*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Side Effects Of Tibolone

Like all medicines, tibolone may cause side effects. But it's common to have no side effects or only minor ones.

Side effects often improve as your body gets used to the medicine.

Common side effects

These common side effects of tibolone happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a pharmacist or doctor if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Call a doctor or call 111 straight away if any of these rare but serious side effects happen to you:

the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin - this could be a sign of liver problems
you suddenly have a migraine-type headache or severe headache
you get pain, redness or swelling in one of your legs, usually in your calf - this could be a sign of a blood clot or deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Speak to a GP if:

you have a lump or changes in your breasts, especially dimpling of the skin, changes in the nipple or any lumps you can see or feel - this could be a sign of breast cancer
you get continued vaginal bleeding or any changes in vaginal bleeding after you've been taking tibolone for more than 6 months - this could be a sign of womb cancer

It's important to attend your breast screening (mammogram) appointments while you're taking HRT.

you have pain in your chest and breathlessness - this could be a sign of a blood clot in your lungs (pulmonary embolism) or heart problems
you have difficulty speaking or moving your arm or leg, or your face has dropped on one side - this could be a sign of a stroke

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to tibolone.

These are not all the side effects of tibolone. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
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