0 items£0.00

How to talk to your GP about menopause

Sarah Briggs Share

What we hear

Lots of women tell us that they know something’s happening. Their body doesn’t look and feel like it used to. They feel like their former self is slipping away.  They have brain fog, loss of concentration, problems keeping on top of their work, joint aches and body pain, weight gain, emotions all over the place, and intimate relationship suffering.

It sounds like hell and feels horrible.

What to do

The first port of call is often the doctor also known in the UK as a GP which is short for General Practitioner. Making an appointment with an NHS doctor can be a challenge in itself, let alone figuring out what to say when you get into the short consultation.

But be careful, because we hear horror stories of doctors who haven’t been trained in menopause. Or don’t take it seriously. Or misdiagnose as depression. (Please know that antidepressants don’t address the root cause of menopause: hormonal changes to levels of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone.) As these hormone levels drop, menopause symptoms can emerge.

Some women go through menopause without noticing. Others have a horrendous time.

So if you are suffering, your doctor can help.

Preparation is key

So preparation is key to an effective conversation with your doctor.

It’s worth finding out if there’s a doctor at your local surgery who has a special interest in menopause. If so, ask for that doctor!

Keep records of your symptoms. Write down when your last period was, any changes you’ve noticed which are physical, emotional, sexual, professional. Doctors respond well to evidence and the imact this is having on your life.

What’s helpful to know in advance

Know that the official healthcare guidelines¹ for menopause start with HRT – Hormone Replacement Therapy – not anti-depressants. Say this. Even if HRT isn’t right for you, task your doctor with exploring other medical interventions that might help you.

Even if you’re underwhelmed with your doctor’s response. You can still help yourself by looking into ways to improve your sleep, stress levels, work routine. The usual advice of good nutrition and low-exertion exercise like walking or yoga are really good ideas. So is taking a broad-spectrum multi-vitamin.

This will help you:

You’re unique, so a tailored response is required, just for you.

Our advice is encapsulated in a free resource: Questions to ask your doctor about HRT

To take a deeper dive into these themes, check out our ebooks for more detail.

¹ NICE guidelines [NG23] published in 2015 by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Appointments just for you

If you want tailored support that focuses right onto the things that are bothering you most, Sarah and Karen are available for coaching appointments scheduled whenever suits you best.

Both of us have great credentials as coaches. Karen is a qualified executive coach;  Sarah is a coach as well as an accredited therapist too. Each of us has gained a menopause coaching qualification, so we know our stuff. Whether you’re affected personally, in your relationship, or at work – getting some direct support could be the smart thing to do.

The best way to start is a free 30-minute discovery call where we can talk 1-1 about the support you seek. After that, coaching consultancy sessions are payable if we decide to work together.

Karen Briggs

Karen

Click here to book an appointment with Karen

Sarah Briggs

Sarah

Click here to book an appointment with Sarah

You might also like...

Friday 8 March

Getting help you need at work: guidance update

View all

Get more goodies!

Subscribe to the Mentrix newsletter for more support. We'll accompany you on this journey as a guide for your transformation and growth through menopause. It can be a difficult time. But it can also be an empowering and formative experience once you find ways to reduce your symptoms. You are welcome to subscribe. Everyone is welcome to join our tribe at Mentrix.

Please confirm that you agree to receive emails from us. We promise to treat your details with respect and you can unsubscribe easily at any time.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For further information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices.