About Dr Nighat Arif
I am a family GP, first and foremost, specialising in women’s health and family planning at my practice in Buckinghamshire.
In the media
However, to many people I am probably most familiar as the resident doctor on BBC Breakfast, This Morning and BBC LookEast. I participated in BBC Breakfast’s ‘Wake Up To The Menopause’ campaign and you may also have seen me on Channel 4’s documentary ‘Davina McCall: Sex, Lies and the Menopause’.
I am passionate about providing information and education on women’s health and appear regularly in the media, including women’s magazines like British Vogue, Good Housekeeping, OK, Hello and Red, as well as specialist journals like Women in Medicine. I write about a whole range of topics but am particularly keen to destigmatise the menopause. I cohost a podcast called That Time of the Month and am also a regular guest on podcasts like Her Spirit with Louise Minchin and Annie Emmerson, Surgical Spirit and the HuffPost Podcast.
Healthcare campaigner
I campaign for improvement in women’s health around the world and am a member of Team Halo, working in partnership with the United Nations, as well as serving as an online health expert for NOON, a platform that supports women in mid-life. I presented to the ‘Menopause in the Workplace’ Parliamentary committee hearing.
You can find my posts and information videos on various social media platforms, including TikTok where I have nearly half a million followers, YouTube Health and the WHO Fides network.
Author and keynote speaker
As a passionate advocate for better information and education for women, I wrote The Knowledge: Your Guide to Female Health from Menstruation to the Menopause. It was published in 2023, the aim being to dispel common myths and provide down to earth information and practical advice.
I’ve also published a range of academic papers and am a regular keynote speaker, both nationally and internationally. I help train GPs in many different areas of women’s health.
Awards and accolades
I was proud to be named Woman of the Year in the Asian Achievers Awards 2024 and was a recipient of the 2023 Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award for my work in raising awareness of women’s health issues in the UK. I’ve also been nominated for the Bevan Prize in Health and Wellbeing for my community outreach work and a portrait of me, by acclaimed photographer Zoe Law, featured in the National Portrait Gallery’s Legends display in recognition of my advocacy for equality in healthcare.
Ambassador
I’m the ambassador for a number of charities, including the global Wellbeing of Women, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, The Good Grief Trust, HerSpirit, Sikh Forgiveness and Upon Noon.
Clinician
- Endometriosis
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Adenomyosis
- Fibroids
- Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
- Premature Ovarian Insufficiency
- Surgical Menopause
- Chemical Menopause
- Dysfunctional periods in adolescence
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
- Postmenopause
- Vulval skin conditions
- Sexual health concerns
- Low libido
- Painful sex
- Vaginismus
- Pelvic health issues
- Trans health
- Chronic disease management (e.g. blood pressure, diabetes) alongside female health transitions
- Chronic UTIs
- Prolapse
- Genitourinary Syndrome of the menopause in breast cancer patients
- Difficult cervical smears
- IUD/IUS coil fits
- Diagnosis and management of hormonal conditions
- Female Testosterone HRT