Are you struggling with hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, poor concentration, foggy mind, low mood, anxiety, skin conditions, vaginal dryness, low libido or any other symptom that you can’t pin point to one reason?

Having a consultation with Aly can help you understand how to manage your menopause and understand whether medication may help alleviate some of your symptoms. Sometimes lifestyle changes may be needed too and we can discuss all of this in your appointment.

HRT can still be taken by women who are experiencing periods still however it is just taken in a different way to those who have stopped their menstrual cycle. 

You can discuss your symptoms with Aly no matter where you are in your menopausal journey. You will be able to see what the best course of treatment will be and make a plan together. 

Having a consultation with Aly can help you understand how to manage your menopause and understand whether medication may help alleviate some of your symptoms. Sometimes lifestyle changes may be needed too and we can discuss all of this in your appointment.

Many women ask for a blood test to diagnose if they are menopausal. For the majority of women over the age of 45 years, the latest NICE guidelines state that this is not necessary because they can show false negative or positive results. Therefore, blood tests are a waste of time and resources for the NHS. The blood test measures follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) which stimulates the ovaries to produce oestrogen. Therefore, HRT can safely be prescribed to the majority of women over the age of 45, based on symptoms alone.

Some women are fortunate enough to fly through their peri- menopause without any symptoms, or have symptoms so mild that they do not affect their quality of life. There is also a group of women who do not take HRT because they feel they should just simply manage their symptoms their selves. There is also a small group of women who are unable to take HRT due to other medical conditions. However, menopause care is not just about prescribing medication. It is important to discuss the physical symptoms and alternative approaches to manage these. Diet, exercise, lifestyle advice as well as coping strategies to use in the home and in the workplace to enable you to have the best possible menopause are also a very large part of a menopause consultation.

The Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) is a Menopause Symptom Scale to help you identify where you are on your menopause journey and can be handy to print out, fill in and take to your GP when you go to see them about your symptoms

• Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause. It is the time where hormones start to decline and you may notice a change in your menstrual cycles. Some symptoms such as hot flushes or vaginal dryness may be present at this stage.
• Menopause occurs when you’ve gone 12 months without a period.
• Postmenopause is the time after menopause has occurred and you may find lingering symptoms remain here where treatments like HRT may be useful to combat the loss of hormones.

Some women can sail through the menopause without any major symptoms or side effects. Whilst this is great news for your day-to-day living, HRT is still an incredibly useful tool to aid our overall menopausal health.

When our estrogen levels drop during this time it can affect our bone health. As we lose bone mass there is a chance that brittle bones can lead to osteoporosis so keeping your hormone levels topped up can help combat this.

Similarly, HRT can help with heart health, weight gain, sleep, moods and vaginal health. Speak to Aly about your journey because not all journey’s have to be difficult and protecting ourselves early on can strengthen our later years.

• Menopause occurs when you’ve gone 12 months without a period.
• Postmenopause is the time after menopause has occurred and you may find lingering symptoms remain here where treatments like HRT may be useful to combat the loss of hormones.

We offer virtual menopause clinics to women across the UK who would prefer to go online or who cannot make it into the physical clinic but want to utilise Aly’s expertise.

Whether you prefer to fit it into your working day, live further away or want to be in your own home comforts we can make it work. We still offer the full consultation experience and can write to your GP no matter where in the UK.