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Menopause Care

August 31, 2026 0Comment

Menopause is not an illness, but its symptoms are treatable and its long-term consequences — for bone, heart and urogenital health — are worth taking seriously. Symptoms typically begin in the perimenopause, several years before periods actually stop.

Common symptoms: hot flushes and night sweats, disturbed sleep, irregular then absent periods, mood changes and irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse, urinary urgency and recurrent infections, joint aches, and reduced libido.

What we assess: symptom severity and impact, blood pressure and weight, thyroid function (thyroid disease mimics menopause remarkably well), haemoglobin, blood sugar and lipids, bone health and fracture risk, and cervical and breast screening status.

Treatment:

• Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT/HRT) — the most effective treatment for hot flushes and night sweats. Prescribed after a proper individual assessment of your risks and benefits. The risk picture is far more nuanced than the headlines of twenty years ago suggested, and for many symptomatic women under 60 the balance favours treatment.
• Non-hormonal options — for women who cannot or prefer not to take hormones.
• Vaginal oestrogen — very effective for dryness, discomfort and recurrent urinary infections, with minimal systemic absorption.
• Bone and heart protection — calcium, vitamin D, weight-bearing exercise, blood pressure and lipid management, and bone density testing where indicated.

Bleeding after menopause is never normal. If you have had no period for a year and then bleed, book an appointment promptly.