---
title: "Seeing your GP about menopause: how to prepare"
description: "Ten minutes with your GP is short for hot flushes, sleepless nights and a cycle all over the place. With this preparation you get more out of the appointment."
url: https://myperiod.app/en/blog/huisarts-overgang-voorbereiden
lang: en
date: 2026-10-23
publisher: PERIOD. B.V., Amsterdam
---

[Back to blog](https://myperiod.app/blog) [Menopause](https://myperiod.app/blog/categorie/overgang) · 5 min read

# Seeing your GP about menopause: how to prepare

[Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands](https://myperiod.app/blog/huisarts-overgang-voorbereiden)

PERIOD. team · October 23, 2026

**Short answer:** bring an overview of your symptoms, your cycle and bleeding over the last months, what you have already tried and your three most important questions. Also say how much it affects your daily life. For women over 45, GPs usually recognise perimenopause and menopause from your age and symptoms, without a blood test.

## Before the appointment

- **Your symptoms.** Hot flushes per day, night sweats, sleep, mood, concentration, joints, vaginal dryness, peeing. Note how often and how bad.

- **Your cycle.** How long your cycles were in recent months, how heavy you bleed and when your last period was.

- **What you tried.** Less coffee, exercise, supplements, earlier medicines.

- **Your health.** Medicines you take, and whether breast cancer, blood clots or heart disease run in your family.

- **What you want.** An explanation, fewer hot flushes, better sleep, information about HRT. Pick your three most important questions.

## Questions you can ask

- Does what I notice fit with perimenopause or menopause?

- Which treatments are there for me, with and without hormones?

- What are the benefits and risks of HRT for me?

- When do we review it?

## Always mention

Bleeding after 12 months without periods, very heavy or long bleeding, or bleeding after sex: mention it straight away, even if you came for something else.

## Your overview from PERIOD.

In [PERIOD.](https://myperiod.app/meno-en) you can make a simple report for your GP for free. With PERIOD. meno you get a full PDF report: your cycles, your symptoms per week, your HRT next to your hot flushes and your monthly check ins, with a short visit script of what to say and ask. So you walk in prepared.

*Sources: NICE NG23, Menopause: identification and management; NHS, Menopause; NHG standaard De overgang; Thuisarts.nl (NHG), Overgang. This article is general information, not medical advice.*

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a blood test to know if I am in perimenopause?

For women over 45 usually not. Your GP looks at your age, your cycle and your symptoms. If you are younger, a blood test can be useful.

### What should I bring to my GP?

An overview of your symptoms and cycle over the last months, what you tried, your medicines and your three most important questions.

### Can my GP prescribe HRT?

Yes. Your GP can talk it through with you and prescribe it if it suits you.

**Want to walk in prepared? [Download PERIOD. on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/period-cycle-period-tracker/id6757947793) or [on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.myperiod.android).**

Want to understand your cycle better?

[Why PERIOD. is the period tracker that never sells your data](https://myperiod.app/free)

## Keep reading

[Perimenopause in your 30s: why the conversation is finally happeningPerimenopause can start in your late 30s, years before 'real' menopause. Here are the early signals, what your cycle is telling you, and why generations of women missed this.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/perimenopauze-in-je-30s)[Hot flushes: what is happening and what helps?Hot flushes are part of menopause, but you do not have to just sit them out. What a hot flush is, how long they last, what sets them off and what really helps.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/opvliegers-wat-helpt)[Perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause: what is the difference?Perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause get mixed up. What each one means, at what age it usually happens and how to know where you are.Read more](https://myperiod.app/en/blog/perimenopauze-of-menopauze-verschil)