NHS or private menopause specialist?

[PerriDowton]

Hi all.
I went to my GP surgery this week and asked the receptionist about seeing a meno specialist. She told me it would take weeks to get an appointment with the nurse or doctor.

For those who use the NHS.
Are there differences between being seen by a nurse and a doctor? Do they offer the same advice and suggestions? Were you prescribed HRT straight away?

How can you find a private specialist?
If you have used one, were you satisfied with the consultation?

I hope this can help with my intermittent insomnia, brain fog, hot flushes, word difficulties, and health anxiety etc..
Some symptoms come and go.

I apologise for asking too many questions.

In our gp surgery, the menopause specialist was an advance nurse practitioner (ANP).

The cost of seeing a private practitioner is obviously going to cost more, plus the treatment will be more expensive.

I would just make the appointment with your GP surgery, whether it’s the practice nurse or GP, and take it from there. Everyone’s experience and medical history is different so no experience will be the same. I have seen a different GP at my surgery for every HRT review and they have all been great. However I’m a hospital pharmacist and enjoy reading research about drugs and learning national guidelines so I went into every consultation fairly clued up.
I would imagine a private consultation would take a few weeks too. The drugs you hopefully receive will be the same and you’ll need to pay for them if private. I would reserve private for further down the line of your case becomes difficult or in need of specialist input.

Can you make an appointment with any GP at the surgery? They should all have some knowledge of menopause and HRT. You shouldn't need to wait weeks for an appt.

You can also do some research yourself online first about types of HRT that are available and think if you have any preferences- eg patches, gel, tablets etc. That way you can see a GP and say you've read about HRT and you'd like to try XYZ...

I've had private menopause care for a long time (a consultant gynaecologist) because I chose a specialist for something that was possibly hormone related . I continued for HRT/menopause. I chose them by researching (google) .
You can look at the British Menopause Society website (they have a list but there are many other drs not on that list.) or your local private hospital websites where they list all consultants and their specialities.

The cost- consultations are around £300 for the first one then reduce slightly for ongoing appts. You usually need a review every 6 months.
The cost of hrt varies - mine works out at about £20 a month.

You could perhaps have one private consultation, go back to your GP and ask them to carry on with prescribing. (but they'd be responsible then for your HRT.)

I agree with @sociableintrovert123
(x-d posts.)

If you want to see a consultant privately, most have a waiting list of around 3-4 weeks, or longer. And it depends a lot on who you want to see- there are many GPs now working privately as menopause drs, who offer HRT.

Just make an appointment with the gp. Either way their highly likely to offer hrt. My first appointment for hrt was with a male dr in his 30s who was gr8. My follow up reviews were with the meno gp. They dish out hrt like smarties, because its highly effective.

My Dr’s surgery has a specialist menopause nurse and dedicated clinic times. I was prescribed HRT at my first appt with her. To be honest I was gobsmacked given cutbacks in general in the NHS that the service existed!

No experience regards going private, sorry.

if there is more than one Dr’s surgery in the town you live, maybe consider asking friends/colleagues (even FB town pages), if anyone has access to a menopause specialist directly at their surgery? Realistically you ‘could’ register at one where there is and see a menopause specialist there in the time it might take to get an appt privately.

good luck!

I appreciate all your replies.

I will book an appointment at my GP surgery, have to be patient. I don’t mind who I see.

I have days when I'm happy and other days when I'm a miserable peri woman.

I found out that my two colleagues got their HRT quicker. They are new to it and nervous about starting. I don’t want to ask them too much questions.
Maybe I should go to their GP surgery, but I can walk to my surgery and I hate travelling, even though we live in the same town.

Thanks all. xx

Wow! I just found out that menopause specialists and treatments in my area are expensive.

I would try and be patient-a few weeks is nothing considering if HRT agrees with you you’ll be on it for years and years (possibly lifelong).

I saw the menopause specialist GP at our practice, this was over 10 years I went 3 times, all times, she never really helped me. I wanted her to say try this or that, which will help, each time she said go away and think about it, I never even had any blood tests taken. I wish I had gone private, had I known that the menopause would last around 5 years and there’s so many different treatments available now, that’s the route I would go.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm 61 and my GP took me off hrt at 60. I've no family history of ovarian or breast cancer. I'm thinking of going back , but don't know if they'll give it to me. Do you think it would be worth seeing a private specialist?

Just print out the guidance from the British Menopause Society on their website (it's under Consensus statement/ hrt) which says there is no longer a 60+ cut off point. There never was, really.
Maybe there is another GP who's more up to speed?

How much?

They are all around the same. There seems to be very little variation with consultants - most are £300-ish for the first appt which is around 45 minutes.
Some are £250, others can be £400 but around £300 is average.

You don't really need a private consultant because you've not approached a GP yet.

Thank you so much for your response, it's much appreciated. I'll call and see if I can see a female GP, who may have a different perspective.

A menopause specialist in East Midlands is £190 for a 60 minute appointment

For perspective, some of the best menopause consultants in the country are on video (doing interviews) and say they have women in their 80s and 90s on HRT.

If your gp practice has a menopause specialist I’d definitely see them
first. I went down a tortuous route of seeing a gp first- I picked a mature female one who I thought would’ve been up to speed on menopause, but no, I got antidepressants. When I finally saw the menopause specialist (advanced nurse practitioner at our practice) she was great didn’t hesitate to go down the HRT route. Depending on how your appointment system works, can you choose who you see? Could you find out from friends locally who they’ve seen and then book with someone that’s been recommended? I’m picky about who I book appointments with at ours now, depending what the issue is and if you’ve got a wait you want it to be right when the time comes.

Personally if it looks like it could be a lengthy and arduous process to get treatment on the NHS, and I could afford it, I would get it privately initially and then deal with all the bureaucratic hoop jumping in comfort.

If you wait weeks and then are fobbed off that's time spent miserable that you'll not get back.

Menopause care on the NHS is a massive lottery with some women being able to access treatment immediately, others only treated after multiple appointments and some being denied HRT altogether or prescribed inappropriate treatment such as antidepressants, even though they have no medical contraindications.

Our practice has all GPs fully trained in meno.

I only went in for vaginal oestrogen and left with HRT and a diagnosis of prolpase!

I was also prescribed testosterone within 6 months of starting HRT, by my GP.

This is the point where women usually have a fight on their hands but mine were outstanding.

I had a private meno consultant recommended by a friend, best way to find a good one.

Well that was a waste of 20 minutes at the GP surgery. They won't give me hrt , wanted to do blood tests to see if I'm anemic (I'm not). Suggested talk therapy, not sure how that'll help with hot flushes. Not sure what to do now.

I don't understand.

If you went in saying you want to go back onto HRT what did they say?

What reasons did they give for not allowing you HRT?

Go back.
List your symptoms, print off the advice from the BMS and NICE which says there is no age limit to HRT.

Did you try to push the point?

If you have no medical contraindications, it is your choice to use HRT or not.

I don’t really understand either @highlandponymummyDid you present to the GP with menopausal type symptoms and specifically ask for HRT?

I did try and push it. Explained about joint pain, anxiety and the fact that I don't drink or smoke, no history of cervical or breast cancer in the family. She just said that there was no advantage in taking it over 60. So frustrating.

I saw a specialist menopause GP privately. I located her via the British Menopause Society. For me, it was worth it, as my own GP practice doesn't have a menopause specialist and I also wanted to spend time with a medically trained person and feel unrushed and fully considering my health and my options. I had an hour long consultation and for me it was worth the money I spent.

Why not try your own local GP practice first and if you are not happy with the consultation, you can go private, if you want to / can afford to.