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[Emma74]

I'd like to know your thoughts before having to find at least £250 to see a M specialist.

I think I just need reassurance and thats a lot of money.

[CLKD]

Is it a lot of money for reassurance?   25 years ago I was paying £100 per hour for psychoglical support.

You should be able to get an appt to an NHS dedicated menopause clinic, both NHS and private have waiting lists.  Do U not feel supported by your GP Practice?

R we able to give any reassurance?

[Nas]

Hi
I have paid to see many specialists for different things.
I have paid to see two meno specialists.

What is it that you wish to see a specialist about?
Usually it is to consider using higher than licensed does of HRT, or if the GP won't prescribe due to a history of BC or suchlike in the family or to even be prescribed testosterone.

[scrubdub]

I've paid privately and it felt it was worth every penny. I felt she gave me the time and answered my questions in great detail . My GP was going to refer via the NHS but the waiting list was forever so I went private.
Try and get some reviews or personal recommendations before you want to commit. I'd had several recommendations all positive so went ahead with the consultation.

[joziel]

I went private and I'm going to stay with it too. For me, it is so much worth every penny. Whenever I go to the normal GP I feel like I am basically trying to persuade them to give me what I need. Whether that is certain blood tests, certain dosages of HRT, certain types of HRT.... Privately, my Newson doctor is completely on the same page as me and we are just both working together. Menopause is hard enough without feeling like you have to fight for every inch of what you need to feel better.

And then - my own local pharmacies have NEVER EVER had my entire prescription in. There are always things out of stock. At first it was testosterone. Then it was certain patches. Now it is utrogestan. I have ALWAYS got everything needed instantly from Newson.

Here are some examples of experiences with doctors:

1. Being told that my symptoms are not menopause because I'm too young and have a normal FSH. (I was 43yo.) Switched to dr number 2...

2. Being told that there is no way I can have utrogestan because I have a history of (mild!) endometriosis and utrogestan "isn't enough to stop endo, you will get symptoms back" - so the only thing they would offer me for progesterone, is a Mirena coil. (Which I didn't want.) (This turned out to be complete BS - I went private and got utrogestan and was totally fine. And still am. On 3 pumps of gel.)

3. Being told that, if I take continuous utrogestan during peri (because of endo history) and get break-through bleeding, I will "have to go on sequential HRT". (BS = Newson dr says if we know it is because I am still peri and on utrogestan, we don't need to freak out about occasional bleeding.) This crap dr wanted me to stay on desogestrel as well, to stop any breakthrough bleeding - no matter that it gave me zero libido.

4. That I can't use Vagifem local estrogen (2x weekly) AND Ovestin externally. It has to be one or the other. (BS.) She had "never heard" of someone having both. Followed up with the question "You're not applying Ovestin to the vulva, are you?". Errrrr.... where else would I be applying it? My nose? (This was the practices so-called "menopause specialist" by the way, who has done the BPS training. Sheesh..)

5. Being told that there is no optimal estrogen level for bone protection.

6. Being told that I am on testosterone for low libido, right? Because there's no other reason to be on it, apparently.

Anyway, this is just a LOAD OF CACK. Frankly. I've had to become a f**king menopause specialist myself, to ensure I get decent care and to know what to ignore and when doctors are spouting shi**

Newson have just reduced the price of their follow-ups to £195 now. And you can see a pharmacist or nurse there for cheaper... It's worth every penny.

I did try to at least get the meds from my own local pharmacies, but they never have what I need in stock. So now I get the meds from Newson pharmacy as well, CloudRX. They arrive the day after my appointment in the post. We shouldn't have to pay for all this, but we do.

By the way, it's the same with thyroid stuff. Regular doctors won't even test anything beyond TSH and if that's ok will tell you everything is fine. I had to pay for private full thyroid bloods which found my rT3 was sky high and then I had to pay privately to see a thyroid specialist GP who prescribed me some T3. Which you can't even get, on the NHS anymore.

What is the point of this "health" service? It's a death service. It's a dis-service. I'll "diss" the disservice right back.

[Elizabethlovejoy]

Yes I paid to see a Newson health specialist as I was over 60.She was fab and wrote to my GP and I get Oestrogel and utrogestan on the NHS now. Testosterone is prescribed privately {androfemme}via Newson as at that time my local clinical commission group did not prescribe testosterone. I have an annual check up for that and am now seen via video all by one of the nurses which is cheaper at £165.I have also used their email query service for £50 in between annual checks ,for minor worries ,which has been very helpful .Worth every penny in my opinion.

[Nas]

Totally agree with you joziel.

 A “ death service it is”. No care, time, interest, knowledge or compassion.

I’ve paid for:

2 meno specialists ( thanks to one of the incompetent GPS at my surgery)

One ophthalmologist ( NHS couldn’t diagnose a Horners eye syndrome)

One neurologist ( NHS didn’t know that my thyroid goitre probably caused the Horners!)

