Menopause

For many women, menopause can be a difficult time. At Circle Health, we have menopause treatment expertise and experience to help you through.

Menopause, sometimes referred to as “the change of life”, is the name given to the end of menstruation (your period).

In other words, your body stops producing eggs because the level of the female sex hormone which regulates menstruation (called oestrogen) falls.

There are two stages to menopause:

Leading up to the menopause you are ‘peri-menopausal’ (‘peri’ means during) and during this time, you may experience both physical and emotional changes.
When you haven’t had a period for a year, you are what is technically known as ‘post-menopausal.’

If the menopause occurs when you are under 45 it is deemed to be premature. Some women reach the menopause without seeking medical help - but if you have severe or distressing symptoms there are treatments available.

Eight out of ten women experience symptoms leading up to the menopause and of these about half will find their symptoms difficult to deal with.

The first symptom of the peri-menopause is usually a change to your menstrual pattern – either your period starts to appear every 2–3 weeks, or you may not have one for months at a time.

You may also experience an increase in menstrual blood loss.

Common symptoms of the menopause include:

Hot flushes and night sweats
Sleep disturbance
Vaginal dryness, itching or discomfort
Urinary tract infections, such as cystitis

There are now a number of treatments for the menopause, with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

HRT can be effective in treating several of the most common menopausal symptoms. It works by replacing oestrogen in the body during the approach to menopause.

HRT can also help prevent osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones) and may reduce the risk of cancer of the colon and rectum. If you do not wish to take HRT, or cannot for medical reasons, then there are other treatments which may ease the different symptoms individually.

All treatments need to be monitored to make sure that they are having the desired effect.

If your symptoms are mild, we can advise you on possible ways to control them by changing your diet and lifestyle.

Across Circle Hospitals, our consultant gynaecologists can advise you about which treatment will suit you best and discuss the benefits and risks.