HPV) but sometimes your results will be marked ‘refer to specialist’.

This means that you have tested positive for a type of HPV that needs further investigation or the test found abnormal cells that may need treatment. Your GP will usually then refer you to a gynaecologist for a colposcopy. In this procedure (which feels like having a Cervical Screening Test), we are looking at the cells of the cervix more closely.

You may need further treatment if your colposcopy shows there are abnormal cells in your cervix which need to be surgically removed. We will talk you through the whole process when you come in for your appointment.

+ I’ve never been to a gynaecologist/gynae-oncologist before. What can I expect from my appointment?

Even the very idea of going to the gynaecologist can make us cringe. It can feel embarrassing, daunting or even downright scary. But at Sorella, we want to make the process of taking care of your gynaecological health as easy as possible, so have an all-female team who know exactly what you’re going through.

We treat you the way we would want to be treated. This means feeling well informed and empowered to make decisions. At every stage, we will make sure you feel comfortable and know exactly what’s happening and you are more than welcome to bring a support person with you to your appointment.

When you come to Sorella, here’s what a typical first visit will look like:

• We start with a chat – taking your history first, hearing your concerns and discussing the reasons why you are seeking our expertise.
• If Dr Yvette thinks further tests are necessary, we will discuss the reasons and details of what that entails before scheduling these in.
• If it is necessary to perform an abdominal, vaginal or pelvic examination, Dr Yvette will give you a run down on what that entails and ensure you are comfortable each step of the way and is happy to answer any and all questions you may have.