The average age of menopause in the UK is approximately 51 years of age. Most women get menopausal symptoms, and those symptoms can be broad and diverse, ranging from hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, forgetfulness or mood changes with flashes of anxiety or anger. Menopausal symptoms, on average, will last for approximately 5-8 years and the most common reason for going on to hormone replacement therapy is to control such acute menopausal symptoms as well as other potential long-term beneficial effects such as the control of osteoporosis.
There are other effects of menopause, most notably on the bladder and on the vagina. Vaginal dryness, leading to difficulty with intercourse and problems with sexual relationships, can be quite profound, and specialist help in this area can help enormously. The management of menopause requires time and patience, both from the patient’s perspective and from the clinicians. Striving to obtain a winning formula regarding menopausal symptoms can provide considerable changes in the quality of life for women.