A GP appointment is short. The difference between a frustrating one and a useful one is usually what you walk in holding.
Before you go
Take a pregnancy test. Even if you are sure. It will be the first question.
Write the timeline. When your last period was. What your cycles were like before — regular, irregular, heavy, light. When things changed.
Note what else changed around then. Training volume. How much you were eating. Weight change in either direction. A stressful period. An illness. A new medication, including contraception. A house move, a bereavement, exams.
List your symptoms, including the ones that feel unrelated. Headaches, changes to vision, milky nipple discharge, hot flushes, night sweats, acne, unwanted hair growth, feeling cold, low mood, poor sleep, recurring injuries.
List your medication, prescribed and otherwise, including supplements.
Things worth saying even though they are hard
If you have been eating less than you need, or exercising in a way that feels difficult to stop, say so. It is the single most useful thing you can tell a doctor investigating absent periods, and it changes what they test for and what help they offer.
Clinicians hear this often. It is not a confession, it is clinical information.
Questions worth asking
- What do you think is the most likely cause?
- Which blood tests are you doing, and what will they tell us?
- Should I have a scan?
- Do I need a referral — to gynaecology, endocrinology, or a dietitian?
- Should we be thinking about my bone health?
- What would make you want to see me sooner?
- When should I come back if nothing changes?
What usually happens next
Expect a conversation and then blood tests — typically a pregnancy test, thyroid function, prolactin, and hormones including FSH, LH, oestradiol and testosterone. A pelvic ultrasound is sometimes arranged. Results usually take a few days to a couple of weeks.
If you feel dismissed
It happens, and it is worth pushing on. You can ask for your concern to be recorded in your notes, ask specifically about bone health if your periods have been absent for a long time, ask for a referral, or see a different GP at the practice. Absent periods for three months or more warrant investigation.
Take someone with you
If you think you will find the conversation difficult, bring a person who can listen and remember. That is an entirely reasonable thing to do.
General education, not a diagnosis. If your periods have stopped, your GP is the next step.
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