Menopause health

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Perimenopause and menopause

Perimenopause and menopause usually occur between the ages of 45 and 55. This is when oestrogen levels drop.

It can start earlier, and these stages are known as early or premature menopause.

Perimenopause is the time from the start of menopausal symptoms until after you have had your last period. Periods will usually start to become less frequent over a few months or years before they stop.

For some women, they can stop suddenly, and for others they may become:

irregular
heavier
lighter

Perimenopause ends when you’ve not had a period for 12 months. This is known as menopause.

Menopause

The word menopause means the last menstrual period and impacts anyone who has periods. Your periods stop due to lower hormone levels.

The age at which you start menopause and the symptoms you experience can differ for everyone. The age you start menopause can be similar to family members.

Menopause can happen naturally, for unknown reasons or as a result of surgery treatments or conditions including:

removal of the ovaries or uterus
some cancer treatments
genetic conditions

Learn more about the menopause on NHS.

Symptoms

Symptoms can significantly affect daily life, and everyone’s experience is different. Some women may not have any symptoms at all. Symptoms can begin many years before your periods actually stop and continue into post-menopause.

Symptoms can include:

challenges with your mental health, including:

anxiety
mood swings
low mood
brain fog

hot flushes
night sweats
lack of sleep
irregular periods
vaginal dryness
bladder problems, and sudden urges to urinate
weak bones
reduced libido or sexual desire

Learn more about menopause symptoms on NHS.

Mental health during menopause

Changes in your hormones during menopause can impact your mental health as well as your physical health.

Symptoms can include:

anger and irritability
anxiety
forgetfulness
loss of self-esteem and confidence
low mood, feeling sad or depressed
poor concentration. This is also known as brain fog or feeling lost for words

Jersey Talking Therapies offers support for some of these symptoms including low mood, depression and anxiety. You can self refer, without contacting your doctor.

The Listening Lounge is a service available if you would like to speak to someone about how you are feeling. You can contact them directly.

Sleep problems

Sleep problems are common during menopause and perimenopause. Not getting enough rest can make other symptoms worse, such as:

irritability
trouble concentrating
anxiety

Detecting symptoms when using hormonal contraceptives

As hormonal contraception can affect your periods, including how regularly you have them, it can be difficult to know if you are in perimenopuse or menopause. It can also make difficult to understand if you're:

ovulating
fertile

Hormonal contraceptives can also cover up or control symptoms, such as:

hot flushes
night sweats

If you're using the combined pill, you'll continue to experience a regular bleed, similar to a period.

Your bleeds may be irregular or stop completely while using:

the progestogen-only pill
intrauterine system (IUS), also known as a hormonal coil
contraceptive implant
contraceptive injection

Find out more about menopause and perimenopause if you’re using hormonal contraception on NHS.

When to contact your GP

If you or someone you know needs support to manage symptoms, or if they are getting worse, get help from your GP.

Contact your GP if:

you have menopausal symptoms that are affecting you
you’re experiencing symptoms before 45 years of age

Your GP can usually confirm whether you are menopausal based on your symptoms. However a blood test to measure your hormone levels may be carried out between the ages 40 to 45.

Learn more about the types of blood tests on NHS Inform.

Lots can be done to help manage symptoms, including:

making healthy lifestyle choices
trying different treatments and finding one that works for you
seeking support from healthcare professionals

It may help to make notes about your symptoms, including how and when they are affecting you. This can be helpful when talking about your symptoms with your GP or healthcare specialist.

Speak to your doctor before taking any herbal supplements or complementary medicines.

List of surgeries and GPs in Jersey

Treatment

It’s important to get professional advice about menopause treatments, so you can make informed choices and understand what’s best for you.

Your GP can work with you to explore different medications, therapy or lifestyle changes if you have menopausal symptoms that are interfering with daily life. These include:

hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on NHS
vaginal oestrogen preparations, lubricants or moisturisers for vaginal dryness
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), you can self refer through Jersey Talking Therapies
eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly
taking supplements such as vitamin B6 and vitamin D

Speak to your GP if you'd like to learn more about HRT. If HRT isn’t suitable for you, or you would prefer not to have it, your GP may recommend other medicines that can help.

You may be referred to a menopause specialist at the Rayner Outpatient’s Clinic by your GP if:

you have challenges managing your symptoms
you have side effects from treatment
you have a medical history that may mean that you’re unable to have a particular treatment, such as HRT
your GP feels it’s necessary

Your decisions about treatment may change as you go through menopause. If a treatment isn’t working for you, you can try something different. You can seek a second opinion if you’re not sure about the options you've been offered.

Find out more about menopause treatment on NHS.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment for menopause symptoms. The type of HRT that's right for you depends on what stage of menopause you're at.

It replaces the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which drop to low levels around menopause. The loss of these hormones can have a big effect.

By restoring these hormones, HRT can relieve many symptoms, such as

hot flushes
night sweats
sleep problems
mood swings
anxiety and low mood
vaginal dryness

To replace these hormones, you'll usually take a combination of oestrogen and progestogen. If you've had a hysterectomy to remove your womb, you can take oestrogen on its own. Oestrogen and progesterone are an essential part of:

period cycles
ovulation
pregnancy
healthy bones

Your GP can explain the different types of HRT available and help you choose one that’s suitable for you.

Learn more about HRT on NHS, including:

it's benefits
who can take HRT
risks
side effects
when to take it
alternatives to HRT
questions to ask your doctor

Find additional information about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on NHS Inform.

