McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
How Can I Tell if I’m in Menopause?
Published by Dr Iain Martin
Date posted — 9.05.25
Menopause is a natural and inevitable phase of life, experienced by every woman at some point. While you may have heard about menopause from others, such as your mother or friends, recognising the signs and understanding what’s happening to your body can feel confusing. Here’s what you need to know to determine if you’re transitioning into menopause and how to manage this stage effectively.
What is menopause?
Menopause marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles. It’s diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period, typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55. However, menopause can happen earlier due to specific medical treatments, surgeries, genetics or other health factors.
Menopause has three stages:
Perimenopause: The transitional period when symptoms begin, often several years before menopause.
Menopause: The point at which you’ve stopped menstruating for 12 months.
Post menopause: The period following menopause, during which symptoms typically ease, though health considerations like osteoporosis remain essential.
Transitioning into menopause
Early signs that you might be entering menopause include:
- Irregular or changing periods (heavier, lighter, or less predictable)
- Hot flushes and night sweats
- Mood swings or irritability
- Sleep disturbances
- Fatigue
- Reduced libido
Perimenopause can last anywhere from a few months to several years. If you’re experiencing these symptoms and wondering whether you’ve started menopause, professional guidance can clarify your situation. At McKeown Medical, our expert menopause consultations provide comprehensive assessments and personalised support.
Managing menopause for the first time
Managing menopause symptoms effectively can significantly improve your quality of life. There are several ways to ease symptoms:
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): HRT can be very effective at restoring your hormone levels and helping to reduce the symptoms you experience as a result of menopause. Everyone, however, reacts differently, and it’s sometimes necessary to tweak your prescription until you achieve optimal control of your symptoms. We usually start with a prescription for oestrogen and progesterone, which for many people will be enough. If this isn’t enough, it can be helpful to add testosterone, particularly if you have problems with sleep and libido.
- Lifestyle Adjustments: Regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and stress reduction techniques (like yoga and meditation) can help manage symptoms naturally.
- Non-hormonal treatments: Options such as antidepressants can reduce hot flushes and mood swings if HRT isn’t suitable or if you don’t want to take hormones.
Embracing overall wellness, including regular exercise and a nutritious diet, significantly supports the transition, helping you feel healthier and more energetic.
Navigating menopause with McKeown Medical
Navigating menopause can feel overwhelming at first, but you don’t need to go through it alone. At McKeown Medical, we provide comprehensive menopause care tailored specifically to your needs. We offer personalised support and treatments to ease symptoms, empowering you to maintain a vibrant, active lifestyle.
At McKeown Medical, we can help guide you through your menopause journey and tackle any issues you may be facing. Talk to us to learn more about the treatment options we offer to help manage your health moving forward. Get a consultation today
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We have an exciting new addition to the clinic - Visia skin analysis.
We’ve had a growing focus in the clinic on skin quality and skin health over the years with more and more investment in lasers and devices that improve skin quality as the foundation of what we do in aesthetic medicine.
The Visia is a great tool for helping us to analyse the skin and track progress of treatments over time. As well as doing a thorough analysis of all the components of sun damage and skin health, it also gives us an estimate of our ’true age’, which is a reflection of the condition of our skin compared with average for our age.
This is one of my own analysis images. It got my ’true age’ pretty much spot on with my chronological age, which is perhaps surprising given that I spent most of the 90s lying under a sun bed. What was interesting is that I scored really well on superficial pigment and redness, which is consistent with the fact that I love BBL and have a treatment a few times per year. I scored less well on deeper pigment and texture issues, which I guess is consistent with the fact that I’ve not had a Halo laser for nearly 4 years now. So I guess I will be booking another Halo for myself very soon!!!
We`re offering the Visia skin analysis free as part of our laser consultation process. If you`re interested in laser treatment, come in for a consultation with Dr Sharon and you’ll have your analysis done as part of planning your treatment strategy.
You’ll also be scanned again after your course of treatment so we can track your progress.
What do you think of this new addition to the practice?
I am very humbled to share these incredible reviews from our patients.
We are very fortunate to have a team who LOVE their work and will always go the extra mile to ensure our incredible patients are properly taken care of at every step of their journey with us.
We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible (and growing!) team and I am so proud of every one of them.
We have some very exciting developments on the horizon, so keep watching this space!
Laser eye rejuvenation! Thank you to our lovely patient for allowing us to share her photos, just one week after her laser eyelid rejuvenation.
Crepe skin, loose skin, wrinkles are all common signs of ageing around the eye which do not respond well to surgery. The optimal treatment for these problems is laser resurfacing - which is exactly what this patient had.
We’ve been performing these treatments in the clinic for several years, although I’ve recently modified the technique to achieve incredible results with less downtime.
What do you think?
Here’s another fantastic result from our phenomenally talented plastic surgeon, @bramhallplasticsurgery .
As we age, the eyebrows naturally descend which allows excess skin to fall into the upper eyelids. The two main surgical options to address this are a brow lift, an upper eyelid lift (upper blepharoplasty) or both, but for many patients the most appropriate option is also the simplest: to leave the brows exactly where they are and address the excess skin at the eyelids alone.
Upper blepharoplasty is a straightforward procedure with scars hidden in the natural eyelid crease, making them very hard to see once healed. Brow lifts are usually more involved, often require a general anaesthetic, and tend to create a more noticeable change to the face.
The aim with upper eyelid surgery is subtle improvement - looking fresher and more rested, without it being obvious that you’ve had anything done.
This 42-year-old gentleman had a bilateral upper blepharoplasty under local anaesthetic and is shown here six months after surgery.
What do you think?
With darker evenings and fewer social engagements, January is a great time to think about treatments which benefit from a little down time or those that will deliver their best results by spring.
Here’s Dr Darren with his top recommendations for treatments to have over the winter months, including Sofwave, HALO, full-field resurfacing and varicose vein treatment, all of which will deliver beautiful results in time for the weather getting better and social calendars filling up!
Which treatments are you planning?
Another year, another round of incredible transformations from our team at McKeown Medical!
Eye bags banished, jowls lifted, skin refined, veins gone. Thank you so much to all of our patients who have allowed us to share their photos with you and thank you to our incredible team who work so hard to take care of every patient who trusts us with their care.
Here’s to 2026 and another year of incredible transformations!
“But Daddies, WHEN is Santa coming? I want to wait up for him!”
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night 🎅🏻
Laser rejuvenation of the eye area can be an incredibly powerful tool for the right patients, especially those whose ‘bags’ are more about loose skin and fine lines, like this lovely patient here.
We treated her with full field ablation, which takes around 2 weeks to recover from. Her she is a few weeks later and you can see how much tighter the skin is, the crepey skin has gone and the fine lines have been ironed out. The patient is over the moon.
What do you think?
Eyelid surgery is one of the most popular procedures we do in the clinic. It’s a great fix for hooded eyes! Excess skin on the upper eyelids can not only create a hooded, heavy appearance but often affects the vision too.
Here’s the very talented @bramhallplasticsurgery discussing how upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) can restore a more open, refreshed look by removing the excess skin and subtly redefining the natural eyelid crease. Scars are hidden within the fold of the eyelid, leaving eyes that look brighter, not “done.”
Do you have any questions about surgery? Ask in the comments or send us a message!
Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.
Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
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