Page 2 - Gurdev Sehmi

The simplest way to understand the difference between perimenopause and menopause is this: perimenopause is the transition leading up to your last period, while menopause is the point at which your periods have stopped for good. They are often spoken about as one thing, but they are distinct stages with different symptoms and timelines. This guide explains each clearly and helps you work out where you are. If your symptoms are affecting daily life, our HRT range sets out the treatment options, all of which are prescribed only after a clinical consultation.

What Is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause means around the menopause. It is the years during which your ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen and your hormone levels begin to fluctuate. The hallmark is change: periods become irregular, perhaps closer together, further apart, heavier or lighter, and symptoms come and go as hormones rise and fall unpredictably.

Perimenopause often begins in the mid-forties, though it can start earlier or

Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing type 2 diabetes, and exercising with type 2 diabetes is not only safe for most people, it is actively encouraged. Movement helps your muscles use glucose, improves how your body responds to insulin, and supports weight and heart health. This guide covers how activity affects your blood sugar, how to avoid the pitfalls, and when to take extra care. For the bigger picture on managing your condition, our diabetes treatments range and diabetes blog are useful companions to this article.

How Exercise Affects Blood Sugar

When you are active, your muscles draw glucose out of the blood for energy, which usually lowers blood sugar both during and after a session. Regular activity also makes your body more sensitive to insulin, so it works more efficiently. Over weeks and months, this can improve your HbA1c and reduce how much medication you need.

Most types of activity help, from brisk walking and cycling to swimming, gardening and resistance

Yes, you can get pregnant during perimenopause. As long as you are still having periods, even irregular ones, your ovaries can release an egg, which means conception is possible. This catches many women by surprise, because perimenopause is often assumed to mean the end of fertility. This guide explains how fertility changes through your forties, why ovulation becomes unpredictable, the risks involved, and why contraception still matters. You can explore suitable options in our contraception range, all prescribed after a clinical consultation.

Why Pregnancy Is Still Possible

Perimenopause is a transition, not an off switch. Your hormone levels fluctuate and your ovaries release eggs less regularly, but they have not stopped. Some months you may ovulate, some months you may not, and you cannot reliably tell which is which. That unpredictability is exactly why pregnancy can happen when it is least expected.

Only once you have gone a full 12 months without a period, the point of menopause,

HbA1c is a blood test that shows your average blood sugar over the past two to three months, and it is the main number used to diagnose and monitor diabetes in the UK. If you have just had a result and are not sure what it means, this guide breaks down the ranges in plain English, explains what counts as a good level, and shows how it guides treatment. If you manage diabetes day to day, our diabetes treatments range and our diabetes blog cover the practical side, while your GP or diabetes team interprets your individual results.

What Does HbA1c Actually Measure?

HbA1c stands for glycated haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. When glucose is in your blood, some of it sticks to haemoglobin, and the more glucose there is, the more sticks. Because red blood cells live for around three months, measuring how much glucose is attached gives a reliable picture of your average blood sugar over that period.

Unlike a finger-prick test, which shows your glucose

Does alcohol affect blood sugar? Yes, and in ways that often catch people out. Alcohol can push glucose up at first, then drop it sharply hours later, which is why drinking needs a little planning if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes. This guide explains what actually happens in the body, where the real risks sit, and how to enjoy a drink more safely. If you manage your condition with medication, our diabetes treatments range and our wider diabetes blog offer further reading, and any change to how you take your medicines should be discussed with your prescriber.

The Alcohol and Blood Sugar Paradox

Alcohol has a two-stage effect that surprises many people. A drink, especially something sweet or mixed with a sugary mixer, can raise blood glucose in the short term. The twist comes later. Your liver normally releases glucose to keep levels steady between meals. When it is busy clearing alcohol, it does this job less effectively, so blood sugar can fall, sometimes several hours after your last

Yes, men can have a form of hormone replacement. It is usually called testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, and it is prescribed for men with a confirmed testosterone deficiency rather than as a general pick-me-up. This guide explains what low testosterone is, how TRT works, who it may suit, and the risks worth understanding. Our Testogel page covers one commonly prescribed option, and any treatment is started only after blood tests and a clinical assessment confirm it is appropriate.

