Menopause and later life

Menopause

Menopause marks the time when your periods stop as your ovaries stop producing eggs.

Perimenopause is when you have symptoms of menopause but your periods have not stopped. Perimenopause ends and you reach menopause when you have not had a period for 12 months.

Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your life, including relationships and work. The following resources provide information about symptoms, treatments and support available.

Your GP, nurse or pharmacist can give you advice and help with your menopause or perimenopause symptoms, including information about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and available alternative options.

The RCOG has developed patient information on Treatment for symptoms of the menopause and a Scientific Impact Paper on Alternatives to HRT for the management of symptoms of the menopause.

For more general information on menopause, please see the following resources:

• NHS information on menopause – symptoms, lifestyle changes, treatments, help and support
• NHS Inform Scotland menopause information  – information available in other languages including BSL and Easy Read
• NICE guidance on Menopause: diagnosis and management, including information for the public
• NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary on Menopause
• Healthtalk.org - listen to people share their personal experiences of menopause via videos
• International Menopause Society – information factsheets, videos and podcasts
• Menopause matters – information about menopause, menopausal symptoms and treatment options
• Menopause Fact Sheet from the Self Care Forum
• Women’s Health Concern – information on menopause from the patient arm of the British Menopause Society
• Wellbeing of Women information on menopause and their menopause campaigns

Menopause at work

• Information from ACAS on managing the menopause at work
• Wellbeing of Women Menopause Workplace Pledge

Information about HRT

• Prescription prepayment certificates for HRT, which reduces the cost of prescriptions.
• Joint BMS FSRH RCGP RCOG SfE and RCN Women’s Health Forum safety alert on appropriate doses of oestrogen and progestogen provided to women experiencing symptoms of menopause.

For information on early menopause

• The Daisy Network – information, advice and support on premature ovarian insufficiency
• NHS information on Early menopause

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Some of the information linked to on this page is not produced by the RCOG. Our policy on publishing links to third-party sites outlines how we decide which sites to link to, and our terms and conditions include a disclaimer about the RCOG’s responsibility for information on linked sites.