Sexual health advice and testing
Bodnant Surgery
The Student Health Nurse undertakes family planning at Bodnant Surgery and can advise on different methods of contraception, issue the contraceptive pill, or emergency contraceptive pill and take cervical smears. To make an appointment with the Student Health Nurse please call 01248 364492. For more information on matters relating to student sexual health and family planning please see the Student Services website
Frisky Wales
University staff and students can visit Frisky Wales. Here you can order Home Testing kits, providing you with a simple, confidential, and discrete service if your concerned about having caught an STI or would like a check up. Frisky Wales also offers advice on a range of sexual health and relational matters, such as findings the contraception that is right for you and unplanned pregnancy information and support services.
Ysbyty Gwynedd, Menai Unit
Bangor's local sexual health clinic is located at Ysbyty Gwynedd, and offers a range of free and confidential services. For those wishing to access sexual health services, please contact the helpline on 01248 384054, open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 11.30am, for a telephone assessment. Please refer to important information for new patients.
What contraception is right for me?
There are over 15 types of contraception available in the UK. Find out about the different methods available on the NHS, together with where to get them and how to decide which method might work best for you.
NHS Livewell here you can learn how different methods of contraception work, who can use them and possible side effects.
The Contraception Choices provides honest information to help weigh up the pros and cons between different contraception methods.
SEXwise here to give you honest advice about contraception, pregnancy and STIs.
Sexual harassment
The University does not tolerate any form of harassment or victimisation and takes all incidents seriously. If you experience any form of sexual violence or harassment, we can provide you with a safe and confidential space, free from judgement, in which to talk about it and support you to move forward in whatever way you feel is best for you.
The Student Equality and Diversity Officer is specially trained to respond to all reports of sexual violence, harassment, hate crime and racism and can provide expert advice and support.
If you are a student and have experienced an incident of sexual violence or harassment, please contact Helen Munro
Email: h.munro@bangor.ac.uk
Telephone: 01248 388021
Further information on disclosing incidents of sexual violence or harassment can be found on the Student Services website. Student Services also provide information and training to support University staff to respond effectively to the reporting of incidents and understanding of what is meant by sexual violence, consent, and harassment.
No Grey Area campaign, run by the Student Union, aims to raise understanding of what exactly sexual harassment is, and where you can find help and support if either yourself, or a friend, has experienced it. You can also take part in our online bystander training, which will provide guidance on how to handle situations where you can see forms of harassment taking place.
Please visit the Student Services Advice and Support page for a list of local and national support charities and helplines.
Personal and interpersonal relationships
Care first lifestyle website introduces skills to help navigate through life's many relationships, and offers advice on cases of divorce, domestic abuse, or family breakdowns. Counsellors are available 24/7 via the telephone helpline and online to confidentially discuss any relational issues with University staff.
For students who are worried or distressed about a relationship and would like some advice, the Wellbeing Team can direct students to appropriate support provision, including student counselling.
The University has an LGBT + (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Plus) network for its staff and post-graduate students. If you would like support, information, or just to talk please get in touch. The Student's Union runs an active Student LGBT+ society and welcomes anyone to join, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression and hosts various events and collaborates with other societies to organise and run campaigns.
Sources of information and support
Brene Brown how can vulnerability make our lives better?
Codependency: What’s It All About? healthy self-esteem is created within an individual who knows that they have inherent worth that is equal to others
CoDA UK Co-Dependents Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships. The only requirement for member is a desire for healthy and loving relationships
National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) if you’re an adult survivor of any form of child abuse, NAPAC can provide you with support and signposting on your road to recovery.
Relate whether you’re in a new relationship, in a long-term relationship, or not in a relationship at all, Relate can support you through major relationship crises to smaller issues that are perhaps making you unhappy.
Self-Compassion self-compassion is a way of relating to ourselves. Discover the range of self-compassion guided practices and exercises
The Couple Connection offers free relationship advice and support, helping couples, families and parents deal with relationship problems.
Support following a bereavement
The death of a loved one can occur at any time and is probably the most painful parting that humans experience - it may be something for which people are prepared or it may be very sudden. At some time in our lives, we all face the pain of bereavement.
University staff may wish to speak in confidence to a Care first counsellor who can provide guidance on the practical matters which have to be dealt with when someone dies and counsel you through your path of grief.
