Dr Elise Dallas, 1 Welbeck Street, London (2026)

10/04/2026

Menowashing at its finest!

Menopause CAN affect hair — but not in the way shampoo companies would have you believe.

Most “menopause shampoos” do nothing for the real hormonal changes happening at the hair follicle.
They’re cosmetic, not clinical.

So what actually helps with menopause‑related hair issues?
What is evidence‑based:

✅ Topical minoxidil 5% – strongest evidence for improving density
✅ Oral low‑dose minoxidil – a prescription option used when topical isn’t tolerated (requires careful medical supervision)
✅ Ferritin (iron) optimisation – aim for >100 -150 for healthy hair growth
✅ Correcting B12, zinc, and Vitamin D
✅ Thyroid checks – an underactive thyroid can mimic menopausal hair loss
✅Managing androgen‑related sensitivity – supporting the follicle when it reacts to hormonal shifts (a common cause of finer hair + shedding)
✅ HRT – can help maintain hair calibre for some women
✅ Low-level laser therapy – emerging evidence for supporting the growth phase
✅ Anti-inflammatory scalp care – ingredients like ketoconazole, salicylic acid, or ciclopirox help calm scalp inflammation and reduce excess yeast on the scalp, both of which can worsen shedding
✅ Adequate protein (yes protein again) + overall nutrition

These all target the hair follicle, not just the hair fibre.

And this is exactly why shampoos can’t treat menopause‑related hair changes — no matter how expensive, how fancy the packaging, or how “Meno‑branded” they are.

I’m genuinely curious…
👉 What “menopause” products have YOU seen that feel like pure menowashing?
Drop them in the comments — let’s call it out together⬇️👇⬇️👇🤦‍♀️

01/04/2026

🚨 Midlife women: the screening we never talk about — but should

We hear so much about breast checks and cervical screening… yet bowel screening barely gets a mention. And it needs one.

Bowel cancer is not just an older person’s disease anymore.
📈 Cases in 25–49‑year‑olds have risen by more than 50% in the last 25 years in the UK — and the trend is still climbing.
👩 Around 20,600 women are diagnosed every year.

It runs in my family, and my husband (a bowel cancer surgeon) sees younger and younger patients. Too many are diagnosed late because symptoms get dismissed as IBS, haemorrhoids, stress, or postpartum changes.

What this means for you:

1️⃣ NHS screening
FIT kits arrive automatically from age 50, every 2 years.
(I’ll get mine when I turn 50 next year 🎉)

2️⃣ Earlier NHS testing?
Not routinely — but your GP can arrange a FIT earlier if you have symptoms, iron‑deficiency anaemia, or a significant family history.

3️⃣ Private screening
You can start earlier. Many experts now recommend qFIT from age 45 because of rising early‑onset rates.
I already include bowel screening in my Holistic Midlife Check because early detection saves lives.

Your midlife takeaway:
✨ Don’t just think breast and cervical — think bowel, too.

A simple qFIT test can pick up tiny traces of blood long before symptoms appear.

👉If you’re 45+, it may be worth starting now.
👉If you’re 50+, the NHS will invite you automatically.
👉If you have symptoms or family history — don’t wait.

Save this so you remember what to ask your GP And share with a woman who hasn't got this on her list and needs it!

Have you had yours??? Tell me below if this was on your radar ⬇️

17/03/2026

This has been hard for me to post.

Recently, we found out that this will be our last Mother’s Day with my beautiful mamma.

It was totally unexpected and it's hard to put into words how heartbroken I feel.

Life has a strange way of bringing the right people at the right time. The day after we found out, I had a patient who had lost her mother to the same illness. She reminded me to see the short time we have left as a gift, and her words have stayed with me. I’ll be dedicating as much of my time to her as I can.

Even though this is the “natural order,” and l'm a “proper grown up” turning 50 next year, I'm devastated beyond words.

But I’m drawing strength from the incredible women around me who have faced losses far beyond what feels bearable.
You give me strength without even realising it. Thank you for showing me what resilience looks like and for holding space in ways you probably don’t even know you do.

And if you’re lucky enough to have a good mamma still with us, hold her close. None of us knows what’s around the corner.

Here we are last Sunday laughing at my eldest son wishing me 'Happy Valentines" 🤦‍♀️🙄❤️

If you’ve felt this way and feel able to share what helped you, I’d be grateful to hear it. 🙏

11/03/2026

Today is a a real milestone for menopause care in the UK.

This is the first neurokinin‑targeted treatment ever recommended for NHS use with hot flushes and night sweats when HRT isn’t suitable — finally giving around 500,000 women another option.

