Dr Amir Khan

Now, Louise, you're right to connect it to the menopause because your ears do have oestrogen receptors inside of them.

And so oestrogen helps with the fluid balance system in your ear, but also the hearing cells in your ear as well.

It's everything.

It's everything.

So some people get vertigo after the menopause because of that fluid balance abnormality and estrogen dropping.

But it's the same with the hearing cells in your ear as well for women who go through the menopause.

As the estrogen levels drop, it negatively affects the hearing.

So women don't hear as well as they used to, but also tinnitus is a really common symptom.

Now, it's a common symptom, but it's really hard to treat.

Really hard to treat.

We don't have a cure for genuine tinnitus.

So what I would say is,

I know this is not particularly helpful, but unilateral tinnitus.

So if you only have tinnitus in one ear, that is not the menopause.

That could be something really seriously abnormal, like a tumour inside that ear.

So if you've got unilateral tinnitus, we want to see you.

We need to refer you.

You probably need a scan.

Bilateral tinnitus is much more... I'm using medical terms, sorry.

On both sides, if you can hear it on both sides, then... I don't mind a medical term here and then.