Menopause advice needed

[davidleo]

Has anyone else found menopause support incredibly difficult to access lately?

A close family member of mine has been really struggling with what seem to be fairly classic menopause/perimenopause symptoms (sleep problems, anxiety, hot flushes, brain fog etc) but getting proper support through the GP has been surprisingly difficult and slow.

It feels like menopause awareness is everywhere now in the media, but in reality a lot of women still seem to be left trying to work everything out for themselves.

I was just wondering:

• how easy people found it to get diagnosed/helped?
• whether people went NHS or private?
• and whether HRT genuinely helped once started?

Would really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences because it feels quite overwhelming trying to navigate it all.

Really easy. NHS. Definitely helping.

It does seem to vary hugely depending on your individual GP, though. I was lucky, and possibly helped by actually presenting with a different condition rather than going in purely about the perimenpausal symptoms (which I was on the brink of doing if the anaemia hadn't got there first).

I'd suggest your family member tries a different GP in the practice - ask if they have one with a special interest in menopause or women's health. And go armed with the NICE guidance.

I’m struggling 😭 went in today to see the GP after waiting weeks and he told me I shouldn’t have booked a ‘standard’ appointment (meaning I should have booked a double appointment). He said he would send me some links to websites and to book another appointment after I had read them…
… I will book another appointment but with an older female GP. Lesson learnt.

He did ask me if I was suicidal and I said no, so maybe I didn’t fulfil the criteria

I went through something very similar, so I completely understand how your family member is feeling.

For me, getting diagnosed and the right support wasn't particularly quick. I had a few GP appointments before my symptoms were recognised as being related to perimenopause, so it did take a bit of persistence.

I initially stayed with the NHS, but the waiting times and limited appointment availability led me to look at private options as well. I found it much easier to get advice and discuss different treatment options that way.

As for HRT, it genuinely helped me. After a few weeks I noticed a real improvement in my hot flushes, sleep, brain fog, and overall wellbeing. I know it isn't the right choice for everyone, but it made a big difference in my case.

While I was researching my options, I found the menopause and HRT guide really useful for understanding the different treatments before speaking to my clinician.

I hope your family member gets the support she needs soon. It can feel like a long process, but don't be afraid to ask for a follow-up appointment or a second opinion if she's not getting the help she needs.

It’s almost 8 years ago for me when I went on HRT. My GP attempted to poo poo me but I had printed out the list of NICE symptoms, had most of them and pointed out that the treatment was symptom led and I wanted HRT.

she then said she knew nothing about HRT and apologised as she’d thought that there was a high cancer risk (she was late 60’s) and was then lovely.

I just contacted my GPs for an appointment and told them I wanted to try HRT because I was feeling a bit flat and my joints ached.

By the time my appointment arrived (6 weeks later), I'd bought some hrt from Superdrug and just said I'd like it on repeat prescription please and Lo, it happened 🙂

I'm back on evole conti got changed to gell and progesterone tablet... was all over the place with it... couldn't get appointment so just phoned for a repeat prescription of the patch.. was told I had to wait 48 hours.. got up the next day and it got delivered to me still not heard from doctor