Get clued up

‘Do your homework. If you know what you’re talking about, it empowers you,’ says Dr Hum (left).

For reliable, evidencebased, free advice and information, try:

✣ Women’s Health Concern (womens-health-concern.org)

✣ The Menopause Charity (themenopausecharity.org)

✣ Balance (balance-menopause.com)

✣ Menopause Matters (menopausematters.co.uk)

‘Many of these have a symptom checker,’ adds Dr Hum. ‘You might not be having hot flushes, but you might have 18 other symptoms on the list. This gives you a framework for your appointment.’

You can ask your GP, ‘Could this be perimenopause and can I try HRT?’

‘It’s about being prepared for your appointment,’ says Dr Hum. Bad sleep and brain fog can make it hard to say what you want to say, so make sure you write everything down too.