I count myself lucky to have a GP like Dr Ludmila Semetilo at Nuffield Health — someone who has walked beside me for years, not just as a doctor but as a kind of comrade in this unpredictable journey of being human. She also happens to be a menopause specialist, which felt like a blessing when everything in my body started shifting in ways I couldn’t quite name.
A few months ago, when I was feeling low, frayed, and not quite myself, I sat down with her. Some of it was life — the emotional storms we all weather — and some of it was my body reacting to those storms. And then there’s the part that’s purely hormonal. Untangling the three is almost impossible.
Ludmila listened to everything: the cramps, the fog, the emotional heaviness, the strange new sensations in my body. I was scared of losing my physicality – loss of bone density, strength, stamina and physical power that I had always prided myself for. I boxed, right up to my early 50s.
Ludmila ordered blood tests and sent me for a scan, wanting to understand the full picture before we talked about options.
When HRT came up, I said no immediately. The idea of being on hormones for years didn’t sit right with me at the time — it didn’t match how I saw myself or how I wanted to live. She respected that completely. We talked instead about addressing the physical issues first.
The scan showed fibroids and polyps, likely the culprits behind my cramps, so Ludmila referred me to a gynaecologist, Miss Annette Reid. Off I went to the Lister Hospital, where Miss Reid examined me with the same thoroughness and kindness. She explained everything — even sketching diagrams so I could truly see what was happening inside my own body. We talked about non‑HRT options too, including bioidentical hormones, which she explained are costly, not covered by insurance, and did not have that much scientific evidence yet.
What struck me most was this: choice. Real, informed, individual choice. Medicine is not — and never should be — one size fits all.
The next day, I saw Miss Reid again at the Shard Medical Centre to have a Mirena coil fitted, which provides progesterone locally in the uterus. Two weeks later, I was back with Ludmila, this time ready for oestrogen patches.
And just like that, I became a fully paid‑up member of the HRT club, but that does not mean I slack on working out and eating well.
Next section: My HRT Diary
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