Any experiences of the Newsom Clinic? Trying to sort my peri-menopause symptoms

[SweatySpider321]

I have been taking HRT for nearly 2.5 years but my GP has concedes that after a number of different treatment regimes that she is out of her depth. I was referred to the local menopause clinic back in October 2025, so far had a 5 minute telephone appointment in the spring. No treatment as yet. I am bored of waiting for it to be resolved while the NHS operate at a snails pace and l am sick of the symptoms. I am keen to resolve my insomnia, excessive bleeding, hot sweats, irritability and sexual dysfunction. Has anyone tried the Newsom Clinic or similar? Recommendations would be gratefully received

Last thing:

Are your B12, Vit D, iron, and thyroid levels all correct?

Have you tried asking around whether any GP surgeries that you're in catchment for have a GP who specialises in menopause? They often don't advertise it or proactively signpost patients to them, but quite a few have them now.

I thought I'd need to go private, but asked on the off-chance and it turns out my GP has one. She's brilliant and agreed to my preferred combo of oestrogen gel, micronised progesterone and vaginal ring with no bother at all.

Hi op. Do you know what you want? As in what regimen?

What have you tried already?

In my area in the South, there are loads of private GPs who offer this now.

Also, to anyone who is on a long mirena waiting list, my GP gave me a written prescription, I collected a mirena device from Boots and paid a private GP to insert it a couple of days later. £250 but money very well spent!

They were very expensive and wouldn’t listen to me when I said the estrogen gel was really making me feel anxious and jittery and I had started to flood hugely since being on gel (never ever had before in my whole life). Their answer was for me to double my dosage?! They are sort of fixed on the idea that everyone needs a minimum of 2 pumps of gel and because I was only on 1, I couldn’t possibly be having negative symptoms from too much of it. The flooding got worse and I had a transvaginal scan on the NHS. This showed a huge polyp. This was what was causing the enormous flooding. I went to have it cut out (traumatic in itself) and the consultant who cut it out said she had never seen such a huge polyp on someone so tiny and slim, and told me I was overprescribed estrogen; my levels where way too high (over 10,000) which had caused the polyp. The NHs consultant told me to stop all estrogen immediately and gently suggested progesterone only in the form of a coil. I decided to have the coil put in and drop all estrogen. I felt immediately better in sll
ways. Newson wouldn’t listen and caused me to bleed like I have never done before in my life and my estrogen levels were off the scale high. It also cost me a fortune.

I can only speak from my own experience, but I’ve been really impressed with the Newson Clinic. I had a very thorough initial consultation, including blood tests, and then repeat bloods and a follow-up appointment at 3 months to make sure everything was working and to tweak things if needed.
Once my treatment plan was established, my NHS GP (who has a menopause special interest) was happy to prescribe everything recommended by the clinic, including testosterone, so I now get all my medication free on the NHS.
The difference has honestly been life-changing for me. My menopause symptoms have completely resolved, my energy is back, I’m sleeping well again, and testosterone has completely transformed my libido and sex life. I feel like myself again.
I’m now on annual follow-up with the Newson Clinic (my next review is at 12 months), while my GP continues my prescriptions. It wasn’t cheap initially, but for me it has been worth every penny. I hope you find the right help soon—no one should have to struggle with symptoms for so long.

The 'Newson Clinic' is really a brand now and there are hundreds of doctors working for it.

When it first started, many years ago, it was a clinic as such in one location and Dr Newson saw patients. Now she doesn't, but runs the business, does media stuff etc.

Now, it's a brand, with several locations or remote appts.

The treatment you will get will only be as good as the doctor you talk to/ see.

On balance, I think they are quite expensive because you will pay as much for a GP working through them as a very good consultant gynaecologist. They also appear to work on the basis of blood tests, which my consultant has told me (several times, when I've queried if I need them) are unnecessary and unreliable for estrogen. Obviously there may be grounds for doing some tests, but it's a controversial issue among doctors.

There is also some controversy over the high doses of estrogen which they can sometimes prescribe.

I'm trying to be balanced here as I think Dr Newson has done a lot of good stuff overall.

