October has quietly become one of the most significant months in the health calendar. Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Cholesterol Month, Menopause Awareness Month, ADHD Awareness Month, World Mental Health Day on the 10th, World Menopause Day on the 18th. The awareness moments stack up. Whilst awareness alone doesn't change health outcomes, the conversations those moments prompt sometimes do.
This isn't a month to scroll past. It is a month to pay attention.
Breast health
One in seven women in the UK will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. The majority of cases are detected in women over 50, but breast cancer can and does occur at any age. Screening through the NHS starts at 50, but self-awareness — knowing what is normal for your body and noticing when something changes — matters at every age.
What to look for: a new lump or thickening, a change in size or shape, skin changes including dimpling or puckering, nipple changes or discharge, or pain that is new and unexplained. Most changes turn out to be benign. Changes that are new deserve a GP appointment, not a wait-and-see.
Cholesterol
High cholesterol has no symptoms. Most people who have it don't know. It is detected through a blood test, and without that test the first sign is often a cardiovascular event that could have been prevented.
National Cholesterol Month is a timely reminder that knowing your numbers matters. Risk factors include family history, diet, weight, smoking and low physical activity, but high cholesterol occurs in people without obvious risk factors too. A simple blood test, included as part of the West End Health Annual Health & Dental Assessment, gives you a clear picture.
Menopause and perimenopause
World Menopause Day on 18th October sits within a broader cultural shift: more women are seeking proper support, more GPs are having better-informed conversations, and HRT is significantly better understood than it was a decade ago.
Perimenopause can begin years before periods stop, and its symptoms — brain fog, disrupted sleep, mood changes, joint pain, low energy — are still frequently misattributed to stress or depression. If you have been feeling unlike yourself and haven't yet had a proper conversation about whether hormones might be involved, October is a good moment to start.
Mental health
World Mental Health Day on 10th October is a prompt, not a deadline. Mental health doesn't have a calendar, and the conversation is as relevant in November and March as it is this week.
What October offers is permission: a culturally sanctioned moment to raise something you've been carrying quietly. A named GP who has 30 minutes and knows your background is a good place to do that.
ADHD
ADHD Awareness Month sits in October too, and adult ADHD — particularly in women — remains significantly underdiagnosed. If you have spent years assuming you are just bad at focusing, disorganised, or easily overwhelmed, a conversation with a GP who has time to explore that properly is worth having.
This October, don't just scroll the awareness posts. Make the appointment.