Things you can do to help your symptoms

Eating well, exercising and looking after your mental wellbeing can help with many symptoms.

Below are things you can do for yourself to try to ease your symptoms.

Get support with your mental health

To support you with your mental health, you can:

consider Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) . This is a type of talking therapy that can help with a low mood, feelings of anxiety and sleep problems. You can self-refer into Jersey Talking Therapies. This can be done without contacting your GP
speak to someone about how you are feeling at the Listening Lounge
explore counselling options
talk to others who are going through this such as family, friends or colleagues

Eat a balanced diet

Ensure your diet is healthy and balanced. Include calcium-rich food to keep your bones healthy and prevent osteoporosis, such as:

milk
yoghurt
kale

Healthy eating guidance

Exercise regularly

Get regular exercise and try including weight-bearing activities where your feet and legs support your weight for example:

walking
running
dancing

Learn more about healthy ways to get active on Move More Jersey.

Bladder control exercises

Urinary incontinence is common during menopause. Pelvic floor exercises can help with bladder control issues.

Learn more about urinary incontinence and bladder problems including pelvic floor exercises for women.

Sleep and relaxation techniques

Get plenty of rest, and keep regular sleep routines.

Consider relaxation techniques such as:

yoga
tai chi
meditation

If sleep issues during menopause are having an impact on your daily life, you can self-refer to Jersey Talking Therapies.

Get help to stop smoking or drinking alcohol

Find more information about about stopping smoking and the support available through the Help2Quit stop smoking service.

Find out more about alcohol issues and getting help and alcohol awareness.

Learn more about the things you can do on NHS to manage symptoms of menopause.

Early or premature menopause

Early menopause happens before the age of 45. About 5% of women experience natural early menopause before age 45.

If menopause starts before 40, it’s called premature menopause. It occurs when your ovaries aren’t working properly and stop producing eggs. This effects fewer women under 40.

Early or premature menopause can happen naturally or be caused by treatment for other conditions.

When to contact your GP

Contact your GP if you know you are not pregnant and your periods have stopped or have been coming less often, in the past 4 to 6 months.

They may carry out a blood test to measure your hormone levels. It can take a long time to diagnose, as symptoms can be similar to other conditions.

The blood test can also rule out conditions such as:

diabetes
thyroid problems

Learn more about blood tests on NHS Inform.

List of surgeries and GPs in Jersey

Causes of early or premature menopause

Women can go through early or premature menopause for many reasons including certain surgeries or cancer treatments.

For most women, it’s unknown why they experience early or premature menopause. However, you have a higher chance of going through early or premature menopause if it runs in your family. Other reasons can include:

starting your periods early
smoking
being underweight
undergoing treatment, such as:

radiotherapy or chemotherapy
certain hormone medicines
surgery to remove your ovaries

Possible effects of early or premature menopause

Early or premature menopause can effect both your physical and mental health.

You'll have a higher chance of developing conditions such as:

Learn more about osteoporosis and weakening bones on NHS.

Early or premature menopause can effect your fertility. This can make it harder to get pregnant. You may wish to consider IVF, and other options such as:

Treatment for early or premature menopause

Treatment involves replacing the hormones that are at low levels and can include:

the combined contraceptive pill
hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

It's important to replace missing hormones at this stage because it increases your risk of developing problems with your:

bones
heart

If you've had cancer, such as certain types of breast cancer, you may not be able to have hormone treatments.

To manage your symptoms, you can also make lifestyle changes: This can include:

exercising regularly
eating calcium-rich food

Learn more about the things you can do on NHS to manage symptoms of menopause.

Move More Jersey

Healthy eating guidelines

Sexual health and wellbeing during menopause

You can experience a loss of sexual desire or sex drive, also known as libido, due to hormone changes that take place during menopause.

You may find that you don't feel like having sex during this time. This can be upsetting for you and your partner. It's important to talk to your partner about how you are feeling.

Menopausal symptoms that can affect your libido include:

vaginal dryness
interruption of your sleep and a lack of energy
feeling anxious, stressed or upset through emotional changes

There are treatment options that help ease or manage some of these symptoms.

Speak to your GP as there are several treatments that can help you.

Learn more about sexual wellbeing, intimacy and menopause on NHS inform.

Contraception and sexual health during menopause

It’s still possible to get pregnant during perimenopause. It's important to continue to talk about contraception.

If you and your partner use barrier methods it’s important to keep using condoms. This is because during menopause, reduced lubrication and thinner vaginal walls can increase your risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection.

Supporting women through menopause

Going through the stages of menopause can mean many physical and emotional changes for women. It's important that you:

are there to listen and encourage
have an awareness of symptoms
check if there are some small changes that can be done to improve their symptoms
be there for them through their treatment

Supporting women in the workplace

It can be challenging to manage menopause symptoms while working. If a staff member or colleague has shared with you that they are experiencing symptoms, it's important to support them through this and help them find out what services are available.

There may be some practical changes that can be made within organisations to help to create a positive work environment for someone going through the stages of menopause.

Find out more about how you can support someone through the menopause on NHS inform.

Post-menopause and your health

Post-menopause is the time after a woman experiences her last period. A woman is said to be post-menopausal when she has not had a period for 12 months.

Some women continue to have symptoms after their periods have stopped. It's important to look after your health and wellbeing, including having regular cancer screenings.

You may be at risk of developing some other conditions at this stage, such as:

Find out more about your health after-the-menopause on NHS Inform.

Additional resources

Check out a selection of menopause videos on NHS Inform.