I used Louise Newsom about 5 or 6 years ago after inappropriately ending up in an endocrinology department. Very straightforward and got HRT including testosterone. At the same time, I also got my name on the waiting list of a specialist NhS menopause clinic and when I was doing well on the HRT they agreed to write to my GP with this recommendation. They don't do shared care agreements and I have had a bit of a battle with my GP over the testosterone but it is now on my repeat prescription list and they don't seem to care now at all, just keep signing it off without any tests or check ins.

I used menopause care for a one off appointment and they wrote to my GP who were happy to follow their advice but if they weren't, they do offer a subscription option of I believe around £99 a month (I would double check prices) and that includes follow ups and HRT prescriptions.

This is really similar to my experience with them. Flooding periods so they kept increasing oestrogen. Turned out I had an oestrogen sensitive ovarian cyst and endometriosis, all made worse by the oestrogen (at any level, let alone the increasing levels they put me on). Gynae consultant I eventually saw after my GP wrote to them saying he was shocked that they continued to prescribe with no ultrasound given my symptoms, and that he did not think their doses were evidence based and inappropriate.

Regime is 100mg x2 of utrogestan days 15 to 26 and x3 sprays of the Lenzetto

can I ask why lenzetto? Have you tried gels or patches? It does sound like you’re not absorbing enough oestrogen to manage your symptoms.

Tried gel and patches already, neither worked that well for me. I ended up on the max dose of patches but not much change

That’s interesting. Some women have trouble absorbing. Have you had your oestrogen levels checked since starting Lenzetto?
I do think going private would be money well spent for you.

@SweatySpider321 There is no reason why you can't use tablet form- unless you have clotting issues.

One of the top UK meno experts is on a video saying this- that transdermal has been 'over sold' and for some women tablets are fine.

I don’t want to take anyone’s hope away but I’ve seen multiple private people. There isn’t always a perfect solution because when you’re going through peri, your body is still producing its own oestrogen erratically- meaning that with the added oestrogen that you take, sometimes you have too much and sometimes too little. My worst symptom was insomnia, which Utrogestan helped with but didn’t stop me waking at 5 every day. I’ve also learned that some women need more oestrogen than others and even after the menopause, I’m one of those.

@JinglingSpringbells

I agree about oral oestrogen. I was happily on Kliofem (oral combined continuous, with a synthetic progestogen in it) for years, from perimenopause at 47, to post menopause (now 56 ) and the jury's out atm about how well the gel oestrogen is going for me.

But AFAIK the BMS guidelines do say:

1. best to switch to transdermal after 60.
2. best to switch to transdermal before starting testosterone.

@JinglingSpringbells - have you got a link to that video please?

Not at my fingertips, no. If you want to search it's Prof Nick Panay talking. He may have been talking to Diane Zanzebrink (there are various youtube videos on their chats.) Or it may have been a transcript/written interview.

I’ve been a patient of Newson for the past 4 years and can’t recommend them highly enough. Initially I used to go to their clinic in Stratford but for the past couple of years have had annual online video consultations.

They do have shared care with your GP. Initially I was prescribed oestrogel, progesterone and testosterone through Newson but a couple of years ago they recommended their prescription for oestrogel and progesterone to my GP who has been prescribing it for me ever since (if that’s what you mean by shared care?). I still get testosterone through Newson as it’s not available on the NHS currently.

Really, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Great. What kind of outlay should l expect?

Thanks for the info. My GP’s are contrary poor communicators so l doubt l will get much out of them. I need to switch surgeries at some point

All good. Apart from my iron but l have been doing some flooding and the 3 periods in 1 month will cause that

I saw Dr Amanda Smith, her website is peakmpst. I live in North Derbyshire and I believe she can do video consultations, her prices are very reasonable. I sought her out after getting nowhere with my G.P, I have a great regime that has given me my life back, it took a while to get there as I’m very sensitive to progesterone.

A while back Panorama did a program about the Newson clinic. They’ve also been removed from the British Menopause Society register due to aspects of her practice not practising established guidelines.

It’s about £300 for the first appt unless you’re a front line worker and they do a discount. Prescription initially is a few hundred but if your gp will prescribe, they’re happy for you to do it on the nhs.

@BeautifulViolets have you asked your GP for Testosterone? I get mine on the NHS prescribed by my GP.