And now.. wait for it… yes I’m probably going to pay to see a gynaecologist next, as I have a fibroid growing outside my uterus wall and causing me ( I think ) some nerve pain. Current waiting time to see an NHS gynaecologist, over a year!

We are in a situation now, where we need to take control of our own health; no one is going to do it for us. You can chase and chase but eventually, it becomes all too time consuming and soul destroying.

If paying privately gives you the time you need to be listened to and the treatment you need, then it’s money well spent.

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I am also a patient of Newson Health and have been since late 2019.

I have to say that my experience has been mixed. My last appointment cost £267 and lasted 20 minutes. I am having issues with my HRT but I am reluctant to increase the Oestrogen due to bleeding problems in the past. Probably for this reason the NH doctor had very little to offer. This has been my experience in the past where the clinic has favoured higher and higher Oestrogen amounts, less and less progesterone and the addition of testosterone. All of which have  proven to be a problem for me.  At this appointment the doctor suggested I include testosterone despite me having stopped that hormone over a year ago and previously stating that I don't want to take it again. It seems this doctor had not read my notes or perhaps there weren't any notes to read, which is very disappointing considering the cost.
I went into this appointment knowing that the options would be limited so perhaps I should not complain. To be fair the doctor did make some other suggestions that were useful and my prescription was agreed and subsequently delivered.

Newson Health have indeed reduced their prices but only until next month I believe.

I will stay with NH because the service is better than the one my GP can offer but if I were settled on my HRT and it was readily available from my local pharmacies I would change back to my GPs surgery.

Treatment for the menopause shouldn't be this difficult or expensive but the health service is on its knees. We need a properly funded NHS that staff want to work in and that patients can have confidence in. That will always get my vote ladies.

Wishing you all well and take care.

K.

[Wrensong]

I've had mixed experiences with both NHS & private healthcare.  I've been lucky to see 2 very good menopause specialists on the NHS at different hospitals, several years apart.  One, a nurse practitioner who was very thorough, really knew her stuff & left no stone unturned.  The other was a very good Consultant Gynae with a special interest in menopause.  I also saw 2 MS GPs privately at different practices years apart & both were very supportive & gave good, comprehensive consultations.  All of these enabled me to explore options I would have struggled to get approval for via the NHS at that time, simply because these clinicians' knowledge of menopause was greater than that at my GP surgery & my GPs not confident in menopause prescribing.  This included 2 different vaginal oestrogen products to be used concurrently, starting testosterone & for progesterone intolerance - moving to a non-standard, long cycle, minimal progestogen HRT regimen.

I've had to go private for thyroid care: T3 monitoring, though I'm lucky that my need for it is well established, meaning I get it prescribed on the NHS.  I've also seen a variety of other specialists privately & have been pleased with the care from all but one, who, nearly 20 years ago, was too patrician in his attitude & seemingly not open to the idea of shared decision making.

I've had a few frustrating & disappointing NHS consultations in various specialities, but this has been mostly due to inadequate time & well meaning clinicians' hands being tied by strict guidelines designed primarily to speed patients through to the end of a single episode of care.  For patients whose condition is not urgent, those with a complex history, niche concerns, or a lot of questions, when time for a more holistic approach is essential, private care can feel less rushed & stressful.  I've known excellent medics leave the NHS, stressed out & in despair because this is the standard of care they always want to be able to give their patients but as Kathleen says, with the NHS on its knees it is sadly now too often impossible to do more than the bare minimum.

I should say we're not wealthy, don't have private medical insurance, so the cost of private care represents major outlay for us & we do without other things to make it possible when the NHS isn't able to provide what we need.  I know we've been very lucky to be able to do this now & again & reason that it also frees up an NHS appointment for someone who really can't afford to go private.

If you have the means & feel for whatever reason you're not likely to get what you're hoping for from an NHS consultation, then I'd say do some research to be sure you're heading for someone with the right special interests &/or ask around for recommendations for a good specialist in your area.
Wx

[Hurdity]

Hearing about cases like yours joziel make me so cross! The NHS is wonderful and we are so lucky to have it, but is suffering through years of underfunding and especially for menopause!

We so urgently need a dedicated menopause service staffed by proper specialists and with pharmaceutical products readily available. NO-ONE should feel they have no option but to pay for a private specialist when all the products are available at very low cost on NHS and my view is always to try every avenue before going down this route if you can.

Here on this forum we can try to help you in any way so that you don't have to spend this sort of money.

I am acutely aware when I read comments like yours below Emma about it being a lot of money, that these sorts of funds are simply not available to many women to spend on what should be an essential rather than optional or luxury service, and it would be very sad if women reading this felt such despair that only if they spend money like this can their menopause treatment be successful.

