Ways to manage the menopause

ON average, women start the menopause at 51, though it can begin much earlier (before the age of 40, it’s known as ’premature menopause’).

It can bring with it a range of symptoms, from irregular periods, hot flushes and mood swings, to the brittle bone disease osteoporosis. In the years following the menopause, a woman’s heart disease risk rises too.

TO HRT OR NOT TO HRT?: Over the last decade, there has been much debate about the possible risks and benefits of HRT, which helps relieve menopausal symptoms by replacing oestrogen.