Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Amenorrhoea
- The absence of periods.
- Aromatase inhibitor
- A breast cancer medicine that lowers oestrogen levels in the body.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared (kg/m2).
- BRCA
- Genes which, when altered, greatly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The UK professional society that provides education and guidance to healthcare professionals on menopause care.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (CoSRH)
- The UK professional body for sexual and reproductive healthcare, formerly known by another name, which publishes national contraception guidance.
- Continuous combined regimen
- HRT in which oestrogen and progestogen are both taken every day, aiming for no bleeding.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law that sits alongside the UK General Data Protection Regulation and governs the use of personal data.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with a patient when something goes wrong with their care that causes, or could cause, harm.
- Endometrial hyperplasia
- Abnormal thickening of the lining of the womb, which can progress to cancer.
- Endometrial protection
- Using a progestogen to stop oestrogen from over-stimulating the lining of the womb.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law that protects people from discrimination because of protected characteristics such as sex, gender reassignment, age and disability.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The body that registers and regulates doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The body that registers and regulates pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A family doctor who usually holds a patient's main medical record.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting the fundamental standards that CQC-registered providers must meet.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Medicines that replace the hormones, mainly oestrogen, that fall during the menopause.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main UK law on the licensing, supply, prescribing and advertising of medicines.
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)
- A small device placed in the womb that releases a progestogen called levonorgestrel; the 52 mg version can protect the womb lining during HRT.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK government agency that regulates medicines and medical devices and runs the Yellow Card scheme.
- Micronised progesterone
- A licensed form of progesterone that is chemically identical to the hormone the body makes.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that produces national evidence-based guidance on health and care in England.
- NICE NG12
- The NICE guideline Suspected cancer: recognition and referral.
- NICE NG23
- The NICE guideline Menopause: identification and management.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses, midwives and nursing associates in the UK.
- Oestradiol
- The main natural form of oestrogen, used in body-identical HRT.
- Off-label use
- Using a licensed medicine in a way not covered by its licence, such as a different dose or duration.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Loss of normal ovarian function before the age of 40.
- Progestogen
- Natural progesterone or a synthetic hormone that acts like it, used in HRT to protect the womb lining.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed.
- Sequential combined regimen
- HRT with daily oestrogen and a progestogen for part of each month, usually producing a monthly bleed.
- Serious shortage protocol (SSP)
- A government-issued protocol allowing a pharmacist to supply an alternative to a medicine that is in serious shortage without contacting the prescriber.
- Summary of Product Characteristics
- The official document describing a licensed medicine's approved uses, doses and warnings.
- Tibolone
- A synthetic hormone medicine with oestrogen-like, progestogen-like and androgen-like effects, used for menopausal symptoms after periods have stopped.
- Transdermal
- Absorbed through the skin, for example by a patch, gel or spray.
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- A temporary interruption of blood supply to part of the brain, sometimes called a mini-stroke, needing urgent assessment.
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- An internal ultrasound scan used to measure the thickness of the womb lining.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation
- The UK's main data protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- A blood clot in a vein, such as a deep vein thrombosis in the leg or a pulmonary embolism in the lung.
- Yellow Card scheme
- The MHRA system for reporting suspected side effects of medicines.