TY - JOUR T1 - Breaking the silence around the menopause JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 170 LP - 170 DO - 10.3399/bjgp22X719093 VL - 72 IS - 717 AU - Vasumathy Sivarajasingam Y1 - 2022/04/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/72/717/170.abstract N2 - Menopause is not a health condition, but a normal biological stage in a woman’s life when menstruation ceases permanently because of the loss of ovarian follicular activity. It is a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms and signs, at a single point in time, diagnosed in retrospect 12 months after the last menstrual period.A study carried out by Nuffield Health Group highlighted that women experiencing menopause are hardly getting the support they need with diagnosis and/or treatment. As a result, 1 in 4 women are struggling to cope with life because of menopausal symptoms. Another study established that about two-thirds of women’s working lives are negatively affected by their symptoms, with a third losing their self-confidence.With increased life expectancy, women spend more of their life in a postmenopausal state, making it a necessity to understand this natural process. Perimenopause is the transition phase of life, equivalent to puberty, but in reverse. Fluctuations in hormone levels result in a host of physical and psychological symptoms, and can be an incredibly challenging time for women, leaving … ER -