Book the appointment first
Most of this page depends on a GP conversation that is easy to keep postponing.
Book a GP appointment this month
Mention the job loss. Ask for a review that covers both mental health and the relevant physical markers. Proactive, not reactive.
Make hormones the reason for the appointment, not a footnote
Perimenopausal symptoms are strongly associated with low mood, poor concentration and disrupted sleep, and are routinely attributed to stress instead. Low testosterone is a weaker candidate: the European Male Ageing Study found only sexual symptoms were reliably tied to testosterone level. Both are still worth raising with a GP rather than assuming.
Two resistance sessions a week
Muscle mass declines from around age 30 at roughly 3–8% per decade, accelerating markedly after 60. Resistance training is the direct intervention, and bodyweight work costs nothing.
Take vitamin D through the winter
The NHS advises most adults consider a daily 10 microgram supplement through autumn and winter, roughly October to March — and all year round for people with dark skin or who get little sunlight.
What to ask for at the GP appointment
Take this with you. Fifteen minutes goes very quickly, and these get postponed for years.
Lead with the reason
“I've been out of work for [x] months and I want a review of both my mental and physical health.” Said first, it frames the whole appointment. Said last, it becomes a footnote and gets a follow-up booking instead.
Bloods worth asking about
Thyroid function, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and HbA1c. Deficiencies in several of these produce fatigue, poor concentration and low mood that look very like depression and are straightforward to correct.
For women
Ask about perimenopause explicitly, and make it the reason for the appointment rather than an aside. Symptoms overlap almost completely with the psychological effects of a long search, which is exactly why they get attributed to stress and left untreated.
For men
If you have persistent fatigue, low mood and reduced motivation, a testosterone test is reasonable to request alongside thyroid, B12 and iron — but expect it to come back normal. The European Male Ageing Study found only sexual symptoms were reliably linked to low testosterone, and that the full syndrome affected about 2% of men aged 40 to 79. Fatigue and low mood during a long search usually have other causes worth chasing first.
Mention alcohol honestly
Consumption commonly rises during a long search. Saying the real number is more useful than the polite one, and GPs are markedly less judgemental about this than people expect.
Understand what is happening
The deeper explanation, and what the evidence does and does not support.
Research says
Menopause symptoms and job strain compound each other
In the HEAF study, 409 working women who had reached the menopause within the previous ten years or were currently symptomatic were asked about work. About 27% reported at least moderate difficulty coping at work because of their symptoms. Across all 409 women, 91.7% had vasomotor symptoms, 68.2% sleep problems and 63.6% psychological symptoms — figures for women in the thick of it, not for all women over 50.
Source: D'Angelo et al., IJERPH, 2023
Study: 409 women drawn from the HEAF cohort, selected for being recently or currently menopausal and in work. Not a prevalence estimate for working women generally.
Study: 409 women drawn from the HEAF cohort, selected for being recently or currently menopausal and in work. Not a prevalence estimate for working women generally.
Research says
The average age of menopause in the UK is 51
Symptoms typically start several years before the last period. The NHS says they usually last seven to nine years and sometimes longer, and the largest cohort study of the transition found a median of around seven and a half years for hot flushes and night sweats, with wide variation between women. HRT is more widely recommended than it was a decade ago; suitability is individual and the conversation belongs with a GP who can see your full picture.
Source: NHS menopause guidance; Avis et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015; NICE NG23
Study: SWAN followed 1,449 women through the menopausal transition in the United States.
Study: SWAN followed 1,449 women through the menopausal transition in the United States.
Research says
Testosterone: the honest numbers
Testosterone falls slowly with age. Longitudinal studies put the decline at roughly 1% a year for total testosterone and rather faster for free testosterone, because binding globulin rises at the same time — but estimates vary between studies and between men. Symptomatic late-onset hypogonadism is uncommon: the European Male Ageing Study put prevalence at 2.1% of men aged 40 to 79, rising from 0.1% at 40–49 to 5.1% at 70–79. If you have symptoms, ask for a test; do not assume the diagnosis.
Source: Feldman et al., JCEM, 2002; Wu et al., NEJM, 2010
Study: EMAS screened 3,369 men aged 40–79 across eight European centres. Its definition required three sexual symptoms plus low total and free testosterone — fatigue and low mood were not part of it.
Study: EMAS screened 3,369 men aged 40–79 across eight European centres. Its definition required three sexual symptoms plus low total and free testosterone — fatigue and low mood were not part of it.
Research says
Protein needs, accurately attributed
The UK reference intake is 0.75g per kilogram of body weight per day for all adults. International expert groups (PROT-AGE, ESPEN) recommend 1.0–1.2g/kg for healthy older adults to help preserve muscle. The NHS does not issue a separate figure for over-50s.
Source: Bauer et al., JAMDA, 2013; Deutz et al., Clinical Nutrition, 2014
Study: Expert consensus recommendations from the PROT-AGE and ESPEN groups, not a single trial.
Study: Expert consensus recommendations from the PROT-AGE and ESPEN groups, not a single trial.
In practice
Alcohol is doing more damage here than it usually does
It fragments sleep in the second half of the night and amplifies next-day anxiety, both of which are well established. Heavy or sustained drinking also lowers testosterone, though the effect at moderate intakes is unclear. The NHS guidance of no more than 14 units a week with drink-free days is worth taking seriously in a period when your cognitive and emotional performance matters this much.
In practice
B12 is worth checking
Absorption declines with age, and deficiency produces fatigue, poor concentration and low mood that are easily read as depression. A blood test is the starting point, though borderline results are common and sometimes need a second test to interpret.
Read more
The relevant sections of the three long-form guides. Each link opens at the right place.
Get outside help
Organisations that do this properly. Going to them is a good outcome, not a failure of this page.
Evidence-based menopause guidance and a specialist finder. The British Menopause Society itself writes for clinicians; Women's Health Concern is its public-facing arm and the better starting point. Most useful as something to take into a GP appointment when you want the conversation taken seriously.
UK
Free, clinically reviewed menopause information and a symptom checker, written for the public rather than for doctors. Often the more approachable of the two — the British Menopause Society covers the same ground in clinical detail.
UK
The NHS overview of symptoms, treatments including HRT, and how to raise it with a GP. The neutral starting point if you are not sure whether what you are experiencing counts.
UK
Free NHS activity, weight, drinking and quit-smoking programmes and apps, including the Active 10 walking tracker. Useful if you want structure and something to measure rather than general advice.
England
Free advice line covering benefits, money, health and housing for older people, plus local befriending and activities. Particularly worth considering when you want advisers who deal with the over-50s picture as a whole rather than one part of it.
0800 678 1602 (8am–7pm, every day)
UK
Free drinking self-assessment and a webchat service (Drinkchat, weekdays). The 0300 number is Drinkline, the separate national alcohol helpline, and Scotland has its own line. Worth a look if consumption has crept up since the job ended — a common enough pattern, and one people rarely mention to anyone.
Drinkline 0300 123 1110 · Scotland 0800 7314 314
UK
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About this page. This is an informational wellbeing resource, not clinical, legal or financial advice. Labels show how strong the basis for each statement is — see how we handle evidence. Services marked England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland are not available across the whole UK.