The good menopause guide

Here’s what you need to know to help make the menopause a more positive experience for both mind and body

Straightforward advice and tips from the experts

Midlife should be a time for celebration, enjoying more freedom at home, feeling more confident at work, or mastering the all-important art of saying no. But challenges await every life stage, and the menopause can be a biggie. Although some women will sail through it, others struggle. It doesn’t help that it’s an information minefield with 115,000,000 search results in Google alone! That’s why we’ve compiled this menopause fact file full of expert advice.

60-second fact file

WHAT IS THE MENOPAUSE?

It’s when you stop menstruating and reach the end of your natural reproductive life. It’s defined as when you haven’t had a period for 12 consecutive months.

WHAT AGE DOES IT START?

Normally between 45 and 55, when your oestrogen levels decline. The average age in the UK is 51, but symptoms can start earlier, which is known as the perimenopause. The age your mother went through the menopause may offer clues, as it’s partly genetics, but smoking, ethnicity and having ovarian surgery or chemotherapy also have an impact.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia are common complaints, but it’s thought there are more than 40 symptoms, including vaginal dryness, low mood or anxiety, reduced libido, palpitations, joint stiffness, UTIS and problems with memory and concentration.

HOW IS MENOPAUSE DIAGNOSED?

According to NICE guidelines, all GPS should treat women over 45 based on their symptoms, with no need for blood tests (which can show false readings due to regular hormone fluctuations).