Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height, used to judge whether weight is in a healthy range.
- British Gynaecological Cancer Society
- The UK professional society for specialists who treat gynaecological cancers.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The UK specialist society for healthcare professionals working in menopause care, which publishes guidelines and Tools for Clinicians.
- British Society of Gynaecological Endoscopy
- The UK professional society for specialists in keyhole and camera-based gynaecological procedures, such as hysteroscopy.
- 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 that sets standards and guidance for contraception and sexual health care.
- Continuous combined HRT
- HRT where oestrogen and progestogen are both taken every day, aiming for no bleeding.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law, alongside the UK GDPR, governing how personal information must be handled.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty (Regulation 20) to be open and honest with a patient when something goes wrong with their care that causes, or could cause, significant harm.
- Endometrium
- The lining of the uterus (womb).
- Equality Act 2010
- The law that protects people from discrimination, including on grounds of sex and gender reassignment.
- 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.
- Getting It Right First Time
- A national programme that works to improve the quality and consistency of hospital care.
- General practitioner (GP)
- The patient's family doctor.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting the fundamental standards that providers of regulated care must meet, enforced by the CQC.
- 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 how medicines are licensed, prescribed, supplied and advertised.
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)
- A small device placed in the uterus that releases a progestogen; the 52 mg type protects the lining of the uterus during HRT.
- Lynch syndrome and Cowden syndrome
- Inherited conditions that increase the risk of certain cancers, including cancer of the endometrium.
- 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 progestogen that is chemically identical to the body's own progesterone, used for endometrial protection.
- mmHg
- Millimetres of mercury, the unit used for blood pressure readings.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that publishes evidence-based national guidance on health and care in England.
- NICE guideline NG12
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral, which sets out when to refer people with possible cancer symptoms, including postmenopausal bleeding.
- NICE guideline NG23
- Menopause: identification and management, the national guideline on diagnosing and treating the menopause.
- NICE guideline NG136
- Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management, the national guideline on high blood pressure.
- Nominated Individual
- The senior person responsible to the CQC for supervising how a service is provided.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The body that registers and regulates nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Off-label use
- Using a licensed medicine or device in a way not covered by its licence, for example for longer than licensed.
- Oestrogen and oestradiol
- Oestrogen is the main female sex hormone; oestradiol is the form most often used in HRT.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- A common hormonal condition affecting the ovaries, which increases the risk of endometrial problems.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- When the ovaries stop working normally before the age of 40.
- Progestogen
- A hormone given with oestrogen in HRT to protect the lining of the uterus.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how health and care records should be managed and how long they should be kept.
- Registered Manager
- The person registered with the CQC as responsible for the day-to-day running of the service.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- The UK professional body for doctors specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and women's reproductive health.
- Sequential combined HRT
- HRT where oestrogen is taken every day and a progestogen is added for part of each month, usually causing a monthly bleed.
- Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP)
- A national protocol that allows a pharmacist to supply a different quantity, strength or product during a serious medicine shortage without contacting the prescriber.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction describing how a task is carried out consistently and safely.
- Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
- A 'mini-stroke': a brief interruption of blood supply to the brain causing temporary stroke-like symptoms. It needs emergency assessment.
- Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS)
- An internal ultrasound scan using a probe placed in the vagina, used to measure the thickness of the lining of the uterus.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data protection law governing how personal information is collected and used.
- Urgent suspected cancer pathway
- The fast-track referral route for patients whose symptoms could be caused by cancer.
- 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 and problems with medical devices.