Can Men Take HRT?

The phrase HRT is most associated with the menopause, but the principle, replacing a hormone the body is no longer making enough of, also applies to men. In men, the hormone in question is testosterone. When levels are genuinely low and causing symptoms, replacing it can help. The key word is genuinely. TRT is not for boosting normal levels, building muscle, or as a lifestyle enhancer, and using it that way carries real risks.

What Is Low Testosterone?

Testosterone naturally declines

Yes, stress can cause hair loss, though the link is often misunderstood. The most common form is a temporary, diffuse shedding called telogen effluvium, which usually appears a few months after a stressful event and tends to recover on its own. This guide explains how stress affects hair, what the typical timeline looks like, and what you can do. If you are worried about ongoing thinning, our hair loss page sets out the assessment and treatment options, all provided after a clinical consultation.

Can Stress Really Cause Hair to Fall Out?

It can, but not in the way many people imagine. Stress does not usually cause hair to fall out in clumps overnight. Instead, a significant physical or emotional stressor can push a larger than normal share of your hair follicles out of their growth phase and into the resting phase ahead of schedule. A couple of months later, those hairs shed together, and you notice more hair than usual on your pillow, in the shower or on your brush.

Understanding Telogen

Exercising with asthma is not only safe for most people, it is genuinely good for you. Regular activity strengthens the heart and lungs, supports a healthy weight, and can actually improve asthma control over time. The key is managing it well so that exercise does not trigger symptoms. This guide explains how to stay active with confidence, from inhaler timing to warming up. Our asthma and COPD page covers treatment options, and any inhaler is prescribed only after a clinical review.

Should People With Asthma Avoid Exercise?

No, and avoiding it can do more harm than good. Being inactive tends to make breathing problems feel worse, not better, and missing out on exercise affects overall health. With well-controlled asthma, most people can take part in almost any activity, including competitive sport. Many elite athletes have asthma and perform at the highest level, which is the clearest proof that the condition need not hold you back.

What Is Exercise-Induced Asthma?

Some people find that

Most women start to notice the first improvements from HRT within a few weeks, though how quickly HRT works depends on the symptom and the type you use. Hot flushes often respond fastest, while mood, sleep and other changes can take a few months to settle. This guide sets out a realistic week-by-week timeline so you know what to expect and when to check in with your prescriber. If you are exploring treatment, our HRT range explains the available options, and any prescription is issued only after a clinical consultation.

Why HRT Does Not Work Overnight

HRT replaces hormones, mainly oestrogen and, where needed, progestogen, that fall during the menopause. Your body needs time to respond to steadier hormone levels, and finding the right dose and delivery method, whether gel, patch or tablet, can take a little trial and adjustment. That is normal, and it is why the first prescription is often reviewed after around three months.

A Realistic Week-by-Week Timeline

Everyone is different, but the

If you want to understand male hair loss, you have to understand DHT. Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is the hormone behind most male pattern baldness, and knowing how it works explains why certain treatments succeed where others do not. This guide covers what DHT is, how it shrinks hair follicles, and the proven ways to block its effect. Treatments such as finasteride target DHT directly, and you can read about the full range on our hair loss page, with any prescription issued only after a clinical assessment.

What Is DHT?

DHT is a hormone made from testosterone. An enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase converts a portion of your testosterone into DHT, which is more potent at binding to receptors in certain tissues. DHT has important roles in male development, but in adulthood it is also the main driver of androgenetic alopecia, the medical name for male pattern baldness.

How DHT Causes Hair Loss

Hair grows in cycles: a long growth phase, a short transition, and a resting phase before the hair