Contact your doctors online and get a response by the end of the next working day

Get Started

Menopause

Women’s Health Online Event Resources

This is the Women’s Health Virtual Event run by Dr MacTavish and Dr Brown.

Please see below for the Q&A from the event and the resources mentioned.

Q&A from Women’s Health Virtual Event
  1. Can you have HRT if you have fibroids? Yes

2. Recap of how to have healthy gut bacteria:

  • Increase fibre in diet
  • Variety of different fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds every week
  • Fermented foods e.g. live yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut (NB check ok if immunosuppressed)
  • Avoid ultra-processed foods
  • Exercise
  • Sleep
  • Reduce stress
  • Social connection

For more information about the gut microbiome, see our website page.

3. If you are on the patches which regulate your period how do you know when they should stop? Would depend on how long you have been on them ,age etc- might be worth changing type but would need to be discussed.

4. HRT? What if you take cerelle pill everyday and don’t know if periods have stopped? Depends on age, how long been on. In these circumstances a blood test can be helpful and worth discussing.

5. Would I need to have bloods taken to be prescribed HRT? No

6. I have tried the evorel patches but felt a little low. Will all options have the same result? Not necessarily, could try different type of HRT but in some woman it can make the mood low.

7. What are the risks if you don’t take anything? HRT is used to treat symptoms of menopause so no one needs to take it with natural menopause.

8. It has been over 3 years since my last smear test, is there a backlog at the moment? The frequency of smear tests recently changed in Scotland and routine screening is now usually every 5 years.

9. Would periodic spotting after 2 years on HRT / Mirena be something to flag to a doctor? Yes

10. I have been on HRT since starting perimenopause and have not had period for some time how will I know when I have finished perimenopause? Difficult to know- we don’t usually know we have reached menopause until after it has happened. Could have a trial without hormones and see what happens/discuss further.

11. Is there waiting list to get the mirena coil fitted? Can this be done at the practice? Unfortunately, not at the practice anymore but can self refer to sexual health clinic at Ninewells. Sexual Health Tayside

12. I started having symptoms of perimenopause at 37. Is that classed as early menopause? Yes it would- best to discuss with GP.

13. Are there any natural/herbal products you shouldn’t take with HRT – yam cream for example seems talked about a lot. I am a little cautious about herbal remedies as we are not trained to use/prescribe them.

14. I am on my second Mirena Coil and was told it would last me through the menopause but I am getting sporadic periods (short and not heavy) and getting quite a number of menopause symptoms. Should I worry? The coil on its own would not stop menopausal symptoms and can still get some bleeding with coil- doesn’t always completely stop bleeding- probably best to discuss with GP.

15. I would like to ask about the treatment of induced (surgical) menopause prior to even perimenopause. How does having ovaries removed and the subsequent loss of production (as opposed to the gradual reduction) of all 3 hormones affect women’s health and overall functioning and subsequent care? Surgical induced early menopause is treated a bit differently to natural menopause. Advice would usually be to use HRT in these cases until normal natural menopause age (usually 51).

16. What more information do managers and HR departments in workplaces need? See here for Government advice for workplaces.

17. Can you have too much oestrogen through HRT? If yes, what are the symptoms please? How do I know if I need a higher, or maybe lower, dose of oestrogen HRT? There is no rule to how much you need- it is individual on how to treat symptoms. If a high dose and still ongoing symptoms- usually look at lifestyle and if any other causes to symptoms.

General Resources
Exercise

For more information about exercise please see our dedicated website page.

Food

For more information about healthy eating, see our dedicated website page.

Weight
Sleep

For more information about sleep, see our dedicated website page.

Stress/Mental Wellbeing/Social Connection
Bone Health

For more information about various aspects of the menopause please see the information below.

Menopause and HRT

TSRHS Menopause PIL 12.23Download
Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Early Menopause
TSRHS POI early menopause PIL 12.23Download
Vaginal, Vulval and Bladder Problems in the Menopause
Vaginal, Vulval and Bladder Problems in the MenopauseDownload
Sex and The Menopause

Sex advice tool box menopause version 23Download
Menopause symptoms questionnaire

It is very helpful for the GPs to know more about your symptoms. If asked, please print out and fill in this questionnaire.

TSRHS-Menopausal-Symptoms-QuestionnaireDownload

Please provide any feedback on the Women’s Health section of the website here. Please do not use this for any questions or concerns about your health – speak to the practice reception instead.