The Student Wellbeing Team is here to provide emotional and practical support to students to grieve in their own way and manage any planned absences away from their studies.
The Chaplaincy Team at Bangor can pray for you or with you, be a listening ear and offer advice on practical issues. Chaplaincy Team members come from a variety of Christian denominations, and from Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist backgrounds. They can, however, put you in touch with a local leader from another faith community should you wish it.
Ataloss is the UK's signposting website for bereaved people, ensuring they have access to the information and services appropriate to their loss.
Cruse Bereavement Care grief is a natural process, but it can be devastating. Cruse Bereavement can support you after the death of someone close.
Winston's Wish supports children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling.
The Menopause
The University is committed to supporting staff who are going through the menopause; we recognise that for many staff the debilitating symptoms of the menopause will affect their comfort and performance at work.
Through creating an open and understanding workplace environment, we want to encourage support staff to talk honestly about how their menopause symptoms are affecting them and their work.
Every woman will experience the menopause differently. We aim to provide the practical support and workplace adjustments that reflect individual needs and personal circumstances, and support staff to continue to enjoy and benefit from their work.
What is the menopause?
The menopause is a normal, natural part of the life cycle, and occurs when a woman stops having periods and are no longer biologically able to have children. It’s a gradual process which happens over months or years, usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, which is also the age bracket during which women are most likely to move into senior or leadership positions. In the UK, the average age to reach the menopause is 51.
Women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing workforce demographic, and most will go through the menopause transition during their working lives. For every ten women experiencing menopausal symptoms, six say it has a negative impact on their work, citing poor concentration, tiredness, poor memory, depression, low mood, reduced confidence, sleepiness, and particularly hot flushes as contributing factors. With the right support, there’s no need for women to press pause on their career during this natural transition.
This video shares facts and figures on the menopause that are helpful for those living with the menopause and line managers who are trying to be supportive.
Where can I go for support?
Consider talking to your GP if you have menopausal symptoms that are troubling you or if you're experiencing symptoms of the menopause before 45 years of age. Your GP can offer treatments and suggest lifestyle changes to help manage symptoms.
It may help to talk with your line manager about your symptoms. The Health at Work Plan - Menopause/Perimenopause is a useful starting point to consider the existing support in place and how this can be improved, such as additional ventilation, flexible working, or reduced manual tasks to help relieve muscular aches and joint pain. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to your line manager please consider speaking to someone else who can offer support, such as a HR staff member or another manager in your department.
Staff can make a self-referral to Occupational Health to identify appropriate workplace changes or adjustments that can support a more comfortable physical and psychosocial work environment.
Confidential support for staff is available via the Care first counselling who provide a safe space to explore your personal transition through the menopause and consider the ways to deal with your symptoms that are distressing you and develop coping strategies.
Menopause within the workplace
Andrea Berchowitz, co-founda at Vira Health, Ted Talk gives practical advice on how to create a menopause-friendly work culture that supports gender equity and diversity retention in the workplace.
CIPD has developed guides for HR teams and line managers on creating open and supportive cultures to help people through the menopause and break down stigmas.
Faculty of Occupational Medicine provides guidance on menopause and the workplace.
Sources of guidance and advice
Henpicked is packed full of expert information, useful resources, top tips and insight into women’s stories. Learn the information you need to make the right decision for you.
Menopausematters here you will find information on what happens leading up to, during and after the menopause, what the consequences can be, what you can do to help and what treatments are available
My Menopause Doctor in this series of podcasts, Dr Louise Newson, her colleagues and expert guests, discuss a wide range of menopause-related topics to give listeners unbiased, evidence-based and holistic information and advice to help you or your loved one manage the symptoms and challenges of the menopause and perimenopause.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines explains how your GP will determine what types of treatments and interventions they can offer you.
NHS provides an overview of menopause, symptoms, and treatment options.
The Menopause Exchange gives independent advice about the menopause, midlife, and post-menopausal health.
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists discusses the topics that women have voiced as important at this stage of life and directs to resources to support self-care and your conversations with healthcare professionals.
Women’s Health Concern (WHC) offers confidential, independent service to advise, reassure and educate women of all ages about their gynaecological and sexual health, wellbeing, and lifestyle concerns.