How to talk to your doctor (and be heard)

Appointments can be short, and it is easy to freeze up and say “it’s probably nothing”. A bit of prep turns ten minutes into a really useful conversation. You are not wasting anyone’s time; your health is exactly what they are there for.

Before you go

1. Track for at least two cycles if you can. The NHS and RCOG recommend a symptom diary for PMS, and NICE says a pain and symptom diary helps for endometriosis too.
2. Open Splash and generate your Doctor report (Insights or Settings, then Doctor report). It summarises your last 6 cycles, 6 months of symptoms, moods and notes, and recent temperature data, ready to print or show.
3. Write your top 1 to 3 concerns in order. Start with the one that worries you most.
4. List medicines, supplements and anything hormonal you use.
5. Jot down what you have already tried and whether it helped.

Words that help

• Describe impact: “I miss two days of uni every month” lands better than “it hurts”.
• Quantify: “I change a pad every hour on day 2” or “pain is 8 out of 10”.
• Name what you are wondering about: “Could this be endometriosis / PMDD / my thyroid?”
• Ask: “What are the next steps, and what should I do if it doesn’t improve?”

If you feel brushed off

You can ask what would change their mind, ask for your concerns to be written in your notes, book a follow-up, ask for a referral to a gynaecologist, or see a different GP. For endometriosis, NICE says to refer you to a gynaecology service if first treatment does not work, you cannot tolerate it, symptoms hurt daily life or they keep coming back. For heavy bleeding, NICE says that the impact on your quality of life is what counts.