Menopause counsellor and founder of Menopause Support, Diane Danzebrink has written some handy resources including a menopause symptom checker, several guides to help you get the best out of your doctor’s appointment, and guidance for partners who want to understand more about the menopause . For your convenience, they are presented here in both Word or PDF formats for easy downloading and printing.
Denied local oestrogen? A letter for your GP that could help.
As far too many women are being denied local oestrogen alongside their systemic HRT or to use in isolation, we have put a letter together that you can amend for your GP should you be refused local oestrogen. We – Di Danzebrink Jane Lewis, and one of her private group moderators, Nadine, really hope that you will find this resource helpful, please do let us know.
Download as a Word file so you can amend it with your own details before sending to your GP.
Introducing our fabulous Menopause Posters
We’re absolutely thrilled to introduce our fabulous menopause posters. A few months ago a request went out asking if a member of the private Facebook community might design a poster for us, and designer Bonnie Fitts kindly volunteered. You’ll find her at https://www.bonniefittsartndesign.com/
We think you’ll agree that she has done the most amazing job and we are so very grateful for her generosity in designing these for us.
We would love you to share them on your social media and print them and put them up anywhere that will allow you to; workplaces, community spaces, gyms, hairdressers, shops, waiting rooms, the possibilities are endless and we really need your help to spread the word. Thank you.
The posters can be downloaded as .PDF files Caucasian, Asian or Afro-Caribbean.
Some key questions about menopause for Health Secretary Matt Hancock
The campaign has sent letters to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock with some key questions about menopause care, and we will share their replies. If you would like to support us by writing yourself to the health secretary, perhaps with a copy to your own MP, here’s a template letter you can use as a start.
A chance to contact your MP
Download as a PDF
Ever thought of contacting your local MP to find out what he or she is doing about the HRT shortage and the wider campaign issues? If we all did it, thousands of letters and emails would arrive in MP’s offices.
I have written a template letter and have left a gap for you to include details of your own experience whether with HRT, your GP or in the workplace etc. Don’t forget to include your full name and address too.
You can find contact details for your local MP here https://members.parliament.uk/ When you get a reply please do share it in the private FB group The Menopause Support Network or email to hello@menopausesupport.co.uk
Thank you,
Diane x
Frequently asked questions about HRT and menopause
We answer twenty frequently-asked questions on this hot topic.
Download as a PDF
FAQs about Oestrogen and Progesterone
How to apply oestrogen gel, how much to use, when to take it and a host of other questions answered.
Download as a PDF
Preparing for your Smear Test
These are some useful tips which may encourage you to attend your appointment and make it easier and more comfortable to have your smear test.
Download as a PDF.
Understanding Vaginal Atrophy or G.S.M
Vaginal ATROPHY, which is officially known as Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (G.S.M) is a common symptom of menopause affecting about 70% of women yet only 7% will ask for help from their GP, unfortunately many decide to self-treat, this is not recommended. Huge thanks to Jane Lewis author of Me & My Menopausal Vagina for writing this for us .
Download in PDF
The Psychological Impact Of Menopause
Anyone who has experienced pre- menstrual syndrome will be well aware of the emotional rollercoaster that fluctuating hormones can cause during the reproductive years but many women are simply not prepared for the variety and intensity of those symptoms which affect some women at menopause.
Try our Menopause Symptom Checker
Download our menopause symptom checker and download our vaginal atrophy/GSM symptom checker.
If you think you may be suffering from symptoms of perimenopause, then try our simple symptom checker. Put a tick by any of the symptoms that apply to you, then print off and take with you to your doctor’s appointment.
The NICE guidelines on menopause state blood hormone tests alone are not indicated to diagnose menopause in a woman over 45 years of age, experiencing menopause symptoms.
Ten Things your Doctor should know about Menopause
Women, their partners and their families cannot afford to keep waiting for GP education to improve; too many women are experiencing poor short and long term physical and mental health due to a woeful lack of professional knowledge. Having campaigned now for several years for better care and support for women it is clear that things are not changing quickly enough so we must take control and educate ourselves and encourage others to do the same. To that end I have compiled this guide.
Getting the most out of your doctor’s appointment
So you have decided that it’s time to visit your doctor to discuss the seemingly unrelated mixed bag of symptoms you have been trying to cope with. I hope this guide will help you when planning your visit to your doctor to discuss menopause.
Understanding Menopause for Partners
Read the original blog or Download in Word or PDF
I counsel women every day of every week who don’t understand what’s happening to them at menopause, so if women don’t understand what chance do their partners have? I hope that this guide will help.
Menopause is the new Black
Read the original blog or Download in Word or PDF
Sadly, desperate women will go to desperate measures to relieve their menopause symptoms and as is so often the case this presents an ideal opportunity for those seeking to exploit the situation not for the health and well-being of those women but purely for financial gain.