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EnglishWhat is the RCOG and what does it offer?
Updated
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a UK-based professional body that works to improve women's health care. It does this by providing clinical guidance, training and career support, membership for O&G practitioners, and patient information. The site is useful if you are a clinician looking for guidance or CPD, a trainee planning exams, or a member of the public searching for plain-language information on pregnancy and women's health.
Who the RCOG is and what it sets out to do
The RCOG describes its mission as improving women's health care. Its work spans four broad areas visible on the site:
- Guidance — clinical guidance for O&G practice
- Membership — a global community of O&G practitioners
- Careers and training — support throughout a career in O&G
- For the public — patient information leaflets and related resources
The organisation also comments publicly on workforce and service issues. Recent examples on the site include a response to an NHS Alliance statement on patient safety in maternity services (30 June 2026) and a note on gynaecology waiting lists in England rising for a fifth consecutive month (19 October 2026).
Clinical guidance: what you can find
The guidance section is organised for browsing and searching. The site lists these categories:
| Guidance type | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Green-top Guidelines | The RCOG's named clinical guideline series |
| Scientific Impact Papers | Papers on scientific developments affecting O&G practice |
| Consent Advice | Guidance on consent in O&G procedures |
You can search the guidance directly or browse all guidance. If you are looking for a specific topic, start with the search box in the guidance section rather than browsing the full list.
Membership: benefits, renewal and fees
Membership is framed around "creating a global community of O&G practitioners." The site provides:
- An overview of the benefits of RCOG membership
- An explanation of how membership fees support the mission
- A renewal route for existing members
- A becoming a member section for those considering joining
The site does not publish specific fee amounts or payment details in the material available here, so check the membership pages directly for current costs and eligibility.
Training, exams and continuing professional development
The careers and training section is built around supporting practitioners at each stage:
- For trainees: exams and the Trainee ePortfolio
- For practising doctors: CPD and revalidation, delivered through RCOG Learning and the CPD ePortfolio
- Research support
The site also highlights wellbeing and peer support for O&G doctors, including confidential peer support and resources for challenging periods. Blogs on the site give a sense of how these resources are used in practice — for example, a piece on educational supervision for every doctor in a department, and one on advocating for the SAS and LED community, both published during SAS week.
Patient information and public resources
The "For the public" section is separate from the professional content and includes:
- A searchable library of patient information leaflets
- A browsable A–Z of medical terms
- Topic pages such as menopause and later life and coronavirus (COVID-19) and pregnancy
This section is the right starting point if you want plain-language explanations rather than clinical guidance.
Events: RCOG World Congress
The RCOG runs a World Congress. The 2027 edition is promoted under the theme "Shaping women's health: Global collaboration – local impact." The site advertises a super early bird offer ending Saturday 31 October, with savings of up to 43% on places. Registration is handled through the Congress pages; check there for current rates and deadlines, since promotional pricing is time-limited.
How to find what you need
- Decide which audience you are in — clinician, trainee, member, or member of the public. The site's main navigation is split along these lines.
- Use the section search. Both the guidance and patient information areas have their own search boxes, which is faster than browsing.
- For clinical questions, go to Guidance and choose the category (Green-top Guidelines, Scientific Impact Papers, or Consent Advice).
- For plain-language information, go to For the public and search the leaflets or the A–Z of medical terms.
- For career steps, use Careers & training for exams, ePortfolio, CPD and revalidation, and Membership for joining or renewing.
A common sticking point is treating the patient leaflets and the clinical guidance as interchangeable — they serve different readers. If you need something citable for practice, use the guidance section; if you need something to share with a patient, use the public leaflets.