Printable prep sheet

GP appointment prep: the HRT conversation

To prepare for a GP appointment about HRT, record your main symptoms and how they affect you, what your periods are doing, your personal and family medical history (especially blood clots and breast cancer), and every medicine and supplement you take. NICE NG23 says the choice should be a shared decision after your clinician discusses the benefits and risks of each option with you, so bring questions about the types and forms of HRT, the alternatives, and when it will be reviewed. Information only, not medical advice.

Download this prep sheet

What to record, the questions to ask, and space to note what was decided. Everything in it is also shown on this page.

Download the HRT appointment prep sheet

Record before you go

Your main symptoms and how much they affect daily life
Your periods now: regular, irregular or stopped, and roughly when they changed
Your age and, if periods have stopped, how long ago
Personal history: blood clots, stroke, heart disease, breast or other cancer, liver problems, migraines
Family history of the above, especially breast cancer and blood clots
All medicines and supplements you take (bring the boxes or a list)
Smoking, alcohol, and roughly your height and weight
What you are hoping to get from the appointment

Questions you might ask

Are my symptoms likely to be perimenopause or menopause?
What are my options, including HRT, non-hormonal medicines and lifestyle measures?
What are the benefits and the risks of HRT for me specifically?
If HRT is an option, what type and form (tablet, patch, gel, spray), and why?
What is the difference between combined and oestrogen-only HRT, and which applies to me?
Is vaginal oestrogen an option for dryness or bladder symptoms?
How soon might I notice a difference, and what side effects should I watch for?
When would we review it, and what would make us change or stop?
What should I do if it is not helping?

Understanding the decision

NICE guideline NG23 (published 2015, updated 2024) recommends discussing the benefits and risks of each management option, including the specific benefits and risks of combined versus oestrogen-only HRT. It stresses that the choice should reflect your own needs, preferences and values, so there is rarely a single right answer. Treatment is usually reviewed, so it is normal to adjust the type, dose or form over time. For an overview of the options, see the NHS menopause treatment page.

After the appointment, note

What was decided and why
What to watch for
Your review date

Take the menopause symptoms checklist along too, understand the questionnaires with our menopause questionnaire explainer, and read our menopause and supplements for menopause guides. More free printables.

Frequently asked questions

What does NICE say about deciding on HRT?

NICE guideline NG23 says menopause care should be individualised and that your clinician should discuss the benefits and risks of each option with you, including the specific benefits and risks of combined versus oestrogen-only HRT, and reach the decision together with you. There is rarely one right answer; the choice should reflect your own needs, preferences and values.

What should I bring to the appointment?

Bring a note of your main symptoms and how they affect you, what your periods are doing, your personal and family medical history (especially blood clots and breast cancer), and a list of all your medicines and supplements or the boxes themselves. Having these to hand means the conversation can focus on your options rather than gathering facts.

Is HRT the only option?

No. Depending on your symptoms and history there are non-hormonal medicines, vaginal oestrogen for local symptoms, and lifestyle measures, alongside different types and forms of HRT. This sheet helps you ask about the full range so the decision is genuinely shared.

This is information, not medical advice, and is not a substitute for a registered clinician. Your GP or menopause clinician decides, with you, what is right for your situation.

Oliver Mackman

Editor, Her Vitals

Oliver leads Her Vitals's editorial coverage of women's life-stage health and supplements. He curates and reviews existing branded products across trying to conceive, pregnancy, postnatal, perimenopause, menopause and the senior years, weighing what the evidence supports against guidance from bodies such as EFSA, the NHS and NICE, and is clear that the content is information rather than medical advice.

Last reviewed: 27 July 2026

Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Editor. Editorial review against published guidance; not a clinical review.