UK weight loss medicine prices
From first period to 70 and beyond: the guides
Screening invitations, breast checks, planning a pregnancy, life after birth, heart health after menopause and autoimmune conditions.
6 guides by Sian Anderson. Every clinical claim links to its source. Information, not medical advice. Updated 5 November 2026.
Your health needs change every decade. The NHS invites you for cervical screening from 25, breast screening from 50 and bowel screening from 50. Each invitation is worth taking up, and each has a way back in if you missed one.
These guides follow the stages in order: planning a pregnancy, the year after a birth, the screening programmes, checking your breasts, the rise in heart risk after the menopause, and the autoimmune conditions that affect far more women than men.
Weight loss medicines feature where they matter most: when to stop before trying for a baby, why they are not advised while breastfeeding, and what the heart trials found.
Every guide in this section
How to check your breasts, and which changes to report
How to check your breasts or chest each month, the six changes the NHS says to report, what happens after a GP referral, and breast density in the UK.
Folic acid, vitamin D and planning a pregnancy
Folic acid before pregnancy: who needs 400 micrograms, who needs 5mg, why the BMI advice changed in 2025, plus vitamin D and stopping a weight loss jab.
Your body after birth: weight, breastfeeding and the jabs
Weight after a baby: why Mounjaro and Wegovy are not used while breastfeeding, a realistic pace of weight loss, tummy muscle gaps and the 6 to 8 week check.
Heart health after the menopause: the numbers to know
Why heart risk rises after the menopause, the cholesterol numbers to know, the free NHS Health Check from 40 to 74, QRISK3 and what the SELECT trial found.
Autoimmune conditions in women: why they are more common
Why autoimmune conditions hit women far more than men, signs of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto's and coeliac disease, and how to be taken seriously.
Where this overlaps
Bodies do not sort themselves into chapters. These guides from other sections come up again and again alongside this one.
- Getting heard at the GP: how to prepare and what to ask (Being heard: women and medicine)
- HRT benefits and risks in plain numbers (Menopause and midlife)
- Fertility, pregnancy and weight loss medicines: how to time it (Weight loss medicines and women)
- Periods on a weight loss jab: what changes, and when to worry (Weight loss medicines and women)
- The pill and weight loss jabs: when you need a backup (Weight loss medicines and women)
- PCOS and weight loss medicines: what to expect (Weight loss medicines and women)
- Pelvic floor, leaking and exercise: what weight loss fixes and what it does not (Strength and movement)
- Heart attack symptoms in women: call 999 and say the words (Being heard: women and medicine)
From first period to 70 and beyond: questions
Which NHS screening tests are women invited to?
Cervical screening from 25 to 64, breast screening from 50 up to your 71st birthday, and bowel screening from 50 to 74 in England. The screening guide covers what each test looks for and how to book one you missed.
When should I stop a weight loss medicine before trying for a baby?
The medicine leaflets give the times, which differ by medicine. The folic acid and pregnancy planning guide sets them out alongside folic acid advice.
Does heart risk change after the menopause?
Yes. Risk rises as oestrogen falls. Blood pressure and cholesterol checks matter more from your 40s, and the NHS Health Check is offered every five years from 40 to 74. The heart health guide covers the numbers.