Menopause clinic
A 45-minute menopause assessment and a clear decision about HRT, reviewed at three months.
Menopause symptoms
A pattern, recognised properly — not a blood test and a shrug.
Perimenopause is diagnosed from a pattern of symptoms and a menstrual history, not from a hormone level. In women over 45 with typical symptoms, national guidance is explicit that FSH testing is generally not needed and can mislead, because hormone levels swing week to week in exactly the phase you are trying to identify.
A great deal of what Dr Anand does in this clinic is explaining that a "normal" blood test did not rule anything out.
The symptoms that get missed
Flushes and night sweats are the ones everybody knows. The ones that go unattributed for years are broken sleep, low mood and irritability, joint aches, brain fog and word-finding difficulty, recurrent urinary symptoms, and a change in how you tolerate alcohol.
Women are frequently treated for four of these separately before anyone joins them up.
How the decision about HRT is made
By going through your personal and family history, your blood pressure, and your own priorities, and then putting the risks in numbers rather than adjectives. The size of any risk depends on the type of HRT, the route it is taken by, your age and how long you take it — which is why a single sentence about "the risks of HRT" is close to meaningless.
If HRT is not right for you, we say so, and go through the non-hormonal options properly.
If you are under 45
Then blood tests do matter, and we do them. Menopause before 45 is early menopause and before 40 is premature ovarian insufficiency; both need a different assessment and both have implications for bone and cardiovascular health that make treatment more, not less, important.
Taking it back to your NHS GP
Many people come here for the diagnosis and the first three months of dose-finding, then continue on the NHS. We write a full letter setting out the diagnosis, the regimen and the monitoring plan — which is what an NHS colleague needs in order to take it on.
Where we treat this
The clinics involved
Women's health
Contraception, coils, cervical screening and period problems, with appointments long enough to examine properly.
Talking therapies
CBT and counselling with an accredited therapist, usually starting within two weeks.
FAQs
Questions people ask
Do I need a blood test first?
Over 45 with typical symptoms, usually not. Under 45, yes. We will tell you which applies to you and why.
Can I get testosterone?
In selected cases, for persistent low sexual desire where HRT alone has not been enough, with baseline and follow-up levels. It is prescribed off-licence for women in the UK and we explain what that means first.
How quickly will I feel different?
Flushes and sweats often improve within weeks. Sleep, mood and joints usually take two to three months, which is why the review is booked at three months and not at one.
Book an appointment
Most appointments are available within five working days. Book online or call us.