Menopause and later life

Resources about menopause

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.

Menopause resources and support

Reliable information and guidance on menopause and the support available.

From the College

Treatment for symptoms of the menopause – RCOG patient information
Alternatives to HRT for the management of symptoms of the menopause – Scientific Impact Paper

General information on menopause

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 hormone replacement therapy (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.

Information on early menopause

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

Information on surgical menopause

British Menopause Society – toolkit for healthcare professionals, with clear advice about what information should be provided to you and your GP before and after surgery.

About the links on this page

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.

Please give us your feedback

We would like to understand how people are using this resource to help ensure it is relevant and useful. To give us your feedback or if you have any questions, please email womensvoices@rcog.org.uk.