Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
- The United Kingdom's independent regulator of advertising, which enforces the CAP Code.
- Body-identical hormones
- Licensed hormones with the same chemical structure as those the body makes, such as oestradiol and micronised progesterone, made to pharmaceutical standards.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The United Kingdom specialist society for health professionals working in menopause care, which publishes consensus statements and Tools for Clinicians.
- CAP Code
- The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing, written by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and enforced by the ASA.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (cBHRT)
- Hormone preparations made up by specialist pharmacies to an individual prescription, which have not been through the regulator's licensing assessment for quality, safety and effectiveness.
- Consequence
- In this assessment, how severe the harm would be if the hazard occurred, scored 1 to 5.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The United Kingdom law that sits alongside the UK GDPR and governs how personal information is handled.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
- A hormone made by the adrenal glands, sometimes included in compounded preparations; not recommended by the BMS for routine use.
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
- The law that, from April 2025, prohibits misleading and unfair commercial practices towards consumers.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty on providers to be open and honest with patients when a notifiable safety incident occurs (Regulation 20).
- Endometrial hyperplasia
- Thickening of the lining of the womb, which can develop into cancer; a risk when oestrogen is taken without adequate progestogen.
- Endometrial protection
- Use of a progestogen alongside oestrogen in a patient with a womb to prevent the womb lining from over-thickening.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law that protects people from discrimination on grounds including sex and gender reassignment.
- Falsified medicine
- A fake medicine that pretends to be genuine and may contain the wrong ingredients, the wrong dose or harmful substances.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The regulator of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and registered pharmacies in Great Britain; its online register shows whether a pharmacy is legitimate.
- General practitioner (GP)
- A family doctor who holds the patient's main medical record.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Medicines that replace the hormones, mainly oestrogen, that fall at menopause.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- The main United Kingdom law on the licensing, supply and advertising of medicines.
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)
- A small device placed in the womb that releases a progestogen; only 52 mg devices are used to protect the womb lining during HRT.
- Likelihood
- In this assessment, how probable it is that the harm will occur, scored 1 to 5.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The United Kingdom regulator of medicines and medical devices, which runs the Yellow Card scheme and publishes the Blue Guide.
- MHRA Blue Guide
- The MHRA's guidance on advertising and promoting medicines in the United Kingdom; Appendix 6 covers services that may lead to prescribing.
- Micronised progesterone
- A licensed body-identical form of progesterone, taken by mouth, used to protect the womb lining during HRT.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that publishes evidence-based guidance for health and care in England, including NG23 on menopause.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and of nursing associates in England.
- Pellet implant
- A small hormone pellet inserted under the skin that releases hormone over several months and cannot easily be removed.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Loss of normal ovarian function before the age of 40.
- Prescription-only medicine
- A medicine that can only be supplied against a prescription from an appropriate practitioner and must not be advertised to the public.
- Regulated body-identical hormone replacement therapy (rBHRT)
- Licensed body-identical HRT authorised by the MHRA; the BMS term for regulated products, as opposed to compounded ones.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how long health and care records should be kept and how they should be managed.
- Regulation 284
- The part of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 that bans advertising to the public likely to lead to the use of a prescription-only medicine.
- Residual risk
- The risk that remains once controls and further actions are in place.
- Safety netting
- Clear advice to a patient about which symptoms to watch for, what to do and how quickly to seek help.
- Saliva hormone testing
- Measuring hormone levels in saliva, promoted by some clinics to tailor doses but not supported by evidence or national guidance.
- Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)
- A blood protein that carries sex hormones; measured with testosterone to help interpret results.
- Special (unlicensed medicine)
- A medicine made or imported without a United Kingdom licence to meet an individual patient's special clinical need, used only where no licensed product is suitable (MHRA Guidance Note 14).
- Standard operating procedure (SOP)
- A written step-by-step instruction for carrying out a task consistently and safely.
- Supraphysiological
- Hormone levels higher than the body would normally produce.
- Transvaginal ultrasound
- An internal scan used to measure the thickness of the womb lining.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The United Kingdom's main data protection law on how personal information is collected, used and shared.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- A blood clot in a vein, such as in the leg (deep vein thrombosis) or lung (pulmonary embolism).
- Yellow Card scheme
- The MHRA's system for reporting suspected side effects, and suspected fake or faulty medicines.