Hot flushes and night sweats can be utterly life‑disrupting — stealing sleep, draining energy, and affecting mood, work, relationships and exercise.

For women who can’t use HRT, the lack of alternatives has been a persistent and frustrating gap.

Fezolinetant is a once‑daily, non‑hormonal medication that works on the brain pathways that drive flushes and night sweats. It’s a genuinely effective option and a much‑needed addition to our toolkit — especially for people who can’t, or don’t want to, take HRT.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve sat in NHS menopause clinic wishing we could offer this. It’s an awful feeling — knowing there is an option, knowing the impact, but being blocked by access.

In private practice, I’ve already seen what happens when that barrier is removed as it's been available since early 2024. Women who’ve been waking drenched in sweat for years suddenly sleeping through the night. Energy returning. The fog lifting. Being able to exercise again. Feeling like themselves again.

As with any medication, it’s always about weighing up the benefits and risks for you — especially after certain cancers — depending on your symptoms.

But today really does matter.

It means more choice, fairer access, and — finally — another NHS option for the women who’ve been waiting.

And honestly… I’m delighted it’s finally here.

Would this be something you’d consider? Have you found a non‑hormonal option for hot flushes that genuinely works for you? I’d love to hear your experience ⬇️

11/03/2026

❌ Myth 3: Ill health mainly happens at the end of life.

✔️ Reality: The highest health and economic burden for women is between ages 20–50 — not 50–70.

In my poll, most of you guessed the burden peaks later in life.

Totally understandable — we’re conditioned to associate “ill health” with old age.

But the data tell a very different story.

Women experience the greatest load of illness, disability, and economic impact in early and mid‑adulthood. This is the window where multiple systems collide:

• Reproductive health conditions
Endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, PCOS, infertility, pregnancy complications — these account for a huge share of women’s years lived with disability before age 50.

• Autoimmune disease
Around 80% of autoimmune conditions occur in women, and most begin between 20–50.

• Mental health
Depression and anxiety peak from the late teens to mid‑40s, with women affected at twice the rate of men.

• Chronic pain
Migraine, IBS, pelvic pain, musculoskeletal pain — all disproportionately affect women in their 20s–50s.

• Pregnancy, postpartum and early perimenopause
Major health events, often under‑researched and under‑treated, cluster in this same age range.

And all of this happens during the decades when women are working, raising families, and often caring for others.
The economic impact is enormous — lost earnings, reduced productivity, career interruptions, and increased unpaid labour.

This is the real peak burden.
This is where investment is needed.
Not at the end of life.

Women are 51% of the population. There is nothing niche about us.

👇 I’d love to know — did this surprise you? Drop your thoughts in the comments.⬇️

09/03/2026

Women’s health is so much more than vaginas, periods, or menopause. It spans every organ, every age, every lived experience.

And one thing I love about women: we amplify each other. We share what we learn and pass on the intel that makes us stronger.

So this week I’ll be sharing essential insights about the health of women—across cardiology, dermatology, colorectal health, breast health, vulval health and more. Because the more we know, the stronger we become.

💡 Myth‑Busting Women’s Health — Series Introduction

❌ Myth 1: Women are healthier than men because they live longer.

Reality: Women live longer but spend more years in poor health—especially after menopause.
Their biggest long‑term risks are heart disease, osteoporosis, frailty, and dementia, often in combination.
The goal isn’t living longer—it’s living well longer.

❌ Myth 2: Women’s health = sexual or reproductive health.

Reality: Women are not little men. Every system—heart, gut, brain, bones, skin—behaves differently in women.
Reproduction matters, but focusing only on that ignores the conditions that drive the majority of women’s lifelong health burden.

❌ Myth 3: Ill health mainly happens at the end of life.

Reality: The highest health and economic burden for women is ages 20–50, not 80+.
Despite this, only ~1% of health research funding is dedicated to women.
Women are 51% of the population—there is nothing niche about us.

Daily myth‑busting from each specialty coming this week.

Any myth you want dispelled? Or what was the biggest shock you learnt about women's health? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

❤️

08/03/2026

International Women’s Day

This year’s theme, , couldn’t be more fitting.

I spent the evening surrounded by brilliant women who champion women’s health every single day— to celebrate the strength, resilience, and wellbeing of women and girls everywhere.

Women may live longer than men, but far too many spend those extra years in poorer health.

And let’s be clear: women are not a “niche” group—we are 51% of the global population.

Our health, our voices, and our lived experiences matter.

One of my favourite things about women is how naturally we amplify each other. We gather, we talk, we share what we’ve learned. We pass on the good information, the hard-earned lessons, and the things that genuinely make a difference.

