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[Kb21]

Any ideas of what the cost is to see a private specialist?

Also, can you ask them to prescribe and then get the medication via your own GP?

Just found one locally but pretty sure it's going to be unaffordable.

[Ladybt28]

Hello Kb21 and welcome   
Well when I booked to see the one and only consultant in Northern Ireland the cost was to be £150 + tests if I need them but I didn't go in the end I managed to get to the meno clinic where she is the consultant anyway.  I think they can bee much dearer than that depends where in the country you live - London maybe up to £250?  Sure someone else will jump in with pricing to give you an idea. You can phone the consultants secretary/main desk at their clinic and ask without having to book.
Yes ref meds from GP - they send a letter following the consultation to your GP detailing what was discussed and what they prescribe so you should be able to get the meds on the NHS.
I think the sticking point in some areas and some GP's is testosterone if it is suggested by a consultant.  It's not something which is "licensed for women" in the UK but is widely prescribed by good meno consultants - how your GPs practice views it when it gets back down to that level varies enormously.  I think some ladies here have to get theirs on private prescription which they really shouldnt have to but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[lisauk]

I paid over £1000 and feel no better This isn't the case for everyone, mind you, but I do feel like I've wasted a lot of money.

[Katejo]

I paid over £1000 and feel no better This isn't the case for everyone, mind you, but I do feel like I've wasted a lot of money.

Did you feel that the specialist wasn't helpful / interested or did their treatment  just not improve things for you? Just interested.

[Nik2502]

Hi
I'm seeing Julie Ayres in Leeds tomorrow and it's £120 for a new patient appointment.
Nic x

[EnglishRose]

I paid £320 yesterday for first appointment a follow up in 3 months and a private prescription . She was a registered GP who specialises in menopause

I felt it was a waste of money. I could have got what I was prescribed from my own doctor and she did suggest that to be fair.

But she spent so much time talking about studies and research she was interested in and had nothing to do with me.

Then we went over my history emotionally and physically and she seemed to want to go down the route of nutrition and mindfulness which I am more than versed in so I didn't learn anything I wasn't already aware about.

I went for reassurance which may be my error. My particular symptoms are causing me a great deal of distress and are the catalyst to why I'm so down in the first place.

I was hoping to hear they were not unheard of or for her to theorise what might be happening from a hormonal point of view, she actually said she saw no point in taking blood tests and to go off symptoms which for me was a disappointment as I suspect testosterone dominance.
When I brought up my theories, she was reluctant to want to talk about my symptoms other than my anxiety then she put together a “plan” to get me out of the hole I've fallen in which involves walking my dogs and spending a few hours back a work.

Nice woman but the nhs women's Physio Therapist I saw the day prior was much more reassuring and discussed in detail my symptoms and possible causes.

Bottom line, I wouldn't do it again unless someone I knew or heard of recommended them. Just like the nhs it's a gamble who you get so you need to do some research.

I also had a private gynaecologist appt and refused to pay after he literally laughed when I described my reasons for seeing him. He was bemused and refused to look at some information I'd brought stating he had no interest in American doctors opinions as they were motivated by money and would invent disorders and capitalise on them. He added British medicine is simple and straightforward and to keep things simple.

I wrote a letter of complaint to the BMI hospital and they dismissed my complaint using their chaperone nurse as a witness to imply I was lying
I paid for the swabs I had to ask him to take but I never paid for his consultation.

Get reviews or personal opinions first as I was directed to her following the advise from another hormonal expert and I wonder how much of that direction was based on their friendship rather than how good she was. Even the hormone specialist who directed me to her, said she will want to take blood tests. So I felt I paid £320 for a prescription which is available on the NHS

[lisauk]

I paid over £1000 and feel no better This isn't the case for everyone, mind you, but I do feel like I've wasted a lot of money.

Did you feel that the specialist wasn't helpful / interested or did their treatment  just not improve things for you? Just interested.

I felt that she was passionate about her work and what she believes in. She is very helpful and clearly has a genuine interest in women and their wellbeing. It's just that the treatment hasn't worked for me at all. Having said that though, I don't actually have menopause symptoms - I have symptoms that I've had for years and years, that I was hoping were down to some kind of hormonal imbalance. I guess they weren't. I do feel that I got a bit sucked in by the whole bio-identical thing - she put me on 5 different hormones, and having done a lot of reading since, it seems that her way of thinking is more of a theory than fact (which I thought it was at the time).