Menopause
Specialist menopause clinic: assessing symptoms, bone health and treatment options, hormonal and non-hormonal.
What menopause is
Menopause is when the ovaries stop producing eggs and hormones, confirmed once you've gone twelve months in a row without a period. In Spain it arrives on average around age 51, though the years beforehand — perimenopause — already bring changes: irregular cycles, hot flushes, more fragile sleep.
It isn't an illness, but it is a stage that deserves medical attention: symptoms can have a real impact on quality of life, and falling oestrogen affects bone and heart health in the years that follow.
When to book an appointment
- Hot flushes or night sweats disrupting your day or your sleep.
- Insomnia, irritability or low mood that you link to this stage.
- Vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex.
- Very irregular or heavy periods from your 40s onwards.
- Bleeding after a year without a period: always worth seeing us about, without waiting.
- You want to know whether hormone therapy is an option for you.
How we investigate it
The consultation starts by listening to you: what symptoms you have, since when, and how much they affect you. It's completed with a gynaecological examination, a smear test if it's due, and hormone testing when it adds useful information. Your bone and cardiovascular risk are also assessed, because treatment for this stage is decided by looking at your overall health, not just the symptom.
How we treat it
There's no single treatment: there's yours. Depending on your case it may include lifestyle and sleep measures, non-hormonal treatments for hot flushes, local treatment for vaginal dryness, and menopause hormone therapy when it's indicated and you choose it fully informed. Whichever path it is, with follow-up.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I am going through the menopause?
It is confirmed after twelve consecutive months without a period. Before that, if your symptoms make you suspect it, an assessment at the clinic with hormone blood tests can indicate where you are in the transition.
Do I have to treat the menopause even if I feel well?
No. If you have no symptoms that bother you, it is enough to keep up your check-ups and look after your bone and cardiovascular health. Treatment is there to improve your quality of life, not an obligation.
What are the 3 stages of menopause?
Perimenopause, with irregular cycles and the first symptoms; menopause itself, confirmed after twelve months without a period; and postmenopause, the stage that follows, where looking after bone health and cardiovascular risk becomes important. The whole process can last several years.
What are the worst symptoms of menopause?
The ones people consult about most are hot flushes and night sweats, insomnia and vaginal dryness with pain during sex, along with mood changes, joint pain and brain fog. All of them can be addressed: there is no need to simply put up with them.