That’s the power of our community—we don’t keep important knowledge to ourselves.

So this week, in the spirit of , I’ll be sharing some of the myths I learnt in women’s health. Not just today—all week long.

Come back each day, share with your friends, and let’s keep this ripple effect going.

Your health. Your knowledge. Your voice.

When women share, women thrive

With appreciation for the incredible women leading the way:

05/03/2026

This week we remembered my father, a year after he died. We scattered some of his ashes in the Thames and, in true family style, it became a full‑blown comedy moment — wild wind, slippery rocks, and an entire flock of swans and ducks convinced we were there to feed them. Thankfully someone further down the river started to throw food so the chaos slowly drifted away.

Except for one swan.

One swan stayed. It listened to our tributes. My son noticed it was the only one with a tuft of grey hair.
And strangely the last pic is of the night he died and there is a swan.

Do you believe in signs?

Was it the universe, my father watching us?

Who knows. But it felt special

The boys each chose three words to describe him. On the way back, my son asked for mine.

Kind. Integrity. Safe.

I was lucky to have him. People often say I’m so much like him — and I can’t imagine a greater compliment. I hope I am, and I hope I keep becoming more like him.

Do you believe in signs, tell me your story?⬇️

03/03/2026

Perimenopause isn’t a gentle decline in hormones — it’s a phase of wild oestrogen spikes and crashes, with levels sometimes higher than in your 20s.

Because low‑dose HRT doesn’t suppress ovulation, it can’t stop the tidal‑wave surges that cause PMS, mood swings, headaches, heavy/irregular bleeding, or cycle chaos.

Hormonal contraception can, because it suppresses ovulation, flattens fluctuations, stabilises symptoms, regulates bleeding, and provides contraception.

HRT:
👉Body‑identical hormones (both oestrogen and progesterone can be)
👉Lower doses that don’t suppress ovulation
👉Great for flushes, sleep, vaginal symptoms, bone health
👉Contraception still needed

Contraceptive pill:
👉Higher‑dose synthetic hormones (some newer pills use body‑identical oestradiol but not body identical progesterone as too weak- hence you can have lots of bleeding issues with it)
👉Suppresses ovulation → stabilises symptoms
👉Helps regulate or stop bleeding
👉Provides contraception
👉Often more effective for fluctuation‑driven symptoms

Body‑identical pill options:
Qlaira, Zoely, Drovelis.

Not suitable for some: clot risk, migraine with aura, high BP, smoking >15/day, cardiovascular history, liver/gallbladder disease.

Finding the right option is individual — it’s about matching the treatment to your hormone pattern.
Would love to hear if you've experienced any issues good or bad with HRT in perimenopause⬇️⬇️⬇️

19/02/2026

If you’re going through surgical menopause after cancer, here are some places that offer genuinely helpful, evidence‑based support:

⭐ ( )
Support, community, events and clear information for anyone in menopause after cancer.
Danni’s book Menopause and Cancer is particularly brilliant — I especially love the easy‑to‑understand table that helps you see whether you may be eligible for HRT after cancer.
Menopause and Cancer Podcast — weekly, honest, expert conversations.

⭐ Menopause After Cancer for guidance and support.

⭐
Free emotional + practical support. Many centres run menopause‑after‑cancer sessions.

⭐
Reliable information on breast‑cancer‑related menopause and symptom management.

⭐ (Young adults with cancer)
Great for younger survivors facing early or surgical menopause.

⭐
Search “Cancer Support UK menopause” for articles + interviews (including with Danni).

16/02/2026

Starting HRT after 60 (or >10 years from menopause) isn’t automatically unsafe — but the benefit–risk balance changes.

Why the caution?

❤️After many years without oestrogen, existing vascular changes mean heart protection is no longer gained and risks (stroke, VTE, coronary events) are higher.

When might it still be used?
🔥Persistent severe vasomotor symptoms
🦴Bone protection when other treatments don’t work or can’t be used
🥰Quality‑of‑life issues that remain significant

What guidelines actually say:
The Menopause Society (2022) notes the benefit–risk ratio is less favourable after 60 or >10 years post‑menopause — not forbidden, but requires individualised counselling, lowest effective dose, and careful monitoring.

Key point:
This is not about “never”—it’s about shared decision‑making based on symptoms, health status, bone risk, and patient goals.

👉 So yes, sometimes starting after 60 is appropriate — just not for disease prevention like heart disease.

Did you know this?
Share with someone who is considering this!

Dr Elise Dallas

10/04/2026

01/04/2026

17/03/2026

11/03/2026

11/03/2026

09/03/2026

08/03/2026

05/03/2026

03/03/2026

19/02/2026

16/02/2026

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