Has it even crossed your mind to budget for menopause and beyond? Your menopause management finances will vary depending on your preferred route. The costs are not necessarily in addition to what you would have spent living and breathing previously, but you may need to re-direct funds to take into account your changing mind and body.

∞ Nutrition – if your current way of eating includes processed foods and you choose to substitute them for whole foods you may notice a slight increase in spend, but in my opinion higher quality fuel sources are worth investing in. Nutritional supplements and alternative remedies for symptom relief may add an additional £30-50 a month.

∞ Exercise – walking is free and that’s the best place to start. If other activities are on your radar you need to think about equipment, travel to and from etc

∞ Lifestyle – deep breathing is again free and alongside walking will help considerably with symptom relief. If you don’t address the controllables some of your lifestyle will be impacted, so what PLAN B do you have? I noticed travel was hard when my symptoms were bad. I liked to travel but traipsing through an airport with hand luggage on and off a plane was proving tricky with aching joints. I wasn’t prepared to stop travelling so fixed the aching joints.

∞ Reducing the amount of alcohol purchased will save a few pennies, and if you can give up smoking you could use that for allocating to other areas of your budget.

∞ Lotions and potions to help your changing skin demands, most certainly need to be on your financial forecast as well. Not simply for cosmetic purposes but absolute relief of certain symptoms.

“The bottom line – What price tag do you put on great health?”

∞ Integrated therapy to help with stress levels is another investment you could consider. A regular massage was a MUST HAVE for me. It was not a luxury by any stretch of the imagination, it was an essential to keep me moving and able to work. Living in Spain at the time it was more accessible and economical than in the UK.

∞ Alternative clothing for comfort and symptom management is an additional consideration, but well worth it.

∞ Hormone replacement therapy – if you are able to receive the treatment you deserve on the NHS you will simply pay the prescription fee. A private health care consultation via the Menopause Directory cost £135, plus the medication purchase price.

∞ An unexpected financial challenge could be if you need to take time off work or stop work completely, due to menopausal health challenges. Even when you have an end to end strategy in place there may be days when you still have to rest and take a step back. You need a contingency fund and a back-up plan if that arises.

The bottom line – What price tag do you put on great health?