Useful information

We have included the following organisations because, on preliminary investigation, they may be of use to the reader. However, we do not have first-hand experience of each organisation and so cannot guarantee the organisation’s integrity. The reader must therefore exercise his or her own discretion and judgement when making further enquiries.

Amarant Trust

Gainsborough Clinic
22 Barkham Terrace
80 Lambeth Road
London SE1 7PW
Helpline: 0901 607 0312 (Mon–Fri 11am–6pm)
Website: www.amarantmenopausetrust.org.uk

Charity offering help and support about all aspects of the menopause through its premium rate helpline, leaflets and publications, and a specialist menopause clinic.

Benefits Enquiry Line

Helpline: 0800 88 22 00
N. Ireland: 0800 220 674
Minicom: 0800 243 355

Government agency giving information and advice on sickness and disability benefits for people with disabilities and their carers.

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP House 35–37
Albert Street
Rugby CV21 2SG
Tel: 01788 550899
Website: www.bacp.co.uk

Professional organisation and directory of qualified counsellors. Offers lists of all levels of counsellors and can refer to local specialist counselling services.

Daisy Network

P O Box 183
Rossendale
BB4 6WZ
Website: www.daisynetwork.org.uk

Support group specifically for women with premature menopause.

Family Planning Association

2–12 Pentonville Road
London N1 9FP
Tel: 020 7837 5432
Helpline: 0845 3l0 1334 (Mon–Fri 9am–6pm)
Website: www.fpa.org.uk

Deals with sexual health and contraception and is a useful source of up-to-date information about other services and organisations relating to men and women’s health.

Hysterectomy Association

60 Redwood House
Charlton Down
Dorchester
DT2 9UH
Tel: 0871 781 1141
Web: www.hysterectomy-association.org.uk

National Endometriosis Society

50 Westminster Palace Gardens
Artillery Row
London SW1P 1RL
Tel: 020 7222 2781
Helpline: 0808 808 2227
Website: www.endo.org.uk

Provides information, support and advice for women with endometriosis. Publishes quarterly newsletter for members.

National Osteoporosis Society

Camerton
Bath BA2 0PJ
Tel: 01761 471 771
Helpline: 0845 450 0230 (Mon 9.30am–5.30pm, Tues–Fri 10am–5.30pm)
Website: www.nos.org.uk

Provides information about the menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), particularly in relation to osteoporosis.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)

MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London WC1V 6NA
Tel: 020 7067 5800
Website: www.nice.org.uk

Provides guidance on treatments and care for people using the NHS in England and Wales. Patient information leaflets are available for each piece of guidance issued.

Women’s Health

52 Featherstone Street
London EC1Y 8RT
Tel: 020 7251 6333
Helpline: 0845 125 5254 (Mon–Fri 9.30am–1.30pm)
Minicom: 020 7490 5489
Website: www.womenshealthlondon.org.uk

Has national helpline, information leaflets and a library on gynaecological and sexual health issues. Provides information about support groups.

Women’s Health Concern

PO Box 2126
Marlow
Bucks SL7 2RY
Tel: 01628 488065
Helpline: 01628 483612
Website: www.womens-health-concern.org

Advises women about the menopause and use of HRT. Factsheets available on the website or by post; please include s.a.e.

THE INTERNET AS A SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION

After reading this text, you may feel that you would like further information on the subject. The internet is of course an excellent place to look and there are many websites with useful information about medical disorders, related charities and support groups. For those who do not have a computer at home some bars and cafes offer facilities for accessing the internet. These are listed in the Yellow Pages under ‘Internet Bars and Cafes’ and ‘Internet Providers’. Your local library offers a similar facility and has staff to help you find the information that you need.
It should always be remembered, however, that the internet is unregulated and anyone is free to set up a website and add information to it. Many websites offer impartial advice and information that has been compiled and checked by qualified medical professionals. Some, on the other hand, are run by commercial organisations with the purpose of promoting their own products. Others still are run by pressure groups, some of which will provide carefully assessed and accurate information whereas others may be suggesting medications or treatments that are not supported by the medical and scientific community.
Unless you know the address of the website you want to visit – for example, www.familydoctor.co.uk – you may find the following guidelines useful when searching the internet for information.

SEARCH ENGINES AND OTHER SEARCHABLE SITES

Google (www.google.co.uk) is the most popular search engine used in the UK, followed by Yahoo! (http://uk.yahoo.com) and MSN (www.msn.co.uk). Also popular are the search engines provided by Internet Service Providers such as Tiscali and other sites such as the BBC site (www.bbc.co.uk).
In addition to the search engines that index the whole web, there are also medical sites with search facilities, which act almost like mini-search engines, but cover only medical topics or even a particular area of medicine. Again, it is wise to look at who is responsible for compiling the information offered to ensure that it is impartial and medically accurate. The NHS Direct site (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) is an example of a searchable medical site.
Links to many British medical charities can be found at the Association of Medical Research Charities’ website (www.amrc.org.uk) and at Charity Choice (www.charitychoice.co.uk).

SEARCH PHRASES

Be specific when entering a search phrase. Searching for information on ‘cancer’ will return results for many different types of cancer as well as on cancer in general. You may even find sites offering astrological information. More useful results will be returned by using search phrases such as ‘lung cancer’ and ‘treatments for lung cancer’. Both Google and Yahoo! offer an advanced search option that includes the ability to search for the exact phrase; enclosing the search phrase in quotes, that is, ‘treatments for lung cancer’, will have the same effect. Limiting a search to an exact phrase reduces the number of results returned but it is best to refine a search to an exact match only if you are not getting useful results with a normal search.
Adding ‘UK’ to your search term will bring up mainly British sites, so a good phrase might be ‘lung cancer’ UK (don’t include UK within the quotes).

WARNING

Always remember the internet is international and unregulated. It holds a wealth of valuable information but individual sites may be biased, out of date or just plain wrong. Family Doctor Publications accepts no responsibility for the content of links published in this series.