 

I'd like to know your thoughts before having to find at least £250 to see a M specialist.

I think I just need reassurance and thats a lot of money.

Emma - I would want to hear more about your situation - where you are in menopause, why you are considering paying for private treatment? What symptoms and treatment are being covered (or not) by NHS at the moment?

In my case - I paid for private treatment once. This was in May 2015 when I paid £195 to see a gynae ( sadly now retired) about testosterone because my GP would not countenance this, and this was before the NICE Guidelines made provision for it to be prescribed off licence on NHS and therefore for me - free. Since then my gynae specialist NHS GP ( not the one who refused) at my local practice prescribed it an it has been on repeat for years with no questions asked. I do realise I am very lucky where I live....but I would change practice to a different one if mine had no idea about menopause. All my current HRT has always been prescribed and provided by NHS - which is patches ( or gel), progesterone, vaginal oestrogens.

Sometimes as in my case, and if for some reason you can't get what you want on NHS ( though you really should be able to) it only takes one visit to a private specialist, then for them to write to your GP with the prescription who can then take it over on NHS. This would be one reason to pay just once, provided your GP practice would agree to prescribe what a specialist prescribed (not Androfemme = testosterone cream) as this is not licensed).

There are also lower cost options if you just want advice eg Dr Currie the founder and manager of Menopause Matters will answer questions as a cost I think of £30 (might have gone up?), and you could print out her response and take to your GP?

I would also advise like joziel - to become a menopause specialist yourself - there is nothing wrong with this - with our finding out how are bodies work and the different treatments available at this stage in our lives. This means if you find a sympathetic doctor in your practice (and this is key) you can enter into a knowledgeable dialogue about what to try, which is as it should be.  There is no place for ignorant docs imposing their outdated views on women who may not know better.

Hope this helps ansd wishing you well with finding the right treatment.

Hurdity x

[Nas]

I didn’t mean to sound harsh or ungrateful towards the NHS, BUT sadly over the years, they haven’t been helpful.

I have to chase them constantly, for blood tests, results; even a recent simple pelvic scan referral, ended up as a kidney scan referral! I had taken time off work, travelled to the hospital, waited 40 minutes and then told, no, we can’t do this scan. …and we are expected to accept that?

Post code lottery maybe comes into play too?

[CLKD]

NHS could be a whole new topic! 

If you would pay to go abroad for a holiday why not put those finds to one side for private treatment to enable you? Without good health we can't enjoy what we should be at our age!  So missing a holiday to get dedicated menopause advice is probably a win-win = feeling better if not 'cured'.

Let us know how you get on.  Hopefully a private clinician will advise and the GP will agree.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Like Nas I appreciate the NHS and all it stands for but unfortunately it has been chronically underfunded so we are being pushed into accepting private health care.

A friend of mine had an appointment to fit new hearing aids. The hospital letter told him that he would need to have his ears syringed before the appointment and he should go to Boot or similar and pay £50.  He had been treated at the GPs surgery in the past but when he approached them they said that they didn't have a machine, he pointed out that he had used it fairly recently and they then said that it was out of action because it needed to be recalibrated. My friend pointed out  that he was an engineer and could probably do that for them only to be told that the service wasn't available any more.
My friend then decided to use Otex on his ears even though we told him that wasn't likely to be sufficient.
On the day of the hospital appointment the nurse noticed that his ears had not been prepared properly so he told her his story. With that she led him into another room where the correct machine was standing idle and happily syringed his ears and then fitted his hearing aids.
Tales like that make you think that we are being directed towards private health care at every opportunity even though we have of course already paid for our NHS in our taxes.

Please forgive the rant ladies and wishing you all well.

K.

[CLKD]

Our surgery hasn't done ear syringing for about 5 years.  Over the Counter ear drops usually sort wax problems which may impair hearing.  I'm seeing a practitioner as I think that I'm deaf ........... once I've seen him and paid the fee, that should be it.  The ears may require syringing ........

[Wrensong]

Nas

I didn’t mean to sound harsh or ungrateful towards the NHS, BUT sadly over the years, they haven’t been helpful.

I have to chase them constantly, for blood tests, results; even a recent simple pelvic scan referral, ended up as a kidney scan referral! I had taken time off work, travelled to the hospital, waited 40 minutes and then told, no, we can’t do this scan. …and we are expected to accept that?

Post code lottery maybe comes into play too?

Don't worry - I think many of us have had similar experiences & absolutely share your frustration.

The government  needs to get real about the value of the NHS to us all, reinstate grants (remember those?) for degree courses for doctors, nurses & other health professionals, ensure they're paid properly in post & listen to what they know about how healthcare works best, to increase numbers going into & staying in the professions & reduce the massive amount of pressure in the system, both for those who work there & for patients who rely on it.
Wx